NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA AND SELECTION

The purpose of the National Honor Society is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership and to develop character in the students of Penfield High School.  Our chapter will inclusively recognize and honor all students who achieve and maintain the standards for admission to the National Honor Society.

Selection for membership is based upon four criteria: scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

Scholarship:    Students, who in the spring of their junior year, have a high school coursework weighted GPA of at least 93 will have met scholarship eligibility and will be considered potential candidates for induction.  These students will receive the necessary materials to complete to be reviewed by the faculty council. Students who do not meet all criteria in the spring of their junior year and who meet the scholarship eligibility (93) at the conclusion of their junior year will be considered potential candidates for fall induction of their senior year.

Service:           A person who has undertaken actions and/or activities which are done on behalf of others without any direct financial or material compensation to the individual performing the service.

Character:       A person who demonstrates the following qualities: respect, responsibility/dependability, honesty/integrity, kindness, caring, and citizenship.

Leadership:     A person who is resourceful, dependable, who takes initiative, leads by example, is a positive influence on peers, who maintains a loyal school attitude, and brings out the best in others or elevates the environment in the classroom/athletic field/club/organization, etc.

Selection of chapter members from the pool of candidates will be decided by a majority vote of a faculty council (five voting faculty members appointed by the principal), based upon the following information:

1.      An activity questionnaire: The candidate will complete a form which describes leadership and service activities.

2.      An essay: The candidate will complete an essay regarding his/her involvement in community service.

3.      Faculty Recommendations: Current faculty who have worked with a candidate in class or in an extracurricular activity (within the last three semesters) will be asked to provide a rating  for demonstrated leadership and character in a manner that is free of speculation or rumor.

(A single transgression may be so egregious that it disqualifies the student from further consideration.  To be considered a disqualifying event, the event or actions must have been documented and addressed by appropriate personnel)

Roles and Responsibilities

Principal:  In accordance with national organization regulations, the Principal fulfills the following roles:
• has the right to approve all activities and decisions of the local chapter. 
• serves as the primary authority for appeals of non-selection or dismissal.  Such appeals must be made no later than 10 days following the student’s notification of the action and will be decided after a review of relevant data.
 

Faculty Advisor(s):  The Faculty Advisor serves as an ex-officio member of the council, and:

• accepts the responsibility of representing the administration of the school
• ensures that proper procedures are followed, including those outlined in the  National Honor Society Handbook
• serves as an advocate for each student whose name is brought forward
• protects the interests of the student(s), assumes the role of the student’s defender to guarantee that only relevant and valid information is brought under consideration
• assures that the council’s deliberations remain focused on objective, written  data provided by the faculty and student

The Faculty Council:

• shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal.  The chapter adviser(s) shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council.  No principal or assistant principal may be included on the Faculty Council.
• shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the chapter, select members, and to consider nonselection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and warning cases. 
• will develop and revise, when necessary, all chapter procedures for selection, disciplining, and dismissal of members, all of which must remain in compliance with the national guidelines.