Criteria for Induction:
The membership of the Milwaukie High School Chapter of the National Honor Society has been earned by the effective demonstration of the four qualities held in high esteem of the Society. The qualities include Character, Leadership, Scholarship, and Service.
Character:
Character is the force within each individual, which distinguishes that person from others. It gives each one of us individuality and personality. Is it that without which no one can respect oneself, nor hope to attain the respect of others. It is this force of character, which guides one through life and, when once developed, grows steadily. Character is achieved and not recieved. It is the product of constant action, daily striving to make the right choice. The problem of character is the problem of self-control. We must be in reality what we wish to appear to others. By demonstrating such qualities as reliability, honesty, sincerity, we may hope to prove by example that we value character.
Leadership:
Leadership should exert a wholesome influence on the whole school. In taking the initiative in class and school activities, the real leader strives to train and aid others to obtain the same objectives. The price of leadership is sacrifice-the willingness to yield one's personal interests for the interests of others. A leader has self-confidence and will go forward when others hesitate. No matter what power and resources may exist in a country, they are ineffectual without the guidance of a wise leader. Leadership is always needed; thus, to lead is a substantive charge to each of our members and to the candidates.
Scholarship:
Scholarship means a commitment to learning. A student is willing to spend hours in reading and study, knowing the lasting benefits of a cultivated mind. We should continue to learn even when formal education has ended, for education ends only with life. Knowledge is one great element of life, which leads to the highest success, and it can be acquired in only one way-through diligence and effort. Learning furnishing the lamp by which we read the past, and the light, which illuminates the future. Candidates have the charge to continually expand their world the oppertunities inherent in scholarship.
Service:
Service can be expressed in various ways. In routine of the day's work, many oppotunities arise to help others. Willingness to work without monetary compensation or without recognition for the benefit of those in need is the quality we seek in our membership. We are committed to the idea of volunteering our time and abilities to the creation of a better tomorrow.
Types of Memberships :
Membership in the National Honor Society is both an honor and a responsibility. Students selected for membership are expected to continue to demonstrate the qualities of scholarship, serivce, leadership, and character.
Membership can be divided into three categories: Active, Graduate, and Honorary.
Active Membership
A candidate for membership must first be selected by the Faculty Council and then inducted in a special ceremony to become an active member of the chapter. Active members have a voice and vote in chapter affairs. Active members are expected to maintain the standards of the society by which they were selected. They also assume certain obligations, as detailed in the information provided by the chapter, which must be fulfilled according to the chapter guidelines.
Transferring an Active Membership
Different standards and procedures among chapters sometimes cause difficulty for students who transfer schools. Although the Constitution states that transfer members must be automatically accepted into the NHS chapter of the new school, the transferee may be unable to meet the new chapter's standards within one semester. For example, if a junior transfered to a school that accepted only seniors into The National Honor Society, the junior of course, could not meet the requirements of the new chapter within one semester. In such similar cases, tha transfer student may lose NHS membership, until he or she is able to meet the new chapter's standards. In other cases where the cumulative GPA standard of the new school is higher than that of the old school (e.g., 3.5 at the new school, but only 3.0 at the member's old school), then the transferee may be granted memebership and given a reasonable amount of time (e.g., a semester) to raise the GPA to the new standard, or else told that membership in the new chapter will be bestowed once the student demonstrates the higher, new GPA. In all transfer cases, the local Faculty Council is charged with making a sound, professional judgment regarding the membership status of the individual.
It is the obligation of the new student member when transferring schools, to notify, in a timely fashion, the adviser of the new school's chapter of his/her membership.
Graduate Membership
Active members become graduate members upon graduation. Graduate members have no voice or vote in chapter activities. Similarly, because graduate members are no longer within the jurisdiction of the chapter's Faculty Council, they cannot be dismissed once graduated.
Honorary Membership
As identified in the Constitution, honorary membership may be granted to individuals who have extended outstanding service to the school or community in keeping with the purposes of the National Honor Society. Faculty Councils are urged to use discretion in conferring honorary memberships.
The Faculty Council may also honor an outstanding student who has a disabling condition that prevents the student from fulling meeting meeting the requirments for membership. Other students (those without disabling conditions) who attend the school are not eligable for honorary membership, with the exception of foreign exchange students who are unable to meet the requirements in full (particulary those of attendance), but who, in the opinion of the Faculty Council, deserve the honor.
The usual membership card or certificate may be given to honorary members with the word "honorary" typed on it. Honorary members are permitted to wear the official ensignia. Simply put, honorary membership bestows upon an individual all of the privileges of membership without imposing any of the obligations of membership.
The names of honorary and transfer members should appear in the chapter's official membership list, which is kept on file by the school or school district.
Obligations of Membership
The national constitution defines several obligations for members. First, all members are to maintain the standards by which the were selected (i.e., continued performance at or above the required GPA, involvement in services and leadership porjects,ect.). In addition, the constitution expects members to attend meetings if called for, and to perform both individual and chapter service projects during the year.
Chapters can choose to add these obligations as long as the obligations are generally identified for candidates prior to selection and that appropiate notifacations is given to all members, once inducted, about there obligation. To avoid conflicts, it is advisable to have a significant student input in the creation of these conflicts, and to be sensitive to personal needs based on pre-existing familiar or cultural/religious obligations.
The primary question that should be asked concerning these additional obligations is "Do they support the purposes of the organization as outlined in the constitution?" If they do, and support for the events can be demonstraded among a majority of the chapter members, these extra obligations are supportable. As every advisor knows, NHS members are already very involved in many school activities or they wouldn't have been chosen in the first place. Alternatives to mandatory obligations could be offering students a choice, for example, to attend any two of five events; to make such activities voluntary; or to give members extra 'points' or 'credit' for participating that could be used toward fulfilling other membership obligations.
Local chapters are encouraged to survey the membership and also find out what other schools in the area are doing before developing a final plan.