EASTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL - NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Information for National Honor Society Candidates
“This is the highest honor that we can bestow upon our students.”
-Dr. Randall Peterson, Principal, EVHS
All 10th and 11th graders who have achieved the minimum NHS GPA requirement (3.8) OR who qualify for an
“Honors” ranking are invited to be candidates for NHS membership. The process consists of four parts, correlating
with the four pillars of the national and EVHS organizations – Scholarship, Leadership, Character, & Service. All
four parts are EQUALLY examined to determine if a candidate should be inducted into the Eastview Chapter of
National Honor Society.
SCHOLARSHIP
As an Eastview NHS candidate, you must meet the minimum GPA criteria (3.8) OR qualify for Honors Ranking.
You must list your current class schedule, so the Faculty Council WILL check with your teachers if there is a
question about your scholarship habits and classroom demeanor. A high GPA means little to the NHS Faculty
Council if you are not also an active, positive influence in the classroom. The Faculty Council considers the
academic rigor of the courses you select, but you are not required to have a schedule completely full of
AP/Honors/Accelerated courses. A student is not “marked down” for taking study hall. In the review process, the
Faculty Council respects the student who develops interests in a variety of endeavors, including the fine and
performing arts, physical education, technology, and so forth. You must also list the courses you have taken on a
Pass/No Credit basis, so that the Faculty Council can check whether you continued to put forth your best effort in
a non-graded situation. Eastview NHS expects you to continue to grow your positive classroom influence and to
continue to demonstrate excellent scholarship qualities after your NHS selection.
LEADERSHIP
The Faculty Council believes that candidates should demonstrate experience in leadership and that NHS
membership should then provide further opportunity to develop your leadership skills. Thus, the information
packet asks that you list your prior leadership experiences. The Faculty Council is looking for examples of
substantive situations where you took responsibility for organizing people toward a common goal OR examples of
workshops/seminars you’ve attended to grow and learn in the area of leadership. In the past, a common reason for
turning down a candidate was lack of demonstrated leadership initiative.
Some good examples of leadership: section leader in band (if you really were in charge of the section rather than
simply 'first chair'); team project organizer for scouts, church, or a school activity; camp counselor; study group or
peer tutor organizer; active captain of a team, athletic or otherwise. Some not-so-useful examples of leadership:
baby-sitting; individual projects for scouts, church, or a school activity; participation on a team, athletic or
otherwise.
If you have questions about whether something constitutes a qualifying leadership experience, check with the NHS
Adviser.
CHARACTER
We ask that you write a short essay (should not exceed one page) about some personal experience that
demonstrates the quality of your personal character.
Some good examples of good character: a time when you "did the right thing" in the face of possible unpopular
consequences; a time when you went “above and beyond” in some situation without expectation of reward or
recognition; a time when you were strong when it would have been easy to be weak – please be specific!
Examples of not-so-good character: an illegible, hastily written, or late information packet (which will disqualify
you!), allowing someone to copy your paper or assignment, sharing test questions with other students, etc.
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In the school environment, your character is demonstrated daily by the way you carry yourself in a classroom: the
behaviors you do or don’t do, the way you interact with those around you, the respect you show teachers and
peers, how you handle both positive and negative situations. Do you adhere to school rules and expectations such
as the food & drink/headphone/cell phone regulations? One reason the Faculty Council has members from
multiple departments is so that we can discuss the character you have demonstrated in class, and also dismiss any
inconsequential differences or unsubstantiated negative experiences you may have had with an individual teacher.
The Faculty Council surveys the entire Eastview faculty for comments regarding your character, positive or
otherwise, as demonstrated in their classrooms.
SERVICE
Similar to the "leadership" ideal, the Faculty Council believes that candidates should have a previously
demonstrated interest in service, and that NHS membership should then provide further service opportunities.
The information packet asks that you list your prior service-related experiences. The Faculty Council is looking for
examples of substantive situations where you performed a helping service to the school or for the community. The
Faculty Council is also looking for a VARIETY of demonstrated service.
Some good examples of service: volunteering in most any capacity, tutoring other students, working to help those
less fortunate, visiting nursing homes, "giving back" in some way to an organization. Some not-so-good examples
of service: any work you did for hire, regular household chores, babysitting, participation on a team, and selfserving projects.
If you have questions about whether something constitutes a qualifying service experience, check with the NHS
Adviser.
THE FACULTY COUNCIL and the SELECTION PROCESS
Eastview High School's NHS Faculty Council members are drawn from departments throughout the school and
have a high regard and standards for excellence. They likely were NHS members themselves. They are volunteers
who give their time because they believe in the value of the National Honor Society.
The group is charged with the review of candidate information packets and the final recommendation of
candidates for induction. When the Faculty Council reviews candidates, it works to recognize and promote the
national organization's four pillars: Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service. Putting together a totally
objective invitation and acceptance process when subjective concepts like character and leadership are involved is a
complex task. Many schools choose to avoid this natural conflict and opt to base NHS membership solely on a strict
GPA cutoff number. (That is, if your GPA is above the cutoff, you're automatically a member. If not, forget it.) This
makes the process simple, quick, and easy—and is not faithful to the spirit of the NHS pillars. At Eastview High
School, the Faculty Council believes that NHS membership is about much more than a student's GPA. We value all
four ideals and so the school has developed a candidate and recommendation process whereby the Faculty Council
assesses candidates in all four of NHS' valued areas.
Once an information packet is turned in, it becomes the property of the Faculty Council and NHS Adviser. Shortly
after the packets are due, the Faculty Council meets. The group discusses the qualifications and standards that
indicate a strong NHS candidate. The packets are sorted by grade (sophomores, juniors, and seniors). At least two
members read through each packet, scoring each of the four areas according to the scale below and then adding
them for a total score.
Scholarship
4 = highly qualified; multiple strong positive factors in scholarship profile
3 = well qualified; typical strong positive factors in scholarship profile
2 = possibly qualified; few positive scholarship indicators
1 = not qualified; negative scholarship indicators
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Leadership
4 = highly qualified; multiple substantive clearly documented experiences
3 = well qualified; typical demonstrated leadership experiences
2 = possibly qualified; lack of multiple demonstrated leadership initiatives
1 = not qualified; little or no substantive leadership experience
Character
4 = highly qualified; much demonstrated evidence of strong character
3 = well qualified; good demonstrated evidence of strong character
2 = possibly qualified; little demonstrated evidence of strong character
1 = not qualified; virtually no substantial evidence of strong character
Service
4 = highly qualified; multiple substantive clearly documented experiences
3 = well qualified; not quite to the standards of a four score
2 = possibly qualified; lacks multiple demonstrated service initiatives
1 = not qualified; little or no substantive service commitment
FINAL THOUGHTS
It is a complex task to assign a numeric score to abstract qualities, but that is the job of the Faculty Council and it
works very hard to be fair, consistent, and accurate. Throughout all meetings, the group discusses the scoring
process and standards to help ensure a fair outcome. If the total scores from the two readers differ by more than
two points, a third Faculty Council member reads the packet and mediates a consensus decision. No one outside
the Faculty Council is allowed to see packets or scores, including candidates or parents. There are no quotas for
either number or percentage of candidates that are recommended for induction. The Faculty Council’s mindset is to
review the information packets searching FOR reasons to recommend a student.
The list of those the Faculty Council recommends for induction is given to the EVHS Administrative team. They
check the list to make sure that each candidate is a "citizen in good standing" at Eastview High School. Students are
then notified of their recommendation status via personal letter. If a student is not recommended for induction, the
Faculty Council encourages the candidate to continue to develop themselves in the four areas of NHS and to
become a candidate again in the future.
DUES & FEES
Candidates who are selected for induction are expected to pay Chapter Dues and an Induction Fee:
•
DUES - An annual dues of $20 is expected of members to help defray the expenses of the chapter and to
help fund local service projects. If you are a current Sophomore you pay for 2 years in advance ($40.00); if
you are a current Junior you pay for 1 year in advance ($20.00).
•
INDUCTION FEE – The Induction Fee is $20. This covers expenses associated with the Induction
Ceremony including printing, programs, awards, the reception, and certificates of membership.
The Eastview NHS Faculty Council congratulates you on your high level of achievement, supports you in your
continued successes, and thanks you and your family for your support of the NHS candidacy process.
Respectfully,
Dr. Todd A. Beach
Eastview High School – NHS Adviser
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