Application for NHS Selection
The Harker School
Since 1921, The National Honor Society has served high school students in the United States by recognizing their academic achievements and developing other characteristics essential to citizens of a democratic society.
During the past 94 years, the National Honor Society has become a prestigious organization that has helped students build their lives on four pillars – scholarship, character, service, and leadership. Administrator, faculty, student, and parent commitment has contributed to its impressive reputation.
Membership in the National Honor Society is both an honor and a commitment.NHS is open to students in grades 10-12. Students qualified for selection into The National Honor Society have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or above by August of 2016, served as a volunteer both at school and in outside communities, played leadership roles – small or large, and possess impeccable moral character.
If you believe that you meet these criteria and would like to be considered for selection into The National Honor Society, complete and submit the following by email to y 9 am on Friday, September 9th. No forms will be accepted after this time and date.
Applications completed on-time, including recommendation letters, will be read by the faculty NHS council. This council of dedicated faculty will decide which applicants will receive acceptance into NHS, and students will be notified by Friday September 29th at the latest. NHS members will gather on the evening of Tuesday October 4th to attend the induction ceremony of the new members.Attendance at induction is mandatory for all new members (barring school-excused absences) so you should mark your calendar now so that you can be there if accepted!
You may find the following checklist helpful when working on this application.
Action Items Necessary to be considered for NHS Membership / Done!I have completed this application in its entirety, including the essays. In addition,I have given these essays significant thought, time, and attention.
I have arranged for three personal recommendations on behalf of my specific embodiment of three of the four NHS pillars. At least two of my recommendations are from Harker faculty or staff.
I have asked early enough for my recommendations to be completed and submitted by the faculty member (due by 9/16), and I will thank my recommenders when I have results, regardless of the results.
I have saved my written application (pages 2 onwards), as a PDF titled LastFirstNHS and sent it to Mr. Pistacchi at
Mr. Pistacchi
NHS Faculty Advisor,The Harker School
Pillars of the National Honor Society
Scholarship: Students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.7 meet the scholarship requirement for membership. These students are then eligible for consideration on the basis of service, leadership, and character.
Service: This quality is defined through the voluntary contributions made by a student to the school or community, done without compensation and with a positive, courteous, and enthusiastic spirit.
Leadership: Student leaders are those who are dependable, resourceful, good problem solvers, promoters of school activities, idea-contributors, and persons who exemplify positive attitudes about life. Leadership experiences can be drawn from school or community activities while working with or for others.
Character: The student of good character upholds principles of morality and ethics, is cooperative, demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability, shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others, and generally maintains a good and clean lifestyle.
Directions: It is required that you thoroughly complete the following pages of this application electronically, save as a PDF entitled LastFirstNHS, and submit it by email to . Do not be modest; each piece of information assists the Faculty Council in the selection process. Completion of this application does not guarantee selection.
- Affirmation and Qualifying Information
Name ______Date ______
By electronically signing my name above, I affirm that the information that I present in this application is complete and accurate.I understand that by turning in this form, I am willing to fully commit myself to Harker’s National Honor Society. If accepted into NHS, I vow to uphold my duties as a member by coming to all meetings (unless previously excused by an officer) and participating in service events as well as club activities. I understand that if I am not able to fulfill these commitments, my membership in the society may be revoked.
Grade _____cumulative GPA: ______(Please note that a cumulative 3.7 GPA is a prerequisite and continued requirement.)**Note: Your cumulative GPA is at the bottom of your unofficial transcript – available via the Student Information System on the Student Portal.
- Character: Your typed signature below confirms that you have not violated the Harker School Honor Code or the Harker School Code of Conduct during your time at The Harker Upper School. Your signature also signifies that you understand that should you be inducted into the National Honor Society and violate the Harker School Honor Code or Code of Conduct, your membership in the National Honor Society may be revoked.
______
Digital Signature
If you have committed any significant Honor Code violations (e.g. those resulting in Saturday detention, disciplinary probation or suspension,) you should not apply to NHS. If you feel that an exception should be made in your case or would like to discuss your situation, please come speak with Mr. Pistacchi before the selection process begins.
- Co-curricular Activities: List any activities through which you have engaged and contributedsignificantly to the Harker community.Examples include athletics, performing arts, and active and significant club membership (not just “I signed up” but rather “I go to every meeting and help plan events.”)NOTE: you do not need to fill every line and you can add lines as needed. This section is about quality rather than quantity; we want members who engage actively and deeply in a few activities (like NHS!).
Activity / Year / Accomplishments
9 / 10 / 11 / 12
- Leadership Positions: List allleadership positions that you have held in high school, community, or work activities. Include only those positions in which you were personally responsible for directing or motivating others. NOTE: you do not need to fill every line; part of being in NHS is a willingness to take on new leadership opportunities; maybe NHS can be your chance!
Activity / Year / Accomplishments
9 / 10 / 11 / 12
- Service Activities: List service activities in which you have participated during your high school years. These may be service projects done with a group, either in or out of school, or as an individual. Service activities are those that you undertake on behalf of others (not including immediate family members) and for which you received no compensation (monetary or other).
Activity / Year / Adult Supervisor
9 / 10 / 11 / 12
- Recommendations
Three people must submit recommendations to support your selection into the National Honor Society. Only one of these recommendations may be written by someone outside of the Harker community (this should be e-mailed to Mr. Pistacchi by the due date if they have trouble with the Google form below). It is imperative that you ask your teachers (in person) to write a recommendation as soon as you can, to allow them adequate time.Tell them that their recommendations are due by 9/16. After your in-person recommendation request, please follow up via email with this link to the online form:
Harker teachers will be sent the link separately, but please pass it along for their convenience.
Recommendation letters must be pillar-specific. For example, Mr. Smith would recommend Joe Student for “leadership,” Ms. Brown would recommend him for “scholarship,” and his piano teacher would recommend him for “strength of character”. One pillar will remain uncovered.
Listed below are the names of the three people that I asked to write pillar-specific recommendations to support my selection into The National Honor Society. (Again, one will remain blank.)
For Scholarship and Academic Accomplishments______
For Leadership Activities ______
For Service Involvement ______
For Strength of Character ______
VII.Essays
Please respond to the essay prompts listed below. You may find it helpful to review the first page of this application for more information on the four NHS pillars. It is important that your answers be well thought out, organized, and thorough. Please put your responses under each prompt.
Pillar Essays: Choose twoof the following four essays to write about. Your reply to each should be no more than 200 words.
- Scholarship: How has your life as a student demonstrated love of learning and dedication to academic excellence? Describe your philosophy of learning and give concrete examples that clearly show how your actions support your philosophy.
- Leadership: Describe how you have been a leader in your community (at Harker or elsewhere). Don’t just list your leadership roles; rather, describe the things you have personally done that demonstrate your interest in, and capacity for, positive and effective leadership.
- Service: What is your philosophy of service? Describe specific and significant actions that you have taken in service of others (at Harker or elsewhere). Choose actions that clearly reflect your philosophy. How has your service experience affected or changed you?
- Character: What do the expressions “personal integrity” and “honor” mean to you? Describe a time in your life when you feel that you demonstrated excellent character and integrity. How did your actions model your beliefs about personal integrity and honor?
You must also answer the following essay in 100 words or less. Please take it seriously – we want to know how you will fulfil your commitment to NHS if accepted:
We understand that most Harker students have many extracurricular activities and a rigorous academic schedule. With this in mind, we want to forewarn that between meetings and other society commitments, there is a minimum of 10-15 hours of involvement throughout each year. Please explain how you will balance what is required of you from NHS with the activities you are already involved in. How will you prioritize NHS in your schedule in order to make it a part of your daily life?
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this application. We hope the experience has been helpful with consolidating your thoughts about scholarship, leadership, character, and service.