National Honor Society

National Honor Society Application

NHS applications will be sent to eligible juniors each spring semester.  NHS Selection Procedure Description

HARRISON NHS RULES (Revised for 2024)

Attendance Policy

• Mandatory meetings are every second Tuesday of the month (during the school year) at 7:00 A.M. in the auditorium.(virtual meetings may be conducted)
• If you know you are going to be absent or late to a meeting, you must email the sponsor to be excused.
• If you miss a meeting due to sickness, you are expected to email the sponsor in a timely fashion.
• You will be notified by an officer if you have been counted absent and unexcused for a meeting.
• A second unexcused absence and/or a pattern of late arrivals to meetings may result in dismissal from NHS; the sponsor and/or the Faculty Council will consider each case to determine this.

Service Hours Policy

• Semester service hours must be submitted by the time and date designated by the officers each semester; this will be approximately the start of the last week of the semester.
• Members must complete fifteen hours per semester. 
• Service opportunities will be offered electronically through school email.
• One service project per semester, organized by NHS itself, is considered a required activity for all members unless you have discussed a conflict with the sponsor ahead of time; other opportunities are optional for members to select based on their interest and availability. No more than 7 hours per service event may count towards your semester service hours count.
• ONLY service approved by the sponsor will count as NHS Hours; email the sponsor if you want approval to count a service activity you hear of on your own for NHS hours.
• Submit service hours forms to the NHS box in the sponsor’s classroom; blank forms are located there as well.
• Service hours forms are required for every service event that is not organized by NHS itself.
• A spreadsheet to track hours will be maintained by officers and will be shared with all members at the beginning of the year.
• Failure to meet minimum service hours requirements or a pattern of not fulfilling commitments for which you have signed up (or finding another member to take your place) may result in dismissal from NHS; the sponsor and/or the Faculty Council will consider each case to determine this.

Dues

• Members must pay dues of $15 during first semester; funds pay for graduation cords and expenses for service events.

Academic Performance

• A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.7 is required for membership and must be maintained. Should a member's GPA drop below 3.7, the student will have one semester to restore the cumulative 3.7 GPA. Should the student fail to improve, dismissal will be automatic the following semester.

Special Circumstances

• Extraordinary circumstances may arise when the sponsor, the Faculty Council, and building administrators may need to evaluate whether a member violated school policy or the law to the extent that his or her membership in NHS would be in direct contradiction with the foundational principles of the organization. Those circumstances would be addressed by the above entities in accord with the national policies governing NHS.

A member may decide that continued participation in NHS is not something that he or she still desires. In such cases, the member would need to speak to the sponsor and also submit a letter of withdrawal from NHS.

EXPLANATION OF SERVICE HOURS FOR NHS

Edited February 2024

• Members need fifteen hours of service each semester. 
• One service event a semester is considered “required.” That means that participation is mandatory. There will be various levels of participation offered to members to account for conflicts in scheduling. The required event each semester will offer at least two to five hours of service. 
• Service events not sponsored by Harrison’s NHS itself requires that members turn in a signed “white form,” which notes service hours and participation. The white forms can be printed from the HHS website, will be provided as an attachment to members by email, and are located (already printed) on the NHS shelf right inside the door of F004. Occasionally, the sponsor will designate an event that does not need white forms such as an in-house blood drive where hours are automatically added to the spreadsheet, but this will be rare.
• White forms must be turned in by members in the appropriate plastic tray on the shelf just inside F004. 
• A spreadsheet tracking hours will be shared to all members and should be checked regularly to ensure that the records are accurate. If a member has a concern about that spreadsheet, that member should contact the sponsor or the Sergeant at Arms.  It is advised that members keep their own record of hours to have as a backup if needed.
• Up to five service hours beyond the required number for first semester can be carried over to second semester. For example, if a member earned twenty hours first semester, those five extra hours above fifteen would be applied to second semester.
• If a member wishes to participate in service not advertised by Harrison’s NHS, that member needs to clear the service opportunity with the sponsor prior to undertaking the service. Members are strongly encouraged to find such service opportunities on their own as much as they wish through churches, community organizations, local charities, or other areas of personal interest.  Members are encouraged to vary their service opportunities.  No more than 7 hours per service event may count towards your semester service hours count.
• If you sign up for an event, you are expected to take part in that event. If a pattern of defaulting on your commitments emerges, you can expect inquiry about the reason for the defaults; persistent issues may lead to dismissal as noted in the NHS rules.
• All members must complete service hours before the designated date each semester or receive extended time through arrangements with the sponsor. Members must have all hours in prior to the Senior Cord Ceremony in May.
• It is possible that service tied to another Harrison organization can double-count for Harrison’s NHS as well. Check with the sponsor if you have a situation that you want approved for this.
• If you are working toward the Honors Diploma with Distinction, the service hours that apply to the diploma cannot double-count for NHS or any other service club at Harrison. However, if you have achieved your minimum number of hours for Harrison’s NHS for a semester, you can use NHS events for the diploma requirements and not count them for NHS. Contact the sponsor if you have questions about this.
• Service events will be advertised through two primary platforms: TSC student email and another electronic reminder. You should make a habit of checking student email regularly; you can link it to your phone and receive notice for incoming emails. The other electronic reminder will often notify members that a critical update is available on email; it also will serve as a reminder for important events. Other platforms may be used including Google Calendar and Canvas.