Information for National Honor Society Candidates
What is National Honor Society?
NHS is a national organization which honors students who show outstanding achievement in four areas:
 scholarship
 leadership
 service
 character.
If you become a member of NHS, be aware that this organization will ask for service efforts (including
tutoring) from you throughout the year.
Who is eligible to apply for membership to National Honor Society?
All junior and senior students who have fulfilled the requirement for scholarship are eligible to apply. The
scholarship requirement is a grade point average of 3.5 or greater by the end of first semester next school
year.
What is the selection process for becoming a member of NHS?
Eligible students complete a 3-part application. Submit the application to Mrs. Schippers, Registrar, in the
SPS Office. We will let you know the deadline at a meeting in January, 2010.
The three parts of the application will be available at the Maine South website on the NHS web page. The
three parts are as follows:

Eligibility Form: A list of activities in which you have participated inside and outside of school.
Include any activities you’ve participated in during your freshman, sophomore, junior and (if
applicable) senior years. Do not include any activities from middle school or the summer before
freshman year.

Service Verification Form: A detailed description of one or more unpaid activities in which you have
provided a minimum of 20 hours of service, signed by an adult sponsor of the organization. You will
also include a brief letter from the sponsor of the service activity to verify your service hours Please
turn in multiple forms and letters if you have multiple service activities.

Leadership Verification Form: A detailed description of one unpaid activity in which you have
provided leadership, signed by an adult sponsor of the organization
What should be included on the leadership and service verification forms?
On these forms, please elaborate on one activity in which you have shown strong leadership and one activity
in which you have provided service. Specific examples of your leadership and service are important; they will
help to make your application a strong one.
Keep in mind these guidelines:

You must show participation in an organization of some kind; helping your neighbor with her yard
work is admirable, but does not count as a service activity.

Do not “double-dip” by using the same activity for leadership and for service.

You may not use any activity in which you participate primarily for course credit (such as Junior
Leaders). If you are a COACH tutor, you must not receive money for tutoring.

You may not have your verification form signed by a family member.

No applications will be accepted without a signature of a sponsor
What are the criteria for acceptable character?
A student of acceptable character will display respect for school rules, honesty, fairness, courtesy, and respect
for peers and adults. Please note that if your discipline record contains behavior reports, especially
concerning cheating, fighting, or other violations of school policy, this information will most likely greatly
decrease your chances for admittance to NHS. If you have further questions, please contact Mrs. Abend.
Who will become a member of National Honor Society?
Eligible students who are evaluated as showing acceptable character, strong leadership, and strong service
will be selected to become members of NHS.
What should I do now?
Volunteer. On the application, we ask that you focus your volunteer efforts on one or two organizations. So, if
you have already volunteered in several different ways (walk-a-thon, soup kitchen, planning a retreat, etc.), try
to choose one organization where you would like to focus your efforts. For the NHS service requirement you
need to volunteer for an organization (not a relative or neighbor who needs lawn work, shoveling, babysitting,
tutoring, etc. for free). If you are not sure where to volunteer, you might consider the following:
1. The Ronald McDonald House Near Loyola (708-327-2273) www.rmhnearloyola.org
2. Your place of worship
3. An animal shelter
4. Local hospitals (Ask for the volunteer department(s).)
5. Park District programs for younger children
6. United Way
7. Center for Concern
8. Nursing Homes
9. Habitat for Humanity
If you are not sure what to say when you call, just tell them you want to volunteer. Keep in mind that
you probably don’t want to say something like, “I have to get service hours.” This statement sounds as
though you are not volunteering for sincere reasons. These organizations will be happy to let you
know if there is something you can do.

Get a letter on letterhead from the place(s) where you have volunteered. The letter should name
the number of hours you have volunteered and the dates when you volunteered. It should also be
signed by someone in charge (an adult, not a relative). Save this letter, you will need to attach it to
the application in February, 2010.

Look for leadership opportunities. Just like with the service hours, your leadership position must be
unpaid.

Look for an announcement about NHS applications sometime in January, 2010.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Abend in C130 or via email at
jabend@maine207.org.