NJHS

WHAT IS NJHS?

NJHS will do projects and provide community service opportunities for members throughout the year. The projects are determined by the elected officers. In the past few years, we have helped with: –Fall musical, Butler and Mill Creek Spring Fairs, Back to School Night, 6 th grade parent orientation –Thanksgiving Basket project, Peer Tutoring, Gardening – helping with upkeep of Unami –Arbor Day at Central Park, Peace Valley Park clean-up

HOW ARE MEMBERS SELECTED? First step in the process: Review cumulative GPAs of 8 th and 9 th graders who have been at Unami for at least 2 marking periods Those students who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 will receive an application form/essay to fill out to give us more information about you. The committee reviews and scores each form. Letters are sent home to all who submit a form.

WHO IS ON THE COMMITTEE? Teachers Staff Administrators

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILLING OUT THE FORMS? Submitting a form does NOT guarantee you will be selected. Everyone receiving a form has demonstrated academic excellence – all good students! NJHS looks for specific students who demonstrate much more than good grades. Forms should be filled out by the student NO PENCIL Due date is set – NO LATE OR INCOMPLETE FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED

DUE DATE! All completed forms must be submitted to Ms. Adams (room 6) or Ms. Timko (room 44) by Thursday, March 10

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILLING OUT THE FORMS? **Must have something acceptable in each of parts 1-4. If any of parts 1-4 are completely blank, you will not be considered for membership.** Fill in as much as you can – BRAG! Written explanations for each item under Leadership, Community Service, Unami Involvement, and Community Activities are REQUIRED. All we know about you at this point is your GPA. NJHS is more than just high GPAs – there is a big emphasis on being involved, helping others, and being a leader.

FORM PART 1 - LEADERSHIP Includes: –An elected position, team captain/co-captain Strong Explanation: I was selected as the captain of the track team. A specific example of my leadership was demonstrated when I held a team meeting and reviewed the characteristics of being a team player and created team building activities to get to know one another. Weak Explanation: I was selected as the team captain of the soccer team and led the team in stretches. –Link – JUNIOR LEADERS –Relay for Life- CAPTAIN –President/VP/Secretary, etc. –Camp Counselor Strong Example: I was in charge of creating arts and crafts lessons for children ages 4 through 6 at the YMCA camp. Weak Example: I was the CIT for students ages 4-6 at the YMCA day camp. The committee will be looking for a clear explanation of your responsibilities. These should be activities where you were “directly responsible for directing and motivating others.” These can be experiences at Unami or outside of Unami. If outside of Unami, a signature is required.

FORM PART 2 - COMMUNITY SERVICE Must have signatures to verify participation If you cannot contact the adult sponsor, parents may sign. Activities must be completed by the application due date (do not include activities you plan to do in the future) BY MARCH 10 th !!! These are activities done for the betterment of the community, where you’ve donated your time, services, etc. - not things you were paid to do. Examples: –Relay for Life –Soup Kitchen –Service Projects – through in-school or out of school organizations

FORM PART 3 – UNAMI INVOLVEMENT School sports Music groups Yearbook Reading Olympics Newspaper Opus Clubs Etc.

FORM PART 4 – COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES Involvement in activities for the betterment of the community –Scouts –Religious groups –Environmental Groups –Community sports teams

EXTRAS This section gives you a chance to include any information that doesn’t fit in the other categories. This can include: –Awards –Recognitions –Jobs –Etc.

ESSAY The essay MUST be typed. Please respond to the prompt to the best of your ability and with honest thoughts.

WHY DO WE ASK SO MUCH OF YOU? It is expected that the application be taken seriously If you want to be a member that needs to be demonstrated Treat the application as a resume –It should be reviewed –Spelling, grammar, and neatness are all part of the presentation! This means… –Serious time is taken to complete the comprehensive application –It is not completed the night before, and should NOT look like it was something you put together during resource.

SCORING Parts 1-4 will each be scored by the committee. (Part 5 is optional extra information.) The four scores will be added together to give each form a total score. This total score will determine whether the student will be selected or not. All forms that fall in the middle will be reviewed again by the committee, along with building administration, to determine eligibility.

THINGS TO REMEMBER: Signatures are required in part 2 and for any activity in part 1 that was done out of school Hand in the forms on time (MARCH 10) When in doubt, write it down Explanations are required for sections 1-4 Don’t forget that both parent and student need to sign the last page of the form. Any questions, see Ms. Adams or Ms. Timko!