NOBLESVILLE WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY
“Leadership Through Service”
February 2014
Dear Parents/Guardians of Seventh Grade Students.
The National Junior Honor Society is an organization that promotes appropriate recognition for
students who reflect outstanding accomplishments in the areas of scholarship, character,
leadership, citizenship and service. Eligibility was based for scholarship of first semester grades
from 2013; students who received all A’s and no lower than a B+ were invited to apply. The
application to follow will help the student express ways they demonstrate the other 4 areas of
character, leadership, citizenship and service.
As a member of NJHS, students will have opportunities to do school and community service to show
involvement in the School community and Noblesville Community. It is considered an honor to be
invited to become a member of the National Junior Honor Society. We encourage all students to take
the time to apply for membership and present themselves as the extemporary student and candidate
they are.
Please read through this application with your student and work to complete it to the best of their
ability. We ask parents not to fill out the form for the student, as this is contradictory to the
independence the NJHS seeks to encourage within its members. It is highly recommended, however,
for parents to proofread their paperwork.
Throughout the process of application, and if they are chosen, membership, and all communication
should be initiated by the student; parents should encourage students to advocate for themselves and
present their questions directly to the advisers.
Notification of membership will take place later in the month and an induction to follow in March
(date to be announced).
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the process.
Sincerely,
Ms. Katrin Hoffman &
Ms. Nicole Hutsell
NJHS Advisers
Katrin_hoffman@nobl.k12.in.us
Nicole_hutsell@nobl.k12.in.us
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NOBLESVILLE WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY
Leadership, Community, Service and School Activities Form
The National Junior Honor Society at Noblesville West Middle School is seeking students who have
demonstrated a commitment to both their community and their school. Membership in the National
Junior Honor Society has become recognized nationally as one of the highest honors that can be given
to a middle school student. Membership is, however, more than an honor; it carries with it a
responsibility that should be considered at the beginning of an obligation, not merely, the successful
culmination of an effort to achieve recognition and honor. It is the responsibility of the applicant to
meet all deadlines and submit a complete application within the timeline established by the advisers at
the spring informational meeting.
Applications submitted for consideration of membership in NJHS with any missing, incomplete or
inaccurate information (Including but not limited to the following: signatures, contact phone numbers,
false information, etc..) will be considered incomplete and will be returned to the applicant as soon as
possible. Applicants may resubmit their paperwork for consideration as long as the submission is
within the timeline established by the advisers. No deadlines will be extended.
Candidacy:
Membership application forms will be accepted from eligible seventh graders. Initial criteria will be
based on grades of no lower than a B+ from the previous semester.
School Service
Students applying for membership must have a significant participation in at least one school or
community activity, (such as clubs, sports, student government—see attached Student Activities
sheet). He/she must list the organizations he/she is involved with, activities, any special leadership
position held, frequency of meetings and the supervisor of the organization/team. Please include if you
are/were a part of a managerial position with a team or club.
Community Service,
While it is not a requirement to have community service hours completed prior to induction, we ask
that if you have completed any community service, please include these hours in your application.
Acceptable community service hours include the following:
 Participation in food drives, walkathons, cloth drives
 Service within a religious community
 Volunteering at a pet shelter
 Soup kitchens
 Environmental groups
 Active fundraising for organization or cause
 Volunteer work through an established organization
Unacceptable community service would be any events where the student received payment,
home chores, individual assistance around the neighborhood (not through an organization)
Character
The Faculty Council will evaluate a student’s character in two parts: Leadership and Discipline.
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Leadership:
The National Junior Honor Society requires that demonstration of leadership qualities be a part of the
induction process for a student’s selection into the NJHS. We ask that the student applying find a
willing adult, outside of his/her family, who would be willing to advocate for him/her by filling out the
Leadership Form attached. Situations where a student can demonstrate leadership might be (but not
limited to):
 Student government member (does not have to be an elected officer)
 Receive a comment on report card that notes student’s leadership in class
 Team captain of a sport
 First chart in band section
 Youth group leader in a religious community
 A Boy or Girl Scouts student led activity
 Organizing and leading a community service activity
Leadership can manifest itself in different ways. We are specifically looking for situations where an
adult observed the student and can attest to the student’s abilities as a self-starter, problem solver,
effective communicator, event initiator, and possesses a positive attitude. While a student may not
possess all of the above abilities, the letter should be able to demonstrate evidence of these qualities in
the student.
Discipline Record:
Any student considering joining NJHS must maintain a clean discipline record. The Council will review
any disciplinary infractions regarding all applicants.
Our chapter is directly aligned with the National Junior Honor Society’s standards on Character and we
ask the members to be familiar with the Character Counts Coalition’s 6 Pillars of Character
(charactercounts.org). The 6 Pillars are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and
citizenship. We ask that the applicants would feel confident in declaring ‘yes’ to the following:
1. I demonstrate honesty
2. I work well in a group
3. I show a positive attitude toward classwork and school rules
4. I am considerate of staff and peers
The Miller Way
The National Junior Honor Society at NWMS expects the students who belong to this organization to
perform the Miller Way while being a member, just as you would as a student at Noblesville West
Middle School. Members of the NJHS should be:
1. Responsible
2. Respectful
3. Safe
4. Learning
Dues
Dues shall be assessed at $5 per year. If financially able, new inductees must pay dues within 10 days
of the first NJHS meeting of the year. If dues are not paid within this time frame, additional community
service hours will be added. Please do not let the paying of dues discourage you from joining the NJHS;
if it poses an issue for you, please speak with Ms. Hoffman or Ms. Hutsell and an arrangement can be
made if it is needed.
Community Service
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Members must perform 10 community service hours per year in order to remain in good standing.
Members must document their individual community service hours on the forms available from the
adviser. These forms must be signed by the adult in charge of the event to verify the community
service activity. There will be a running document to keep track of the hours per student. If a student
fails to complete the required hours, the member falls into poor standing with the organization.
Probation
A member whose quarterly GPA falls below a 3.5 will be placed on probation and considered to be in
poor standing. Members have one marking period to restore the necessary GPA. If a member’s
quarterly GPA falls below a 3.5 for two consecutive marking periods, the member will be dismissed
from NJHS. Students may reapply for membership if their GPA returns to 3.5 or better by the following
quarter. Members on probation are still responsible for meeting all club requirements, including dues.
Members are subject to dismissal if they do not maintain the same standards for scholarship,
leadership, service, and character that are used as a basis for their selection. Situations for
dismissal include, but are not limited to: cheating, negative behavior in class/hallway,
suspension, expulsion, etc. Failure to meet requirements puts the member in poor standing.
Students will be notified if this is to occur. Dues are not refunded under any circumstance.
Opt Out
If at any time a student realizes that they are unable to fulfill any of the requirements for induction
after being selected for membership, they can inform the advisers that they would like to respectfully
decline the invitation to join at this time. The student should provide a typed reason as to why they
would like to opt-out, with a parent signature included. Should a student opt-out and choose to apply
again for the next induction, they can do so.
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Clubs and Activities at Noblesville West Middle School
This page lists examples of school activities. If
candidates are involved in community activities, please
be sure to include those on the application. It is
important that the candidate is consistently involved in
these activities.
Sports at NWMS
8th grade football
7th grade football
8th grade volleyball
YuGiOh
7th grade volleyball
Robotics
Boys’ cross country
FCA
Girls’ cross country
Mathcounts!
Boys’ Tennis
Student Council
Girls’ Tennis
Drama Club
8th grade Boys’ basketball
Spell Bowl
7th grade Boys’ basketball
Knowledge Masters
8th grade Girls’ basketball
Academic Team
7th grade Girls’ basketball
Jazz Band
Wrestling
Swing Choir
Dance
Sparrow Club
8th grade Cheerleading
7th grade Cheerleading
Boys’ Track
Girls’ Track
Baseball
Softball
**If you are apart of a
managerial position or crew
aspect of a team or club, please
indicate this**
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