The chance to impress potential colleges, the chance to volunteer in your community, and the chance to be in one of the most highly acclaimed organizations for high school students awaits for dozens on campus as the National Honor Society begins its selection process.

Since 1921, the NHS has been recognizing outstanding high school students, not only for their high GPAs, but their leadership, service in the community, and character.

“You are required to complete 18 service hours per semester,” NHS advisor and English teacher Ginny Clark said. “You have to go to 3 meetings per semester, we have one every 6 weeks, the meetings are generally 15-20 minutes in length.”

While some students may be leery of the time commitment, Clark says the positives of NHS far outweigh the negatives.

“(NHS) is nationally known,” Clark said. “It’s probably the most prestigious academic organization one can belong to. Above all else, while colleges want well rounded students, I tell students all the time, put NHS on your college application, because that’s what they want to see, because it tells them not only are you academic, but you also volunteer and contribute to your community.”

For many colleges, NHS can be a critical part of your resume.

“To have the National Honor Society on your resume often times shows that you have been in community service, you have been in an academically rigorous program, you’ve maintained a high GPA,” College and Career Guidance counselor Jeannie Walls said. “And often times if you have it on your resume over the course of a few years it does show that stability and that you’re following through and that you’re sticking with a program.”

In addition to helping on a student’s resume, NHS can help students potentially gain an edge in college admissions.
“Definitely during the holistic approach every piece comes into play and if it comes down to it and two students are identical all the way through an additional something on their resume and it is academically tied, and it is over the course of a few years, with also community service and involvement it definitely would help one student over the other,” Walls said.
Not only can NHS help students when applying to colleges, but it can also help in the future as well.
“The National Honor Society will help for the classes (students) take with their time management skills, academics, having a structure once they get into college, and once they graduate, as well as helping them once they go out into the real world,” assistant College and Career counselor Clark Mitchell said.