Skutt Catholic High School
National Honor Society Information Packet Completion Tips for Students
General Tips:
-Fill out your application yourself.
-Take your time. Check your spelling and grammar.
-Be honest.
-Include specific dates and times for each activity.
-Count only completed activities. If an activity happens in the spring, and you have not done it yet, do not list it on your application. On the spring application, you may include sports you have begun training for.
-Only include your high school accomplishments, do not list your 7th and 8th grade awards.
-Ask an advisor if you have any questions.
Criteria for acceptance to NHS
A five member faculty council makes all membership determinations based on the full picture of a student's scholarship, leadership, activity involvement, service and character. Be sure to list anything you think the faculty council should consider.
Activity Participation: These are co-curricular school sponsored clubs, sports, intramural sports, liturgy, drama, music, art, speech, FBLA, etc… or community groups such as boy or girl scouts, civic groups, club sports, music, drama, art groups, etc… Be sure to mark each season you participate and list your major accomplishments. List your leadership positions in these activities in the leadership section. Do not list your leadership positions twice.
Service: This category includes all volunteer work that is above and beyond the hours required for Living the Gospel. All service hours need to be logged and verified in the Helper Helper system in order to count towards the minimum required to be invited to apply for NHS membership. Do not count hours that are part of what is required for your Living the Gospel credit. Do not list Community Involvement Days service or service required for another organization.
Hours beyond what is required for Living the Gospel do count for NHS. In addition, the service category for NHS is broader than what is allowed for Living the Gospel Hours. For example working at SCHS events, the Humane Society, or as a political campaign volunteer will count for NHS service hours. It is the student’s responsibility to log all service hours into the Helper Helper Service Platform.
Beginning with the Class of 2025, a minimum of 25 additional service hours above the Living the Gospel Requirement must be logged and verified within the Helper Helper Service Platform in order to receive an invitation to join NHS. (A first semester junior would need 40 hours, a second semester junior would need 47.5 hours, a first semester senior would need 55 hours); The Class of 2023 and 2024 are exempt from this requirement.
Employment and Achievements: Regular participation in individual activities outside of school or special awards and certifications fit in this category. Occasional employment will not be considered, but regular, consistent employment over a long period of time may be considered. Be sure to indicate how long you have been/were employed in your position, as well as some of the duties and responsibilities you have there. Do not forget to list any leadership positions at work in the Leadership section.
*Honor Roll does not count as an achievement because NHS candidates all have a GPA that is required for Honor Roll.
Positions of Leadership: This section recognizes student leadership in a variety of activities. Any position to which a student was appointed, elected to, or volunteers for should requiring leadership should be noted in this section. Give specific titles you earned and what your responsibilities were. Indicate the amount of time you held the position.
Good Conduct Statement: This section is an opportunity for you to explain your situation if you have ever been involved in, or punished for, a good conduct violation. If you have never had a good conduct violation, highlight "No." If you have had a good conduct violation, highlight "Yes," and write a paragraph or two describing your situation, any consequences issued and served, and detail what you learned from the situation. A single good conduct violation does not necessarily preclude you from membership, but may require additional work on your part in order to be accepted.
Soaring SkyHawk Chapter bylaws:
Article III, section 3: Applicants should be advised that flagrant violations of school rules or civil laws may postpone or prevent National Honor Society membership.
Article III, section 8: Applicants who were denied membership because of …violations may appeal for membership to the faculty council.
Character Essay: Through the essay, students have the opportunity to enlighten the NHS committee as to their intrinsic motivation are. The essay should be personal and your voice as a writer should be apparent. The essay is not simply a recap of your accomplishments already listed on the application, but a window into your motivations for participation, service, leadership, and character. All the conventions of 6 trait writing should be utilized. Quality is more important the quantity.