National Honor Society
The National Honor Society (NHS) was established at Whitewater High School in 1956 to inspire enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulate a desire to render service, promote worthy leadership, and encourage the development of character in high school students. NHS has become a prestigious organization ranking high among college admission officers, scholarship committees, high school faculty & administrators, students, parents, and community residents. For many, selection as a member of the National Honor Society is the pinnacle of achievement in school. This honor, recognized throughout the nation, is both the public recognition of outstanding accomplishments and the private commitment to continued excellence on the part of each new member.
NHS activities are fun and help improve our school and community. Meetings are led by elected officers who use collaborative decision-making when working with members to plan projects. They organize events that raise money for numerous charities such as the Family Emergency Fund & other worthwhile organizations. National Honor Society members welcome new students to WHS during New Student Orientation in August and inspire compassion for others by hosting the Kindness Matters Project & Big Buddy Little Buddy Program. They promote world peace by supporting the International Exchange Program and foster school spirit & fellowship among peers by sponsoring the winter dance. They care for community members by donating to the Whitewater Food Pantry & purchasing holiday gifts for families in need during the holidays. Members also encourage their peers to save lives by giving blood during the annual American Red Cross Blood Drive and support the WHS Hope Squad - a program that reduces youth suicide through education, training & peer intervention. They also recognize achievement within the student body during National Student Leadership Week and encourage all students to work hard and use their talent to make Whitewater High School the best it can be.
The NHS Faculty Council at Whitewater High School (WHS) selects interested juniors and seniors with outstanding leadership, character, scholarship, school involvement, and service for membership during the fall semester each year. Juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher are notified by the NHS advisor of their eligibility and encouraged to submit information if interested in membership. Faculty evaluation is used during the selection process in addition to a rubric and point system to evaluate the strength of a student’s candidacy. Students selected for membership must earn 15 points on the rubric. Students become members by participating in an induction ceremony right after Thanksgiving. To remain a member, a student must exhibit outstanding leadership, character, scholarship, and service, attend monthly meetings, participate in service projects with the organization, and maintain the cumulative grade point average standard in high school.
Students transferring from a high school outside of the United States without a numerical grade point average must attend WHS for at least two semesters, earn a 3.5 GPA, and provide evidence of outstanding leadership, character, scholarship, school involvement, and service to their school & community enough to earn 15 points on the NHS scoring rubric. Certificates of achievement, letters of recommendation from school administrators, teachers, advisors, and coaches with verifiable contact information, school website information, and articles with photographs are examples of evidence the Faculty Committee will review.
A National Honor Society member who transfers to WHS from another school district and brings a letter from the principal or chapter advisor to the new school advisor shall be accepted automatically as a member of the Whitewater NHS chapter.
Please contact Pamela Sonmor-Wintz, Advisor to the National Honor Society, if you have any questions! She works in the Student Services Office at WHS and can be reached at psonmorwintz@wwusd.org or 262-472-8113.
