ELIGIBILITY
Candidates eligible for selection to this chapter must be members of the junior or senior class. To be eligible for selection to membership in this Chapter, the candidate must have been enrolled for a period equivalent to one semester at Beachwood High School. Candidates eligible for election to the Chapter shall have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.7 non-rounded on a 4.0 scale. Upon meeting the grade level, enrollment, and GPA standards, candidates shall then be considered based on their service, leadership, and character.
SELECTION OF MEMBERS
NHS is unique because it considers four aspects of the young person: scholarship, character, leadership, and service. This Chapter’s procedures follow the guidelines of the national NHS constitution as revised by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in November of 2011. Standards for selection are established by the national office of NHS and have been revised to meet our local chapter needs. The Faculty Council, as appointed by the principal, selects students for membership. This honor is bestowed to qualified students on behalf of the faculty of our school once each year.
Our current selection procedures are as follows:
Scholarship:
At the end of the school year, all sophomores and juniors who will be considered for membership must have attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.7 non-rounded or better on a 4.0 scale.
Character and Leadership:
Faculty members will rate potential candidates (as determined by their cumulative grade point average) based on Character and Leadership. The ratings will be between 1-10, with 10 being the highest score. Any teacher who gives below a 5 rating will provide a reason for the rating to Beachwood’s NHS Faculty Council. The Faculty Council will either accept or reject the reason given, and the score will either be omitted or averaged into the student’s overall score. Students who receive an average rating of an 8.0 in Character and 7.5 in Leadership will be considered for membership by the Faculty Council.
Service:
At the end of the school year, all sophomores and juniors who have met the required faculty ratings for character and leadership, a cumulative grade point average of 3.7 non-rounded or better (on a 4.0 scale), and who will have the necessary community service hours completed by the first day of the following school year will receive an invitation through the school email system to fill out an online activity form. This form is due by 3 pm on the second Monday after the beginning of the following school year. Information included on this form should be:
- List of active participation in three of Beachwood High School’s approved extracurricular activities; OR two of Beachwood High School’s approved extracurricular activities and one outside extracurricular activity, which is not a duplication of an in-school activity (i.e. club soccer and BHS soccer).
- In order for an activity to be accepted as one of the three qualifying activities for NHS acceptance, the student must show sustained commitment for each listed activity he/she has chosen to list.
- If the student is an applying senior, the activity may be included as one of the three activities listed if the activity occurred in either the student’s freshman year, sophomore, and/or junior year.
- If the student is an applying junior, the activity may be included as one of the three activities listed if the activity occurred in his/her freshman and/or sophomore year.
- In at least one of the activities, the student must show exceptional leadership.
Advisors are instructed to sign for the students who have shown consistent attendance to meetings and have displayed active involvement in the activity. A list of Beachwood’s approved NHS activities is available in the Beachwood High School Parent-Student Handbook.
- Verification of 70 hours of community service.
ACCEPTANCE
The Faculty Committee will review all completed activity forms. Students must meet all deadlines and have the necessary service hours, activities, character, and leadership ratings to qualify. According to the National Association of Secondary School Principals, an NHS candidate must qualify in all four areas in order to be eligible for induction. Neither Beachwood High School nor the national organization impose a quota, therefore all students who qualify for induction become members. The decision of the Faculty Council is final, and students will be notified if they qualify.
The staff at Beachwood High School endorses the handbook when it states, “This honor, recognized throughout the nation, is both the public recognition of accomplishment and the private commitment to continued excellence on the parts of the new member.” We encourage our students to strive to achieve the most they can in all aspects of their lives.
Please discuss this information with your son or daughter to assist him/her in planning how he/she can set goals in order to qualify for NHS membership at the end of his/her sophomore or junior years.
Please contact National Honor Society advisors Mrs. Casey Matthews or Mr. Michael Lerner with questions.