NHS Selection Procedures

1. Eligibility is first determined by academic standing. Eligible students are those who, at the conclusion of first semester junior year, fall in the top 20% of the class and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Eligible students will receive an invitation from the NHS advisor to apply for the selection process in February of their junior year.

2. Following receipt of the invitation, eligible students will complete an application for membership. This application will be reviewed by by both the faculty during faculty voting and by the selection committee. Failure to submit an application does not necessarily prevent a student from selection to NHS, but does send a message of non-interest to the committee and may harm a student's chances for selection.

3. Applications are reviewed by the faculty. The National Honor Society utilizes four factors in selecting new members: scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Although eligibility for membership is determined solely by academic standing (upper 20% of the class and a minimum 3.0 cumulative average), the selection of members from the eligible pool is determined through equal weighting of all four membership factors. Faculty review student applications for a period of two weeks and vote based on the following criteria:

Scholarship: Students receive from 1-4 points, depending upon academic standing.

Top 5% of the class = 4 points
Top 10% of the class = 3 points
Top 15% of the class = 2 points
Top 20% of the class = 1 point

Character: Students receive from 0-4 points. The final rating for the student is determined from the average score from the faculty voting forms. For more information on scoring, see Character Guidelines.

Leadership: Students receive from 0-4 points. The final rating for the student is determined from the average score from the faculty voting forms. For more information on scoring, see Leadership Guidelines.

Service: Students receive from 0-4 points. The final rating for the student is determined from the average score from the faculty voting forms. For more information on scoring, see Service Guidelines.

Ratings:

4 points = superior
3 points = above average
2 points = average
1 point = below average
0 points = serious deficiency

4. Faculty votes are averaged for each student by the Chapter Advisor. Each student receives an overall average faculty rating between 1 and 16. These ratings are then presented to the Selection Committee for review.

5. The Selection Committee normally meets in late March/early April. The National Honor Society Selection Committee is composed of five faculty members (plus the National Honor Society Advisor in a non-voting capacity) and makes the final decision on selection to membership. The selection committee will place a great deal of weight on the faculty input in the areas of character, leadership, and service. Under normal circumstances, a student receiving 12 points (from a maximum possible total of 16 points) will be admitted. A student receiving less than 11 points normally will not be admitted. A student receiving a total average score of greater than 11 but less than 12 may be admitted to membership upon motion and second by members of the selection committee. In all cases, election to membership is determined by a majority vote of the selection committee. While faculty input is important in the decision process, the Selection Committee reserves the right to make decisions on student membership that fall outside of the point value guidelines described above.

6. Following selection, all students will be notified via mail regarding selection status. Non-selected students have the opportunity to follow the appeals procedure as necessary.

Special Cases:

In most cases, students who choose to graduate early will not be considered for membership in the Morse Chapter of National Honor Society. Early graduates typically are unable to complete the service and volunteerism requirements that are expected of members during their senior year following selection. If you are planning to graduate early and have questions about this policy, please see your School Counselor for more information.

If you are a transfer student who has already been inducted into another chapter of National Honor Society during your sophomore, junior, or senior year you are eligible for membership at Morse without participating in the selection process. However, you will need a letter from your previous principal or NHS advisor stating proof of membership in order to participate in Morse's NHS Chapter activities and to receive recognition at graduation.