Selection Process:
Any junior or senior with a cumulative GPA of 11.0 on a 12.0 scale, having been in attendance at PHHS for one semester, will receive an invitation for candidacy in the fall of the current school year. More information about pillars and expectations can be found at the NHS website.
Potential candidates will receive an application form to complete and return to the NHS advisor. This form should be fully completed with great detail: this is your chance to show everything that would make your candidacy stand out to the faculty committee. Do not omit any presumed known information. Included in the form is a request to write a one page autobiographical essay.
The candidacy form includes a signature from the parent/guardian; this signature indicates that the candidate has included all possible information for NHS and will accept the decision of the faculty committee.
All staff members at PHHS will have the opportunity to give input via survey on the status of each potential candidate. This includes a review by the principals and deans.
An anonymous five person faculty committee will evaluate all candidacy forms. Each faculty member on the committee will give individual feedback on the candidates. In addition, the committee will review the all faculty input survey.
The faculty committee votes on the selection of each candidate; a majority vote makes the decision.
Following the faculty committee decision, every invited candidate will receive a letter indicating selection or non-selection. This letter will be delivered prior to Fall break.
A letter of non-selection will include an indication of the reason for the decision. Junior candidates are encouraged to try again senior year.
Appeals Process:
Should a non-selected candidate have questions about the decision, he/she should contact the PHHS NHS advisor for clarification.
If the non-selected student feels the faculty committee overlooked something important from the candidacy process, the student may request an appeal by the principal. A written letter of reconsideration must be submitted on paper to the NHS advisor. No new information is to be added; merely to explain why the student should be reconsidered. The NHS advisor will deliver the letter and candidacy application to the principal. Following the decision by the principal, the NHS advisor will provide a written statement of the decision.
Any contact or concerns about the matter should come from the student.