NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
The Dean MacDermott Chapter of the National Honor Society, chartered in 1962, was named to honor an English teacher who was well respected and had taught at Nathan Hale-Ray School for twenty-seven years. Eligibility of candidates is determined by their GPA two times during their high school career. Eligible students will be able to apply for membership in the fall of their junior year and in the fall of their senior year. At the end of the selection process, all materials are destroyed.
Selection for membership is by a majority vote of the Faculty Council. Prospective members are evaluated in the four major areas of scholarship, character, service, and leadership. Juniors and seniors are eligible for National Honor Society selection according to the following criteria.
I. Scholarship - Students must have at least a 10.0 cumulative scholastic standing. In addition, students must have at least a C- for any mid-year or final class grade.
II. Character - Character is measured by exhibiting the highest standards of integrity, behavior, ethics, and cooperation with students and faculty. Teacher recommendation is an important part of ratings for this characteristic. Student character will be judged according to the “Six Pillars of Character” both in and outside of school. Students must receive consistent ratings of three or higher on the academic behavior rubric as stated on report cards from the previous school year to be eligible for membership (beginning with the 2015-2016 induction class.)
III. *Leadership – Students must have had at least one leadership role over an extended period of time during their high school career. Leadership positions can include holding an office, being captain of a team, chairing a large event or committee as well as exhibiting qualities of leadership. Leadership roles in other activities, such as Boy Scouts or 4-H organizations also count toward Honor Society eligibility.
IV. *Service – All candidates for National Honor Society must actively participate in activities, whether they are school and/or community based. Candidates must have been involved in at least 35 hours of service for the school and/or community.
Prospective members are also rated by the Nathan Hale-Ray High School faculty based on consistently adhering to the “Six Pillars of Character”, shown below, both in the classroom and in the community.
I. Trustworthiness
Honest
Does not deceive, cheat, or steal
Reliable
Has the courage to do the right thing
Loyal; stands by family, friends and country
II. Respect
Treats others with respect
Is tolerant of differences
Uses good manners
Does not use bad language
Is considerate of the feelings of others
Does not threaten, hit or hurt anyone
Deals peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements
III. Responsibility
Does what he/she is supposed to do
Always does his/her best
Uses self-control
Is self-disciplined
Thinks before he/she acts; considers the consequences
IV. Fairness
Shares in cooperative spirit
Open-minded
Listens to others
Does not take advantage of others
Does not blame others carelessly
V. Caring
Kind
Compassionate
Expresses gratitude
Forgives others
Helps people in need
VI. Citizenship
Does his/her share to make community better
Cooperates
Stays informed
Good neighbor
Obeys laws and rules
Respects authority
Protects the environment
Membership
Requirements for Maintaining Membership in Good-Standing
A. SERVICE
NHS members are required to complete community service hours as part of their membership obligations.
Students who are inducted into the chapter during their junior year must complete at least thirty-five hours of service.
-Twenty hours of community service is required to be completed and forms submitted
BEFORE the end of their junior year.
-Fifteen hours of community service is required to be completed BEFORE the end of the
third quarter of their senior year. (All required community service hours can be completed
during the junior year.)
Students who are inducted into the chapter during their senior year must complete at least fifteen hours of service before the end of the third quarter of their senior year.
Students are required to complete and submit community service hour forms before the end of the third quarter of their junior/senior year to the NHS advisor and the guidance department.
B. CHARACTER
NHS members are required to consistently receive threes (meeting standard) or better on the academic behavior rubric as stated on report cards. NHS members are required to exhibit the highest standards of integrity, behavior, ethics, and cooperation.
C. SCHOLARSHIP
NHS members are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 10.0 or higher and must have at least a C- for any mid-year or final class grade. GPA will be checked for each member at mid-year and end of year.
D. PARTICIPATION
NHS members are required to actively participate in the majority of NHS functions including bi-monthly meetings, fundraisers, and service events.
Violation of Good-standing Requirements
PROBATION PROCEDURES
Members will be placed on probation if the faculty council finds any member in violation of the Good-Standing Requirements. Probation procedures are as follows:
1. Parent/Guardian will be notified via phone call and/or email. If parent/guardian cannot be reached within one week of first attempt, a letter notifying parent of probation will be sent home.
2. After parent/guardian have been contacted, the student will be notified in person with NHS advisor, Faculty Council member, and school counselor present.
3. Letter will be sent home via standard mail.
-Probationary period will be determined based on the nature of the violation and will be communicated to parent/guardian and student in the letter. The membership of a student placed on probation remains intact. Students placed on probation will subsequently be removed from any office that they hold. Students on probation during the fourth quarter of their junior year may not run for office.
-Members who fail to rectify the Good-Standing Requirements during the probationary period or commit another offence may be dismissed from the National Honor Society.
DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
After a student has been placed on probation the following dismissal procedure will be followed:
1. Faculty council meets to discuss violation of Good-Standing Requirements. Parent and student are notified via phone call or standard mail of a hearing date.
2. A hearing is held with student (may be accompanied by parent/guardian), faculty council, and school counselor. Faculty Council makes a dismissal decision after the hearing. The student’s role at the hearing is to provide information and feedback about the offense(s).
3. Parent and student are notified via phone call and standard mail of the faculty council’s decision.
A majority vote of the Faculty Council shall determine any decision. A copy of all correspondence will be kept at Nathan Hale-Ray High School.
A HEARING WILL BE HELD TO ADDRESS ANY OFFENSE WHICH IS A GROSS VIOLATION OF SCHOOL POLICY OR VIOLATES CIVIL LAW. AN OFFENSE AT THIS LEVEL COULD BE GROUNDS FOR AUTOMATIC DISMISSAL WITHOUT WARNING OR PROBATIONARY PERIOD.
A National Honor Society member who has been dismissed may appeal the decision of the Faculty Council to the Principal in writing. A student who is dismissed or who resigns from NHS is not eligible for membership thereafter.
Chapter Officer Responsibilities:
National Honor Society Officer Position
The NHS officer positions are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and sometimes Historian. Students may nominate themselves or another NHS member. National Honor Society members then vote on each position. Officer elections will be held once per year in the fourth quarter. The duties and responsibilities of the NHS officers are on file with the advisor.