At the start of the year, there’s a lot of confusion about what clubs to sign up for. Which are the most fun? Which are the easiest? Which are the most beneficial? The struggle to decide which club to join for the rest of your high school career is a widespread pressure felt by many students across the globe. One club that numerous students can agree is the most beneficial, is the National Honor Society.
The National Honor Society, or NHS, is an international organization that celebrates students who excel academically as well as socially. The main focus of the club is to find students who are proficient in all four pillars of the NHS mission: scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
Kinsey Utter (11) and Keanna Albright (11) are two members of the NHS club who embody the NHS mission. They each find many benefits of the club, both academically and personally.
“[Through the club] I’ve learned the benefits of teamwork, diligence, and the ability to fully commit to what I’ve signed up for,” Utter said.
Utter finds more personal benefits, whereas Albright feels that the most notable advantage of being a member is the academic aspect.
“[One advantage] is that the club looks really good on college applications,” Albright said.
Whatever the motivation may be for joining, the overall goal of the club is the same: To do good in the community. The National Honor Society is a club that holds its students to high expectations. The most notable way that NHS communicates its expectations is through service hours. By the end of the school year, every member of NHS must have at least ten hours of community service so they can be invited back the next year, but the club doesn’t leave its members floundering to get the work done. NHS offers opportunities to complete those necessary hours.
“I think we are probably one of the most involved clubs community wise. So it’s more of a community based club, rather than school based,” Utter said.
And helping the community is not the only way members of NHS can leave an impact. Many students also show the club’s impact through their academic career. Members are required to have at least a 3.5+ GPA upon joining and maintain a minimum of that for the duration of their membership. This expectation pushes students to work harder in classes and, as a result, do better overall. It also better indicates the mission of the club.
“The mission of the club is most apparent through my schoolwork. Academically I really try to stay on top of things,” Albright said.
The mission and ideas taught to the members of the National Honor Society are shown all throughout its members’ lives. Each and every student who chooses to become a member, continues to exhibit the significance of the values taught through the club. Whether it’s just a stepping stone to greater things, or it becomes a crucial aspect of a student’s life, the National Honor Society is an extremely beneficial club for so many students.
