The National Honor Society honors student leaders who have excellent scholarship, leadership, service, and character and helps them to grow into a life of service, learning, and success.
Membership
Juniors and Seniors (who are not already members) who have achieved a GPA of 95% will be sent applications late in the summer. All members are carefully selected, based on the National Honor Society tenets of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. A formal induction ceremony is held each November, although new members are accepted and must begin completion of the service requirement shortly after their admission in September.
Service Hours
Community service is an transformative learning experience that promotes personal growth and builds character. That is why the West Shore School District requires that all of our National Honor Society members must complete 40 hours of community service during each year of membership. Service hours for Seniors must be completed by the beginning of May. Seniors may also submit hours from service provided during the Summer before their Senior year. Service hours for Juniors must be completed by the beginning of June. Failure to submit these hours will result in dismissal from the organization. Please see the NHS table outside Room 237 for Service Opportunities and other information. Please remember to submit your hours, so they can be counted!
Students receive a letter midyear specifying their progress toward the service hours requirement. Students who have not completed half of their service hours at that time are placed on probation and urged to see Ms. Yannetti promptly to rectify the situation.
Meetings
Attendance at NHS Meetings is mandatory, except under extenuating circumstances. If you miss a meeting, see Ms. Yannetti personally to get an agenda from the meeting. Also, please sign up for Remind by texting @rlnhs to 81010 to receive text updates and information from Ms. Yannetti. Please see Ms. Yannetti for most recent agendas.
NHS Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:10 am in the Auditorium. Be there early to sign in. Attendance is MANDATORY.
Ideas for Additional Service Hours
Committed members who participate in Red Land National Honor Society activities can earn all their service hours through our activities and many members complete their service hours by midyear. However, this takes serious commitment. Members who fall behind on service hours may have to seek out service activities to meet the forty hour annual requirement. Those students must contact local organizations to find volunteer opportunities.
These organizations frequently have volunteer opportunities available: senior centers, pet shelters, churches, political parties, local parks and recreation, food banks, hospitals, fire departments, community sports organizations, libraries, thrift stores (such as Community Aid or Salvation Army), homeless shelters, and community parks (outdoor cleanup). Students may also engage in charitable fundraising, assisting the elderly, and helping at school events. Hours must be reported with contact information for all these activities.
Activities Not Counted as National Honor Society Service
Any activities that you receive payment or credit for do not count as community service for National Honor Society. Similarly, activities that do not specifically serve the community, such as playing in a band, singing in a choir, or attending youth group do not count as service hours. An exception to this rule is when those activities do provide direct service to the community. For example, if your band plays at a charitable event or if your youth group assists the elderly, that is legitimate community service. Additionally, family activities do not count as community service. These include housework, yard work, caring for siblings, assisting parents at home, or other activities that do not serve the broader community. Finally, common favors to competent friends and neighbors that do not serve the broader community are also not considered community service. These include helping friends with chores, providing services to private (for profit) businesses, pet care, and private babysitting. One exception that can be counted as public service is offering tutoring to other students, which requires approval by any teacher.
Please contact Ms. Yannetti with any questions.