National Honor Society FAQs

How does a student become a member of National Honor Society?

Membership consideration for NHS and NJHS occurs in the fall semester. Juniors and seniors who possess a weighted GPA of 4.0 or higher are invited to apply using the NHS application packet, as are 8th and 9th grade students with an unweighted GPA of 3.75 or greater. The candidate information packet allows students to describe their qualifications in the pillars of Service, Scholarship and Leadership. Candidates who achieve the minimum qualifying score on the NHS and NJHS admissions matrix will be passed on to the Faculty Council for final review. The Faculty Council then determines the merit of each individual's application for final admission to NHS and NJHS.

How is the Pillar of Scholarship calculated?

11th and 12th grade students must have a minimum weighted cumulative GPA of 4.0 or higher. In addition, they must be enrolled in at least one AP or Honors level course in the current semester. 8th and 9th grade students applying for NJHS must have an unweighted GPA of 3.75 or higher. Current semester grades can and will be used as an evaluative measure by the Faculty Council.

How is the Pillar of Service assessed?

Service is a voluntary activity that is performed for the good of an individual (outside of the family) or the general community, without any compensation.

If I perform community service for another organizations (such as Boy Scouts), may I list it here?

Absolutely. List any and all community service that you have performed during high school even if you performed it for another activity or organization.

If I am a member of an organization that has a volunteer component, can I list it as both an activity as well as service hours?

Yes.

What constitutes an activity?

An activity takes place outside of a normal school day (7:30am to 2:15pm), does not involve compensation, requires a substantial time commitment, culminates in one or more performances for the public, and/or has a positive effect on the community. This may include but is not limited to High School sports teams, Club teams, and Service Organizations that require work outside of school (ex. Service Club, MiniThon, Yearbook, etc). A hobby would not count as an activity nor would an internship. On the other hand, playing in a district orchestra would count as an activity, but lessons that don’t include a final performance/recital would not.

If I play on a high school team as well as a club team, does that constitute 1 or 2 activities?

As they are separate teams within the same sport, you may count them as 2 separate activities. For example, a student who plays for the Reading United under 18 team in the summer as well as the WAHS Boys Soccer team in the fall, may list them as separate activities. However, the Faculty Council will make the final determination as to whether or not to count them separately.

How is the Pillar of Leadership assessed?

Leadership refers to positions held while in grades 9-12 and includes but is not limited to Class or Club Officer, Athletic Team Captain, Chaired Performer (bans/orchestra), Committee Chairperson, Event Organizer, or Supervisory Role in a volunteer position.