What is National Honor Society?

You may be wondering what exactly is National Honor Society. It does not have the easiest of context clues as other honor societies, such as Spanish Honor Society, which is clearly for students who excel in Spanish. National Honor Society is, according to member Lauren Violette, “…an organization for high schoolers that promotes leadership, service, character, and scholarship. At Timberlane, we largely promote positivity campaigns and service commitment. Every quarter, students commit ten hours of community service.” 

All honor societies have different requirements to join, so what are the requirements for NHS? I asked Lauren Violette the same question, and she answered, “You have to have a certain GPA, then you are invited, and have to fill out an extensive application, which is then reviewed, and select students are chosen. Students are invited at the end of the school year, and applications are due in the fall.” All honor societies have their own advisor(s), who review(s) the applications from students. The advisors of National Honor Society this year, 2021-2022, are Ms. Jones and Mrs. Pellerin. 

Joining NHS clearly involves a lot of work, and being a member requires even more. You may be wondering why join NHS if it is so much work. According to the NHS website, “An NHS chapter brings with it exclusive tools and resources for your students that not only help them in their endeavors as NHS members, but leave a lasting impact on them as active citizens with long-term goals.” Being a part of NHS gives students the opportunity to make connections in the world and practice skills important for being a member of a community. 

Besides National Honor Society, Timberlane High School also has its own sections of National Business Honor Society, Drama Honor Society, English Honor Society, French Honor Society, Math Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, “Rho Kappa” National Social Studies Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and “Tri-M” Music Honor Society, according to the High School’s own web page for honor societies. All of these honor societies are focused on a specific subject, which is a big piece of what sets National Honor Society apart- it is essentially a Honor Society of being part of a community, instead of a subject.