Invitations to Apply for the National Honor Society for the 2023-2024 school year have been sent! Applications received and acceptances sent out. Current Juniors should be checking their email regularly.
Students who believe they qualify scholastically (have a 4.50 cumulative GPA or higher) need to check their email!
The process is all-digital from invitation to acceptance; please be patient with any confusion in the process.
All current tenth and eleventh grade students who have maintained a 4.5 or above cumulative GPA during their high school career are eligible for nomination after the district releases end-of-year GPA lists to our school’s Chapter of the National Honor Society. A student must have been in attendance at Vandegrift for at least one semester.
However, National Honor Society membership is not based solely on academic achievement. NHS is an organization that recognizes outstanding individuals who are able to balance academics with other responsibilities and interests. NHS recognizes those well-rounded individuals who serve as positive role models and contributors to school life. Therefore, selection for membership is based upon evidence of the following four qualities: scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
With membership comes specific responsibilities, which have been outlined by the Faculty Council. Please consider them carefully before you continue the selection process.
Regular attendance of meetings and participation in service projects is required.
Regular meetings are monthly, held virtually. Additional meetings pertaining to particular service projects may also be held.
Students must maintain a cumulative weighted GPA of 4.5.
Under NHS regulations, each chapter must do service projects in which each member must be actively involved.
In addition, each student shall have the responsibility of choosing and participating in individual service projects, which reflect his/her own particular talents and interests.
For the school year 2023-2024, students must complete 5 service tasks. One of those tasks needs to benefit their chosen philanthropy area.
Members are expected to maintain the standards that were in place when they were admitted into the National Honor Society. This includes taking an active role in service and leadership to the school and community, and continuing to demonstrate good character.
Dues for NHS members are $10 dollars for juniors and $30 for seniors per year, payable in the fall after school has started.
Any additional information or assistance will be available through the chapter advisors listed below.
Complete ALL sections. Don't be modest. Every bit of information can be used by the Faculty Council to assist with the selection process.
You may only list things you have done since the completion of your 8th grade year (i.e., starting the summer before your freshman year). You must have participated for a complete season/year to receive credit.
Be specific when describing your activities. Provide detailed explanations of what you did and/or how you served. We may not be familiar with the organization or activity, so the more information you can provide, the better.
If you would like a copy of your application form, please print it out or save it as a pdf before submission. NHS Advisors will not be able to make a copy of your application for you to keep once it has been submitted for scoring.
Leadership and Service contributions will be determined by the candidates’ completion of the Student Activity Information provided by the student in the application form. The Student Activity information will then be reviewed and scored by members of the Faculty Council, comprised of faculty members who have been appointed by the principal. The Faculty Council will then make the selection of new members.
Leadership positions are elected or appointed. These positions include things like being an elected student body, class, or club officer, a committee chairperson, a team captain, a newspaper editor, a supervisor at your job, etc. They do not include being the leader of a group project in a class, coaching little league sports, etc. You may only receive credit for one officer position per year per organization. You must have been in the leadership position for a complete season/year to receive credit. Give the full name of the club, not just the initials.
a. Co-Curricular Activities (School Related) List all school-related activities in which you have participated during high school. Include clubs, teams, musical groups, etc. You must have participated for a complete season/year to receive credit. Give the full name of the club, not just the initials. Science Fair may only be included if your participation was not for a grade in your science class. If you advanced in Science Fair (required or not), be sure to mention that.
b. Community Organizations List any community organizations that you have been a member of since completion of your 8th grade year. These should be organizations outside of school that you have participated in, like church groups, non-school related clubs (including club sports), Boy or Girl Scouts, etc. You must have participated for a complete season/year to receive credit. Service completed with a group that you are not a member of should be placed in the “Volunteer Experience” section.
c. Volunteer Hours and Internships List any unpaid volunteer experiences or unpaid internships that you have had since the completion of your 8th grade year. Fundraising efforts may only be listed if the money raised was donated to charity. Fundraisers that benefited you personally or an organization in which you participate may not be counted. Service done for your family may not be included (i.e. caring for your family members, work done for a family business, etc.) If your volunteer hours were done as a requirement of another club or organization, they may not be counted. However, if you went above and beyond the required hours, you may list the excess hours here.
d. Employment List any paid work that you’ve completed since the end of your 8th grade year. In order to earn points for work, you must have worked 8 hrs/wk during the school year or 16 hrs/wk during the summer.
The faculty council meets and discusses each applicant. They determine points for each entry on the application and add them up. They then let the advisors know who was selected.
Advisors send out acceptance/denial letters via your school email on or around the last week of August.
New members are inducted into the National Honor Society via a virtual ceremony.
In October, monthly meetings begin & dues are paid. Dues cover the cost of national affiliation fees, Induction ceremony & reception needs, graduation stoles, and other expenses the chapter incurs.
T-shirts are a separate interaction on the VHS webstore. Cost is $10, and the shirt design repeats from year to year.
