"The students of Wakefield High School are committed to being honest and responsible in the completion of academic materials and interactions with the school administration and community. Cheating, stealing, plagiarism (passing off another’s work, words, or ideas as one’s own), and lying (including willful distortion or misrepresentation) are considered violations of the Honor Code. Through a joint fulfillment of this code, students and faculty will achieve their fullest potential in academic excellence and character." 

~ Wakefield High School Honor Code

Credit Expectations and Information

All members must obtain 8 credits per semester for a total of 16 credits. Failure to meet expected requirements will result in penalty credits or dismissal from SHS. 

New Member Policy: With the understanding that new members are inducted in mid-October, new members are only required to obtain 5 credits for the first semester. New members are still expected to meet the 8 credit requirements in the spring semester. 

Credit Types: Members are expected to obtain at least 2 credits of service and 2 credits of academic enrichment per semester. Members can fill the remaining required credits with whatever category of credit they so wish. 

• Service Credits are acts of community service with scientific value or those approved by SHS for credit. 

• Academic Enrichment Credits are approved scientific opportunities/experiences that count towards SHS.  

Penalty Hours: If members fail to meet required credits, there will be a 2 week amnesty period after the deadline and 2 penalty credits added in addition to student's missing credits needed to meet requirements. Failure to make up credits will result in dismissal from SHS. Please note that if members are dismissed they are not eligible for reinstatement. 

Recycling (1 Credit) 

• Members should be actively participating in the recycling process to obtain their credit. 

• Hosted every Monday after school in room 204.

• Hour sheets can be signed by Forces of Nature officers 

• Join the Recycling Remind for updates: @whsrecycli

Science Peer Tutoring (1 Credit)

• Tutor a student during a science department tutoring session/packtime

• Must be pre-approved by a science teacher prior to tutoring session

• Members must engage with students, help answer questions to the best of their ability, and be knowledgeable on the subjects they are tutoring. 

• Officers or science teachers should sign off on credits

Approved Drives (Credits Specific to Drives)

• Approved item drives will be announced throughout the school year.

• Members should be on the lookout for social media and Remind posts pertaining to the credits available for said drives. 

• All materials will be turned in directly to Mrs. Stiles in room 204. 

Food Drive (0.5 - 2 Credits)

• Drop off Donations in Mrs.Stile's room 204

• Obtain either 5 Canned Goods or 3 Dry Goods or 2 Non-Food Items

• If you purchase the specified amount above (From just one category, you don't have to buy from each of the options), you can receive 1 service credit

• You can receive a max of 2 credits

• Mrs. Stiles will sign your credit sheet

Teacher Help (0.5 Credits)

• Contact a science teacher on your own time and offer help. 

• Teachers may have a variety of tasks to complete.

• It is the student’s responsibility to negotiate with the science teacher the time, date, task, and communicate these duties to an officer.

• The science teacher will sign off on either a 0.5 credit or 1 Credit depending on how long and how much you helped. 

Ms. Schmeale's Agriculture room (1 - 2 Credits)

• Help sort seeds, clean tanks, change bedding in the agriculture room with Ms. Schmeale

• You may be doing outside/dirty work so wear appropriate clothes

• She sets up new dates she needs help on monthly, sign up by signing your name on her whiteboard under a slot

• November dates are: 11/17 & 11/24

• December dates are: 12/8, 12/11, 12/15, & 12/18

• Arrive to Ms. Schmeale's room at 2:30, she will sign your credit sheet

Wildwood Beautification project (2 Credits)

• https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044EABAD22A31-59098397-wildwood#/ 

• Attend and help keep our planet clean from 10am-12pm

• Submit a picture of yourself to the photo confirmation form

SHS induction help (1 Credit)

• Returning members ONLY

• Will be helping to run the induction smoothly with the officer's instructions

• Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44AFA622A1F9C70-59685950-science 

Academic Enrichment Credits: 

"A Walk in the Park" (1 Credit)   

• Take a nature walk at a location of your choice.

• Write a full page HANDWRITTEN on what you see. 

• Include 1-2 pictures of what you decide to investigate (animals, plants, clouds, weather, etc.) Pictures are to be submitted via the photo submission form found on the website and linked on our Instagram. 

• Your whole body should be visible in the photos. 

• The point of this project is to observe the nature around you and investigate the science behind what you see. Maybe this entails learning the Latin names of the flora around you, any biological adaptations these plants have, or doing the same for the fauna you encounter. Perhaps you will talk about the UV Index that day or the types of clouds you see. Did you spot any littering or hear any noise pollution? How does this affect the local environment?

• 1 Per Semester***

Presenting a TED Talk Slideshow (1 Credit)

• 8-12 slides about a topic relevant to a science (the periodic table, how cells reproduce, the production of DNA, describing the relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration, etc.)

• Other presentation mediums are welcome but must be approved first

• Teach us something! Science Honor Society meetings should give you inspiration for video topics

• Don't go overboard. Pick a topic that you can cover in the given time frame. 

• Experiment with presentation methods/visuals. Officers are judging on creativity, effort and content (NOT production value)

• Let officers know that you have a presentation and topic you would like to share.

• We have some science presentations posted on our website you can use as an example, NOT to copy

• 3 per semester***

Analyzing Friday Science TED Talk Slideshows (0.5 Credits) 

• Sign up on AllTimely and attend a presentation

• You can receive a half credit (0.5) for each 'TED Talk' slideshow that you analyze

• Max of 3 Slideshows that you can analyze per semester***

• Note the title of the 'Ted Talk' you are analyzing on a paper

• While watching, answer the following questions on a sheet of paper:

What are three things you learned? 

What are two things you still have questions about?

    Share your favorite part about the presentation!

• Staple paper to back of Credit sheet and turn in when hours are due

• We will have one TED Talk Slideshow posted on our website at all times for analyzing, to analyze more than just one, you must come to a packtime and analyze the presentation there. 

• Here is the ONE online 'TED Talk' you can analyze: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/198WSLFNMNUOg2nsY7XguzxU9d-e9suMcDIMRiqbgKXw/edit?usp=sharing 

• Next date: February 20th Packtime A or B

**NOTE- for clarification purposes, you aren't analyzing actual TED Talk YouTube videos, only the presentations that your peers put work and effort into making

Museum Exploration (2 Credits)

• Visit a science museum and document your time there. 

• You may explore the exhibits for two credits! After your tour, HANDWRITE a one page summary about your favorite exhibit, what you learned, etc. 

• Include ten (10) pictures of your favorite parts of the museum, please submit photos via the photo submission form found on the website and linked on our Instagram. 

• Your whole body should be visible in the photos.

• 1 per semester***

Attend an FFA Meeting (1 Credit)

• Attend an FFA meeting in its entirety

• HANDWRITE a 4-5 sentence summary of what you learned during the presentation portion of the meeting.

• Summary should be turned into room 204 or credit will be deemed ineligible

• Students should have an FFA officer or advisor sign off on their credit sheet. 

• Next Meeting will be December 10th, 2:30-4:30

• 1 per semester***

State Crime Laboratory (1-2 Credits)

• Attend a minimum of 2 hours at the event

• Must submit PHOTO proof that you were at the event through the photo confirmation form

• Just attending the event earns 1 credit

• Attending the event and making a HANDWRITTEN report (at least 6 sentences long) will earn you 2 credits by answering the following questions:

  • • What did you learn?

    • What did you find most interesting?

    • How does this connect with something you already know?

• Click on this link to sign up https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8cDCd6YwehX8BuNpXfAW5w6mtqVCNaH/view?usp=sharing 

NC State, TEX day (2 credits)

• Field trip forms are in Mrs. Stiles room 204

• Forms are due by November 14th, turn in forms to Mrs. Joyner

• Learn more about NC State's Textile Engineering, Chemistry, and Science degree programs including Polymer and Color Chemistry, Textile Engineering, and Textile Technology

• All Visitors are REQUIRED to wear closed-toed shoes in the labs

• The Trip itself is on NOVEMBER 21st, from 8:30 to 1:30

State Lab day (2 credits)

• Field trip forms are in Mrs. Stiles room 204

• Forms are due by November 28th, Turn in forms to Mrs. Joyner

• Spots are limited so sign up sooner rather than later

• This trip is on the same day as our December SHS meeting, your absence from the meeting will be excused

• The Trip itself is on DECEMBER 5th, from 8:00am to 1:30pm

Teen Science Cafes (2 credits)

• 6pm-7pm on the first Friday of every month

• Held at the Daily Planet Cafe, or you can also register to attend online

• FREE event, at the cafe there will be a science presentation, an interactive science activity, a Q & A session, and time to interact with other teens interested in Science

• More information here

• The Next upcoming Science Cafe is on DECEMBER 5th

Science Olympiad (2 Credits)

• This is a large time commitment that starts mid-fall

• Students will join a team of competitors, preparing for tests and projects in a series of science subjects

• We encourage students to pursue scientific curiosity, and learn as much as they can about the scientific community

• The competition for 2025-2026 is on FEBRUARY 7th

• The Science Olympiad team for this school year is already selected, but if you're wanting to learn science at the next level, consider applying for the team next school year

Any Other Science Enrichment Ideas?

• Speak to an officer if you have any ideas/activities that you would like to submit for hours

• Not all requests will be approved.

• YOU MUST HAVE APPROVAL AHEAD OF TIME TO SUBMIT ACTIVITIES FOR CREDITS!

Email Maddy Tegen (mrtegen@students.wcpss.net) for questions and approval regarding unlisted activities.