National Honor Society
The Aquinas Chapter of the National Honor Society is a leadership and service organization in the Academy of the Holy Family. Students who are inducted must demonstrate in an exceptional way scholarship, leadership, character, and service.
Sophomores and juniors are eligible at the end of the third marking period. They must have a 90.00 cumulative average. A meeting of all academically eligible students will be held at the end of the third quarter with the National Honor Society advisor and the Principal to explain the process of selection. Interested candidates will then be asked to obtain a packet from the N.H.S. Advisor. The packet consists of an Activity Information form in which the candidate lists all co-curricular activities in which she has participated in high school as well as leadership positions held. The candidate must also list all community activities (outside of the school) in which she has participated and note any accomplishment in each activity. In addition, the candidate must write an essay stating why she should be inducted into the National Honor Society. Two letters of recommendation (both from outside the school) must be submitted in this packet. The packet must be submitted to the N.H.S. Advisor meeting the specified deadline in order to be considered for membership.
A list of all students who apply for membership will be given to the faculty who will rate them and make comments using a faculty evaluation sheet. The NHS Advisor will meet with the eligible students to guide them in the process of preparing their packet for review by the Faculty Council and to answer any questions they may have during this process. A Faculty Council consisting of five faculty members (who are appointed by the Principal) will review the packets submitted by the candidates as well as the faculty evaluation sheets. Using this information the candidates will be rated on their demonstration of scholarship, leadership, service and character on the scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest. A composite score of 4.00 is necessary to be considered for induction into the National Honor Society.
Candidates will receive a letter of acceptance or rejection from the Principal. Sophomores who did not qualify may re-apply the following year and are encouraged to meet with the NHS Advisor to review their results. All candidates who are accepted will be invited to participate in the Induction Ceremony.
All NHS members are to tutor students and to be available for tutoring when needed. Members will receive their tutoring assignments from their Advisor. All members must abide by the N.H.S. Constitution. Any member who fails to meet these standards will be given a written warning and placed on probation for a semester. This includes failure to attend the prescribed meetings and failure to participate in organized National Honor Society activities as well. If improvement does not occur and the member continues to fail to meet N.H.S. standards, the member is eligible for dismissal. Once a member is dismissed, she is not eligible for readmission to the National Honor Society. Any student behavior, which is not in keeping with the law or with the Catholic/Christian philosophy of the Academy of the Holy Family, renders a member of the National Honor Society liable for dismissal without warning.
The following National Honor Society guidelines will give further help in the definition of leadership, service, and character:
The student who exercises leadership:
Is resourceful in proposing new problems, applying principles, and making suggestions
Demonstrates initiative in promoting school activities
Exercises influence on peers in upholding school ideals
Contributes ideas that improve the civic life on the school
Is able to delegate responsibilities
Exemplifies positive attitudes
Inspires positive behavior in others
Demonstrates academic initiative
Successfully holds school offices or positions of responsibility
Conducts business effectively and efficiently, and without prodding
Demonstrates reliability and dependability
Is a forerunner in the classroom, at work, and in school or community activities
Is thoroughly dependable in any responsibility accepted.
The student who serves:
Is willing to uphold scholarship and maintain a loyal school attitude
Participates in some outside activity: church groups, Girl Scouts, volunteer services for the aged, poor, or disadvantaged, etc.
Volunteers, is dependable and well-organized assistance, is gladly available, and is willing to sacrifice to offer assistance
Works well with others and is willing to take on difficult or inconspicuous responsibilities
Cheerfully and enthusiastically renders any requested service to the school,
in particular, tutoring AHF students
Is willing to represent the class or school in inter-class and inter-scholastic competition
Does committee and staff work without complaint
Shows courtesy by assisting visitors, teachers, and students.
Character
The student of character:
Takes criticism willingly and accepts recommendations graciously
Consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise, stability)
Upholds principles of morality and ethics
Cooperates by complying with school regulations concerning all school regulations
Is a role model for her fellow students
