National Honor Society Please check in before you sit down!

National Honor Society What is important to know? How do I prepare for application?

What is National Honor Society? National Honor Society is a nation-wide sponsored high school group made up of the highest of academic performing students. It is not just based on academics however. Each member must also possess high qualities of service, leadership, and character.

What GPA do I need? You will need to have (and maintain) a weighted accumulative GPA of 4.25 by the end of the 1st Semester junior/senior school year. Remember it is your Weighted Accumulative GPA and not your Weighted Current GPA. Check with your counselor on where you stand now if you have questions.

Active in School Required to be a part of at least one school activity in this calendar year. Required to have at least 10 hours of participation. If you have more activities, please submit all that you can. The more, the better your chances of acceptance! Hours only count outside of school day.

Errors to watch for with School Activities Student Council Blood Drive: This does not count as you are volunteering during the school day. Clothing/Penny Drives during Homeroom: Again, very worthwhile but does not count towards NHS hours.

Active in the Community Required to volunteer in at least one community setting. Required to have at least 10 hours of participation. If you volunteer at more than one setting, please submit all you can! Hours only count outside of the school day. Hours for Civics Class or making up tardies, etc. will not count!

Specifics for School and Community Hours You need a minimum of 3 separate activities or settings. 10 hours for school, 10 hours for community, 20 hours additional can go towards either. Total of 40 hours minimum! You can’t count groups in both areas of school and community. (Called double dipping). Past issues to avoid: Sport camps sponsored by school teams are NOT community service. Not getting signatures. Not enough hours in specific areas or total. Turn in all forms!

Community Volunteer Opportunities! Sheboygan South Webpage! Can get to website either from South home page under “Student Life” or by going to National Honor Society under Activities!

Maintain Excellent Attendance The teachers, staff, and administration at South want our top students to be present and being excellent leaders in each of their classes and advisory. You must achieve no more than 48 unexcused mods in one semester. Although doing community service or detentions make up for those unexcused absences for graduation, they will NOT remove those unexcused absences from your record. NHS will only be looking at your formal attendance records. Please attend your classes regularly and make your attendance corrections appropriately and timely.

Tricks on Staying Organized Keep additional forms in one place (folder, etc.) Take Community Service forms to events and have them signed the same day. Start catching Spring’s coaches now. Activity Director will now only sign past forms for coaches no longer employed at South. Ask Mr. Heinen early on if you have any doubts on how an activity or event would fit. Stay on top of your attendance weekly. Make attendance corrections to the office in the time frame they request!

Teacher Ratings for Leadership and Character All your teachers/coaches/advisors from the calendar year will be rating you in regards to Leadership and Character (Spring Semester last school year and this current Fall Semester). How you behave in class, in school, at school events, and even in the community will affect your scores. Keep in mind your behavior and actions even in the halls and on your online postings. Ask your teachers how you are doing! Don’t assume!

What is Leadership? Moving the discussion along in class Stepping up to volunteer Helping others in class to understand better Willing to do extra Leading by example with your behavior, not being disruptive Speaking up against other negative behavior Not doing the bear minimum Other ideas?

What is Character? Turning homework and assignments in on time Not being tardy or skipping class Being respectful to teachers/advisors/coaches Being positive Not cheating, plagiarizing, or copying other’s work Showing visible interest in class/activity/topic Standing up for those who can’t; not bullying Doing what is right even when no one is watching Following the Activity Code

National Honor Society Interested Applicants: If you arrived late, please again make sure to sign in prior to leaving! Any Questions?