Below you will find a description of the criteria used for selection purposes.  If you feel that you meet these criteria and will continue to meet these criteria for the remainder of your high school career, please complete an application for membership when the time comes.  Watch for an announcement for applications to be available. 

Criteria and Selection Process

The National Honor Society Chapter of Ola High School is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of this prestigious national organization.  Membership is open to those students who meet the required standards in four areas of evaluation:  scholarship, leadership, service, and character.  Standards for selection are established by the national office of NHS and have been revised to meet our local chapter needs.  Students are selected to be members by a 5-member Faculty Council, appointed by the principal, which bestows this honor upon qualified students on behalf of the faculty of our school.

Scholarship: Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 (93 numerical GPA) and above meet the scholarship requirement for membership. These students are then eligible for consideration on the basis of service, leadership, and character.  Active members are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75. 

In order for the faculty council to evaluate the student regarding service and leadership, he or she is asked to complete a Student Activity Information Form.  A history of leadership experiences and participation in school or community service is required.  Please see “Service” and "Leadership” for specific requirements.

Service: This quality is defined through the voluntary contributions made by a student to the school or community, done without compensation and with a positive, courteous, and enthusiastic spirit. To be considered for membership, the student must have performed at least 10 hours of school and/or community service during their high school career.  If selected, members are required to earn 10 service hours per semester.  Some of these hours must be earned through NHS, others may be earned individually or through other service groups.

Leadership: Student leaders are those who are resourceful, good problem solvers, promoters of school activities, idea-contributors, dependable, and persons who exemplify positive attitudes about life.  Leadership experiences can be drawn from school or community activities while working with or for others.   To be considered for membership, a student must serve in a leadership capacity either in a school organization or a community organization.  The student must also be a member of at least one school organization (extracurricular activity). 

Character: The student of good character upholds principles of morality and ethics, is cooperative, demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability, shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others, and generally maintains a good and clean lifestyle.  To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council uses two forms of input.  First, school disciplinary records are reviewed.  Prospective members guilty of any of the following will not be accepted into NHS. 

1. Skipping homeroom and/ or class
2. Fighting
3. Insubordination
4. Possession or use of tobacco, illegal drugs, alcohol, weapons
5. Cheating
6. Stealing
7. Forgery
8. Unauthorized possession and or use of school passes, forms, documents or property
9. False fire alarm and bomb threats
10. Gang related activity
11. Bullying

Disciplinary records of active members will be checked periodically.  If an active member is found guilty of any of the above, the student will be dismissed from NHS.

Second, members of the faculty are solicited for input regarding their professional reflections on a candidate’s service activities, character, and leadership. The Faculty Input Forms and the Student Activity Information Forms are carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine membership.  A majority vote of the council is necessary for selection.  Candidates are notified regarding selection or nonselection through homeroom.  Following notification, a formal induction ceremony is held at the school to recognize all newly selected members.  Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all four criteria that led to their selection.  This obligation includes regular attendance at chapter meetings and participation in the chapter service projects.  Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can contact the chapter advisors, Belinda Privin or Andrea Patterson.

Meeting Attendance:  General meetings and officer meetings are held the second Friday of each month beginning at 7:40AM.  An "alternative meeting" is held that same day at 3:20PM.  A maximum of 2 excused absences are permitted.  Excuses should be directed to Mr. Head, Ms. Bates, or the NHS Secretary.  Two unexcused absences will result in dismissal from the society.   Two tardies equal one unexcused absence.  Meetings are called to order at 7:40A.M, anything after 10 minutes will be considered an absence.

Induction fees and Annual Dues:  There is a $12 induction fee for all new members.  Each year after the induction, members pay dues of $20,  Seniors will pay an additional fee ($27) later in the school year to purchase a NHS stole for the graduation ceremony. 

If you have any questions, please call or email.

NHS Advisors