The school’s most prestigious organization, the National Honor Society, was negatively affected by COVID restrictions, and many of the requirements to get in had to be changed. However, now the club is back and better than before.

The National Honor Society recognizes outstanding students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Academics, Leadership, Service and Character.
NHS Co-Moderator Courtney Von Lange said that being inducted into the NHS is “good for students to look forward to,” and “it helps students to learn how to balance their GPA and service learning.”
Mrs. Von Lange shares moderation duties with Mrs. Hope Hemphill.
Although the NHS has been running for many years, there have been some changes this year that are different from other years.
For example, one of the first new changes is that the criteria for juniors to be eligible is a 4.2 GPA, which is higher than last year’s GPA requirement. The GPA has to be maintained throughout a student’s membership in the NHS.
The current seniors are allowed to be “grandfathered” in based on the previous year’s requirements, so they only need a 4.1 GPA to stay eligible for membership.
At the start of the school year, each eligible junior needs to have at least 40 service hours, and seniors need at least 60. Juniors who were eligible this year should have gotten an email this summer and had to have turned in two recommendations from teachers of their choice.
Along with the service hours required for the start of the school year, members need to accumulate two hours of service specific to NHS each quarter.
Students also need to have a clean discipline record to be eligible.
Mrs. Von Lange is most looking forward to having an earlier induction. In the past, induction ceremonies have been around December, but this year it is starting as early as October.
Mrs. Von Lange said an early induction can give the members the opportunity to do more service projects and give the NHS “more of a group identity.”
Incoming member, Annabel Everett said, “There are certain parts of the new NHS requirements that I feel should be required such as service hours; however I think that other parts of it like having to have higher GPA and after-school tutoring should not be enforced.”
This year, the induction ceremony will be held in the upper gym on October 5, and there will be about 90 inductees. This a lot a lot of new people, considering that there were way fewer last year.
The NHS is a great goal for students who want to achieve academic success, while doing service and helping others.