New members for the National Honor Society were recently inducted in a ceremony held on April 10. Students previously received a letter of eligibility from NHS if they had an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher. Invited students could then go to a NHS meeting, fill out an application and be evaluated for the four pillars of NHS: service, scholarship, leadership and character.

“It is evaluated by an anonymous faculty council, five teachers each review it individually then review it together and come to a consensus whether the student meets the criteria,” club sponsor Megan Thompson said.

However, students who did not make the cut received a rejection letter. These letters explain why the student was not accepted rather than leaving the reason open ended. Rejected students are encouraged to re-apply next year if they are still eligible to join.

“There is nothing worse than when you are just left in limbo and are unsure,” Thompson said. “Even though it might seem harsh, at least they know.”

At the ceremony, principal Robert Frasca, assistant principal Christy Tibbits-Bryce and teacher of the year Matthew Thompson spoke at the induction. Several senior and junior officers brought drinks, desserts and decorations in preparation for the ceremony. All inductees arrived by 5:45 for the induction at 6 p.m. Each inductee was called individually to receive their NHS pin and certificate and were pledged into the honor society. New officers for the coming year were sworn in by Frasca.

Because NHS offers $80,000 in scholarships to exemplary students who demonstrate the four tenets, students are inclined to join if they feel up to the challenge. Additionally, activities in the club can provide volunteer service hours for Bright Future scholarships. New members can look forward to volunteer opportunities and group activities in the club. 

“I am really proud of the amount that our students have given back this year,” Thompson said. “At our last community service event, we recycled 15,000 pounds of plastic and 8000 pounds of soap to send to low income families and people in developing countries around the world.”

As a NHS advisor for two years at a previous school, Thompson looks forward to working with the new members at upcoming events and club meetings. Though it is her first year as an advisor at Hagerty, she has high hopes for the new members.

“Our students are doing great things out there and I’m really happy to do it with them,” said Thompson.