Membership Request Portfolio for NHS Candidates
of
Briar Woods High School
Briar Woods High School
National Honor Society
You have met the scholastic requirement for membership in the Briar Woods
Chapter of the National Honor Society. Be advised that this does not guarantee
selection into the Chapter. Candidates are evaluated further on the basis of outstanding
leadership, character, and service. If you wish to be considered for membership, please
complete the Candidate Portfolio, including the required essays. Certified staff members
will evaluate you on the aspects of leadership, service, and character. A faculty council
will make final selections after careful consideration of all components.
Before further consideration can proceed, it is necessary for you and your
parent or guardian to sign this form which is a waiver to any right to access
information, evaluations, recommendations, judgments, or whatsoever in the
selection process. Further consideration will not be made until this waiver is signed
and returned. We also ask that you and your parents sign the attached NHS
Requirements After Induction letter.
If you or your parent or guardian have any questions, please feel free to contact us
at school. The completed Candidate Portfolio must be returned by 4:00 PM on
October 12th, to Ms. Berg in room 613. You can submit the competed Portfolio earlier
than the deadline. No Portfolios will be accepted after 4:00 PM. Please do not fold
these forms.
Sincerely,
Jessica Berg
Amanda Dabbenigno
Chapter Advisors
We have read and agree to abide by the terms of the waiver herein cited.
________________________
(Student)
__________________
(Date)
________________________
(Parent or Guardian)
__________________
(Date)
NHS Requirements After Induction
 Annual dues for this chapter are $10.
 Members are required to attend monthly meetings that are held the 2nd or 3rd
Thursday of the month at 8:30 AM in the auditorium. The constitution
states that after a student misses more than two meetings, they may be
dismissed from NHS. Two tardies to the meetings will equal one absence.
 Members are required to complete 30 hours of community service.
Members will be responsible for accumulating their hours by participating in
service projects that reflect his or her particular talents and interests. For the
new inductees, a minimum of 8 hours must be turned in at the January
meeting, a minimum of 10 additional hours must be turned in at the April
meeting, and the final hours must be turned in at the May meeting.
 Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership,
character, or service may be dismissed from the Briar Woods Chapter of the
National Honor Society. You may refer to the Constitution and By-laws for
more information.
I have read and understand what is expected of a member of the Briar Woods
Chapter of the National Honor Society.
____________________________
Student
_____________
Date
____________________________
Parent/Guardian
_____________
Date
Briar Woods High School Chapter of the National Honor Society
Candidate Portfolio
DIRECTIONS: Please complete all sections by typing or using black ink. It is imperative
that the entire form is legible. Please remember, completion of this form does not guarantee
selection. You must return this form and the completed Candidate Portfolio to Ms. Berg by
4:00 PM on October 12, 2012.
I.
NAME
GRADE ______
II.
Please provide the following information in order to facilitate the process for making any
necessary contact with your parents or guardians.
MALE PARENT or GUARDIAN
FEMALE PARENT or GUARDIAN
NAME
NAME __________________________
ADDRESS
ADDRESS _______________________
CITY
CITY__________________________
STATE
ZIP CODE
STATE
ZIP CODE____________
HOME PHONE
HOME PHONE___________________
WORK PHONE
WORK PHONE __________________
III. PLEDGE: If you are interested in becoming a member of the Briar Woods High School
Chapter of the National Honor Society, please read the statement below, sign your name, and
place the date on the designated lines.
I,
, understand that, if I accept membership into the
Briar Woods High School Chapter of the National Honor Society, I will be required to
attend the induction ceremony, maintain at least a 3.50 grade point average, participate in
National Honor Society activities including service projects, and attend mandatory
meetings. I also understand that my membership may be terminated if I do not live up to
the standards of the National Honor Society.
___________________________________
SIGNATURE
_____________________
DATE
Message from the Faculty Council
Congratulations on being invited to submit an information portfolio for possible
membership in the Briar Woods Chapter of the National Honor Society. In order to
achieve membership, you must demonstrate that you possess the qualities of
scholarship, positive leadership, community service, and good character. We have
designed this portfolio to help you do this. Please remember the following:




Read the directions for each entry and follow them exactly as indicated (this is
part of scholarship).
The members of the Faculty Council do not necessarily know you personally.
Your portfolio must speak for you.
A general survey of the entire faculty will be conducted, and anything positive—
or negative—may be reported to the Faculty Council.
You must complete and submit the two student entries to be considered for
membership. The faculty will submit the fourth entry.
Membership in the National Honor Society is an honor that is not automatically
bestowed. We look forward to receiving your portfolio to see if you do indeed meet our
high standards.
Entry # 1: Scholarship
Because you have met the National Honor Society’s requirements for grade-point
average, there is nothing that you will need to do for this section. Please be aware
that your GPA cannot fall below 3.50 at any point during your membership.
Entry # 2: Leadership
Candidate’s Name: ____________________________________
For your second portfolio entry, you will submit documentation of your leadership
abilities. Leadership is the ability to organize, direct, and motivate others. The Faculty
Council expects you have held an elected or appointed office of leadership in at least
two different organizations, clubs, or sports. If you are exceptionally strong in the
service component, but weak the leadership component, you are still encouraged to
submit a membership request detailing your strengths as the Faculty Council may find
that extensive service balances weakness in leadership. Sometimes we show
leadership when we are not the official leader: Did you cheer-up your sports team when
they were behind and help them to victory in a big game? Did you rally people to vote
for a certain political candidate? Have you helped to resolve a conflict between two
people? When the club officer was ill, did you step in to help things go smoothly?
These are all examples of leadership that we can show even when we are not the
official leader. The key to using any of these achievements is that there must be
documentation that you did these things.
For this entry:
1. You must select experiences during which you displayed the ability to organize,
direct, or motivate others. There is no maximum number of experiences,
therefore, choose experiences that highlight you at your best.
2. Summarize your chosen experiences in the attached table. Please feel free to
print/copy as many of the tables as you need to complete this part of the
portfolio.
3. Provide documentation that verifies each of your experiences. Failure to provide
acceptable documentation will be counted against you.
4. Acceptable documentation includes:
a. copies of certificates of achievement or participation
b. copies of award certificates
c. copies of scouting records
d. photocopies of yearbooks
e. copies of newspaper articles
f. letter on letterhead that specifically identifies the experience you have
summarized.
g. e-mail from a verifiable source (e.g. from a business e-mail address) that
specifically identifies the experience you have summarized.
h. any other document or evidence approved by one of the advisers.
5. Attach the summary table(s) and documentation to this cover sheet.
Experience
Brief Description
(Title of position held or
your name for the
experience.)
(How did you display leadership in this experience?)
Documentation
Provided
(What is attached that
shows you did this?)
Entry # 3: Service
Candidate’s Name: ____________________________________
For your third portfolio entry, you will submit documentation of your service
to the community. Service is donating your time, skills, or resources for the
greater good of the community. The Faculty Council expects you to have
participated in at least two different volunteer experiences while not an officer of
the sponsoring organization, club, or sport. If you are exceptionally strong in the
leadership component, but weak the service component, you are still encouraged
to submit a membership request detailing your strengths as the Faculty Council
may find that extensive leadership balances weakness in service.
The Faculty Council places greater weight on service that impacts more
people positively. Here are some examples. In each case there are two
experiences. One of the experiences is the better of the two to use in this
portfolio.
1. Selling items to raise money for your sports team is a service to the
members of your team, but your sports team volunteering to clean-up
trash at a community park benefits the entire neighborhood.
2. Assisting at a worship service is of benefit to those who attend your house
of worship, but helping at a soup kitchen impacts the wider community.
The Faculty Council encourages you to be a loyal and active member of your
sports team or house of worship, but the point is that in both cases, the second
experience is the better of the two for purposes of this portfolio because more
people are served. The key to using any of these experiences is that there must
be documentation that you did these things.
For this entry:
1. There is no maximum number of experiences. Therefore, choose
experiences that highlight you at your best.
2. Summarize your chosen experiences in the attached table. Please feel
free to print/copy as many of the tables as you need to complete this part
of the portfolio.
3. Provide documentation that verifies each of your experiences. Failure to
provide acceptable documentation will be counted against you.
4. Acceptable documentation includes:
a. copies of certificates of achievement or participation
b. copies of award certificates
c. copies of scouting records
d. photocopies of yearbooks
e. copies of newspaper articles
f. letter on letterhead that specifically identifies the experience you
have summarized.
g. e-mail from a verifiable source (e.g. from a business e-mail
address) that specifically identifies the experience you have
summarized.
h. Any other documentation or evidence approved by one of the
advisers.
5. Attach the summary table and documentation to this cover sheet.
Experience
Brief Description
(Title of position held or
your name for the
experience.)
(How did you display service in this experience?)
Documentation
Provided
(What is attached that shows
you did this?)
Entry # 4: Character
For your fourth entry, people will vouch for your character. According the
Character Counts organization1 there are six aspects to character:
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. The
entire faculty will be surveyed regarding your candidacy, and the survey results
will factor heavily in the character section.
For this entry:
You don’t actually have to do anything for this entry. Just be aware that anything
you have done positively or negatively may be reported by the faculty to the
Faculty Council, including any Honor Code violations. Any student who is found
having an Honor Code violation will be given the chance to address this in an
addendum that will be requested by the Faculty Council. You may wish to work
on displaying each of the six aspects to current and former teachers so that they
have positive things to say on the faculty survey.
Entry #5: Essay
For the fifth and final piece of your portfolio, we would like you to write an
essay. In your essay, we would like you to explain why you should be a member
of National Honor Society. We do not want you to simply review what you have
already told us about your leadership and service, but, instead, we would like you
to address your desire to be a part of this organization. What are those “hidden
gems” about you that you don’t feel were exposed in the other parts of your
portfolio? What are you going to bring to National Honor Society that will better
the organization?
For this entry:
1. The essay may be no more than five hundred words. There is no
minimum length as long as you cover the questions above.
2. The essay must be formatted as follows. Failure to format correctly will be
counted against you.
a. Typed.
b. Double-spaced.
c. Single-sided.
d. One-inch margins on all sides.
e. 12 point font: either Times New Roman or Arial.
f. Your name must appear at the top of each page.
g. A word count must be present on the last page of your essay.
3. Errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar will be counted against you.
4. Attach your essay to this cover sheet.