What are the requirements for the National Honor Society? How does someone apply for it? These are questions to which a large number of students did not know the answer. However, this year, NHS officers hosted their first open house to solve this problem.

“In my ten years here, it’s our first time to have an open house,” NHS advisor Christopher Robbins said. “The officers lead it. We had a lot of questions from freshmen, sophomores and their parents … so, we sort of gave them an idea.”

Robbins sponsors the National Honors Society for White Station and was a member himself when he was in high school. To be a member, students must have a certain amount of documented service hours and a good academic record.

“We want the whole school, even freshmen, to be able to know about the National Honor Society before their eleventh grade year, so they know to look for grades and to do community service,” Baron Hendricks (12) said. “[The requirements are] a 3.85 GPA, 25 service hours and some leadership is an attribute, like something you’ve done in a leadership position.” 

Hendricks is the vice president of technology for NHS. He obtained service hours by helping his dad set up community events, like one that raised money for breast cancer. Students often did not know the required amount of service hours and ended up scrambling to get their service hours at the last minute.

“You can use your volunteer hours from Key Club,” Anthony Nguyen (10) said. “They have that all organized for you, and Spruce Up Sparta also counts [for volunteer hours].” 

Clubs at White Station make it easy to gain the needed hours for the NHS. The open house hosted in the cafeteria by the officers, like Hendricks, answered questions and informed students on how to join. 

“In February of each year, we set up a [Microsoft Teams channel] and invite students,” Robbins said. “The application asks about what community service they have done in high school, what leadership they’ve exhibited in high school and how do they maintain their academic character.”

Students can join the National Honors Society in their junior or senior year. There is an induction ceremony and members get to wear a stole at graduation. 

“Because of how nationally known it is, when it’s on your resume, it can give you a good step up,” Hendricks said. “It can make your application look a little bit better, because when colleges see that you’re in the National Honors Society, they say ‘This person has a high GPA, they have certain criteria that makes them look nice.’”

The benefits of being an NHS member extend beyond college recognition. Throughout their membership, NHS members gain valuable skills and insight as they tutor students, participate in community service and engage with other like-minded students.

“I welcome anybody who has questions about the National Honor Society to email us,” Robbins said. “It’s [email protected]. Anybody’s welcome to email us.”