STUDENT HANDBOOK - Half Hollow Hills

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Purpose: Excellence in all scholarship, leadership, character and service are the cornerstones of High School
East's Chapter of the National Honor Society. Outstanding members of the junior and senior classes are
inducted annually into this organization. The screening process is outlined in the application packet, which
will be available to academically qualified students after the second marking period. Once completed, the
packets are reviewed by a faculty committee which determines, in accordance with the by-laws of the National
Honor Society, the students to be inducted. Members of the National Honor Society provide service to the
school and community in various capacities.
Criteria for Selection and Maintaining Membership:
Scholarship:
Senior candidates only must maintain a 90% cumulative average, and juniors (students who entered high
school in the 2010-2011 school year) must maintain a 93% cumulative average for all courses in which
graduation credits have been earned. This would include a high school credit course taken prior to entry
into grade 9.
Average will be computed by using weighted grades for AP (.5) and honors (.4) and true average for
all other classes.
There must also be no failing grades for classes in which the Pass/Fail option have been selected.
For juniors (students having earned a minimum of eleven units of credit toward a New York State high
school diploma) requesting consideration for membership, averages, as indicated above, will be computed
encompassing grades for 9 th , 10 th and the first two quarters of 11 th .
Only students who are new to the school, or did not meet academic or activity requirements during their
junior year, may request to be considered for candidacy after the first quarter of their senior year.
For seniors (students having earned a minimum of sixteen units of credit towards a New York State high
school diploma) requesting consideration for membership in mid November, averages will be computed
using grade 9 – 11, plus the first two quarters of 12 th .
Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of character, leadership and service.
Character: Members of Hills East's Chapter of the National Society are expected to be models of excellent
character. The faculty at High School East receive a list of academically qualified candidates for character
review and input. Comments from the faculty council become part of the candidate's application. The
application packet also includes three forms for character references from teachers selected by the student
applicant. Members whose behavior results in out-of-school suspension are subject to removal from the
National Honor Society. Violations of the Code of Conduct will be considered in assessing a student's
admission to or maintenance of membership in the National Honor Society.
Leadership: Through participation as members or officers in extracurricular activities, the members of the
National Honor Society are the leaders who inspire student involvement and who plan, organize and designate
their time, energy, and talents to impact organizations in meaningful ways. The induction packet requires
students to document specific activities and organizations in which their leadership has been demonstrated.
Service: Members of the National Honor Society are mandated to perform service to their school and/or their
local community as a prerequisite for membership and as a criterion for maintaining membership. Twenty (20)
service hours, ten of which are to be dedicated to the school, and the other ten to a non-profit, charitable
organization must be logged. These hours must be accrued from September to the date of application of the
academic year of induction. All National Honor Society members are required to fulfill a four (4) hour
monthly service requirement in the school or community to maintain membership in the organization.
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