National Honor Society

Last updated
National Honor Society
National Honor Society logo.svg
FoundedMarch 1, 1921;103 years ago (1921-03-01)
Fifth Avenue High School Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
Typehonor, high school and middle school
Affiliation National Association of Secondary School Principals
StatusActive
ScopeInternational
PillarsScholarship, Character, Leadership, and Service
Colors  Blue and   Gold
Chapters17,000+
Members1.4 million active
Headquartersc/o/ National Association of Secondary School Principals
1904 Association Drive

Reston , Virginia 20191-1537
United States
Website www.nationalhonorsociety.org

The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. [1] [2]

Contents

The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to recognize outstanding students, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. [3] [4]

Membership in local NHS chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student by a Faculty Council and is based on the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities. [4]

History

The National Honor Society was established on March 1, 1921 by Dr. Edward Rynearson, a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), which is the parent organization of the NHS. [5] [6] Rynearson, then the principal of Fifth Avenue High School in Pittsburgh, PA, envisioned an organization that would balance academics and athletics while emphasizing the role of high schools as a foundation for democracy. Prior to the establishment of the NHS, numerous local and regional honor societies existed, but the NHS was the first organization of its kind with a national scope. [7]

Since its inception, the NHS has expanded significantly, with over 17,000 active chapters across the United States and beyond. [7]

In 1929, the NHS furthered its reach by introducing the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) for middle school students. This expansion was complemented in 2008 with the creation of the National Elementary Honor Society, a collaboration between the NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), aimed at elementary school students. [7]

The NHS operates through a decentralized model, granting autonomy to local chapters for innovation and adaptation within the framework of the NHS National Constitution. This approach allows chapters to address specific local needs while adhering to the overarching principles of the organization. [7]

The operational management of the NHS is overseen by the NASSP, with strategic guidance provided by the NASSP Board of Directors. This structure ensures the continuity of Rynearson's vision and the organization's impact on students' lives. [7]

Symbols

The four pillars of NHS are Scholarship, Character, Leadership, and Service. [8] Its colors are blue and gold.

Chapters

National Honor Society chapters operate in all fifty states, territories, and many schools around the world, engaging and serving more than 1.4 million students.

Activities

Each year, the average NHS chapter contributes: [9]

Since 1946, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has awarded more than $23 million in scholarships to outstanding NHS seniors. Each year, NASSP awards $2 million in scholarships to 600 students, including one National Winner ($25,000), four NHS Pillar Winners ($10,625) 20 national finalists ($5,625 each), and 575 national semifinalists ($3,200 each). [10] Scholarship recipients are selected based on their demonstration of the four pillars of NHS: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. [11]

Sister organizations

Notable members

Arts

NameChapterState
Alda, Alan St. Thomas More High SchoolNY
Besterman, Doug Ramapo High School NY
Bodett, Tom Sturgis High School MI
Bradley, David Bedford High School PA
Cameron, Peter Castlemont High School CA
Cavett, Dick Lincoln High School NE
Cobb, Lee J. Redford High School MI
Couric, Katie Yorktown High School VA
Crawford, Cindy DeKalb High School IL
Davis, Jim Madison-Grant High School IN
Estefan, Gloria Our Lady of Lourdes Academy FL
Farr, Jamie Woodward High School OH
Fey, Tina Upper Darby High School PA
Francis, Connie Belleville High School NJ
Gangemi, Joseph Concord High School DE
Goldberger, Paul Nutley High School NJ
Gross, Michael Kelvyn Park High School IL
Guy, Jasmine Northside High School GA
Harold, Erika Urbana High School IL
Henson, Jim Northwestern Senior High School MD
Lachey, Vanessa Minnillo Bishop England High School SC
Lynds, Gayle Abraham Lincoln High School IA
Mangione, Chuck Franklin High SchoolNY
Morris, Sarah Hutchison School TN
Phillips, Stone Parkway West High School MO
Rogers, Fred Latrobe High SchoolPA
Stewart, Jon Lawrence High School NJ
Streep, Meryl Bernards High School NJ
Swift, Taylor Hendersonville High School TN
Underwood, Carrie Checotah High SchoolOK
Vinton, Will McMinnville High School OR
Voight, Jon St. Thomas More High SchoolNY
Zindel, Paul Port Richmond High School NY

Education/Science/Business

NameChapterState
Allen, Joseph Crawfordsville High School IN
Bastian, Bruce Twin Falls High School ID
Bobko, Karol Brooklyn Tech High School NY
Cerullo, Leonard Hazleton High SchoolPA
Dole, Elizabeth Salisbury High School NC
Iacocca, Lee Allentown High SchoolPA
Keith, Leroy Howard School of Academics and Technology TN
McGuire, Patricia Merion Mercy Academy PA
McMonagle, Donald Hamady High School MI
Morava, Jack Mercedes High School TX
Penzias, Arno Brooklyn Tech High School NY
Plunkett, Roy Newton High School OH
Quinn, Jane Bryant Niagara Falls High School NY
Resnik, Judith Firestone High School OH
Silkwood, Karen Nederland High School TX
Whitson, Peggy Mount Ayr High SchoolIA

Politics/Military

NameChapterState
Agrast, Mark Charles F. Brush High School OH
Battani, Marianne Tuscola Community High School IL
Bingaman, Jeff Silver High School NM
Block, John Knoxville High School IL
Brown, Joanne Notre Dame High School GU
Chiles, Lawton Lakeland High School FL
Cohen, William Bangor High School ME
Corzine, Jon Taylorsville High SchoolOH
Ford, Gerald R. Grand Rapids South High SchoolMI
Gabriel, Charles A. Lincolnton High School NC
Gonzalez, Felix Riverside Military Academy GA
Gray, William H. Simon Gratz High School PA
Hastings, William C. Newman Grove High SchoolNE
Hinojosa, Ruben Mercedes High School TX
Jackson, Henry "Scoop" Everett High School WA
Kirkpatrick, Jeane Mt. Vernon Township High School IL
Martin, Kevin Charlotte Catholic High School NC
McKernan, John R. Bangor High School ME
Miller, Robert Bishop Garmon High SchoolNV
Obama, Michelle Whitney Young High SchoolIL
Moffard, Rose Globe High School AZ
Spade, Douglas Camden-Frontier High SchoolMI
Sullivan, Mike Douglas High School WY
Yellowtail, William Lodge Grass High SchoolMT

Sports

NameChapterState
Aikman, Troy Henryetta High SchoolOK
Atwater, Steve Lutheran High School North MO
Bell, Earl Jonesboro High School AR
Belote, Melissa Robert E. Lee High School VA
Everett, Jim Eldorado High School NM
Fitzgerald-Brown, Benita Gar-Field High SchoolVA
Gilbert, Gale Red Bluff High School CA
Glenn, Mike Coosa High School GA
Grogan, Steve Ottawa High School KS
Hoying, Bob St. Henry High School OH
Huber, Vicki Concord High School DE
Jansen, Dan West Allis Central High School WI
King, Lilly F. J. Reitz High School IN
Kinnick, Nil Benson High School NE
Lucas, Jerry Middletown High School OH
Mulkey, Kim Exeter Turnpike High SchoolPA
Ripken Jr., Cal Aberdeen High School MD

Source: [13]

See also

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References

  1. "National Honor Society | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  2. "About". NHS. 2017-01-17. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  3. "National Honor Society / History of Organization". www.fortbendisd.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 "NHS National Constitution". NHS. 2017-02-23. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  5. "National Honor Society | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  6. Masters, Joseph G. (October 1939). "The Founding of the National Honor Society". The Phi Delta Kappan. 22 (2): 53–54. JSTOR   20258969.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "The History of NHS". NHS. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  8. "The Four Pillars of NHS". National Honor Society. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  9. "About". NHS. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  10. "Most Recent Winners". NHS. 2017-01-16. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  11. "The NHS Scholarship". NHS. 2017-01-16. Archived from the original on 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  12. "NHS". www.nhs.us. Archived from the original on 2004-01-27. Retrieved 2004-01-13.
  13. "Famous NHS Members". NHS. 2017-02-23. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-14.