NJHS

Membership in Sacred Heart Cathedral School National Junior Honor Society is open to those students who have completed the first semester of seventh grade. Eligibility is based upon guidelines established by the National Association of Secondary School Principals as set forth in the National Junior Honor Society Handbook.

NJHS members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that exemplifies high ideals with regard to academics, character, leadership, service, and citizenship. The student must meet the criteria set in each of the following areas.

Academics: To be eligible for membership in NJHS, the candidate must have earned an academic grade point average of 94 or higher. In addition to the grade point average standard, the student must also meet the academic integrity standards. Students considered for NJHS may not have had any academic integrity infractions.

Character: A student of character is one with integrity and is honest, courteous, respectful, reliable, and able to own up to mistakes. He/she will treat other classmates well, both in and out of the classroom, as well as at events both on and off school campus.

Leadership:  A student can exercise leadership by maintaining a positive attitude, demonstrating leadership in the classroom (i.e. volunteers to help teachers and classmates), being a role model who influences peers in upholding school ideals, and being able to do the right thing even when others are not.

Service: A student shows service by cheerfully rendering service to church, community, teachers, and school, and is always willing to help. 

Citizenship: A student demonstrates citizenship by obeying all rules and requests, and by active involvement in school and parish life through activities such as clubs, athletics, plays, band, church groups, Boy/Girl Scouts, etc.

All students meeting the academic requirements are then evaluated in other areas. Some of the criteria used are easily quantifiable, such as meeting the academic guidelines, participating in school and parish life, and volunteering. Students should be mindful, however, that the actions they display at school and in the classroom on a day-to-day basis are also critical factors. Service and leadership activities can be documented by submitting the appropriate forms to their homeroom teachers.

Eligibility: In order to be eligible for membership in the Sacred Heart Cathedral School chapter of the National Junior Honor Society, new inductees must meet these following criteria:

• Have a 94 or higher academic average for the semester

• Have a conduct average of 94 or higher for the semester

• Have completed and submitted documentation for ½  of the required yearly service hours and/or leadership activities. They must be completed and submitted by the last school day before Christmas break of the first semester, Friday, December 19, 2025. Remaining service hours are due Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

• Have no infractions involving academic integrity or disrespect for teachers, peers, or property resulting in detention/suspension.

 Maintaining Eligibility: Continuance in the NJHS is dependent upon maintaining all the standards for which the student was originally recognized.

Students will be evaluated for these requirements each grading period; if the criteria are not maintained, the student may be given one probationary grading period to meet the requirements. If the requirements are not met at any nine weeks after the probationary period, the student may not be allowed to continue as an NJHS member. The student’s name may be removed from the NJHS roster, and the student’s diploma and final eighth-grade report card will not indicate that membership was achieved.

Certain behaviors, such as cheating on tests or assignments, plagiarism, vandalism of personal or community property, severe disrespect, fighting, or harassment or any action deemed serious by the administration may result in immediate dismissal from NJHS with no warning or probation given.