The WHS chapter of the National Honor Society has been a constant in the high school community for years. Still recovering from COVID-19, NHS is using this year to rebuild and improve the work it has accomplished in the past.

NHS is an organization consisting of high school students that demonstrate exemplary academic achievement and top tier community service. According to the NHS Constitution, “Membership in the local chapter is an honor bestowed upon a student…based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.”

The requirements to become a member of NHS are simple. Students who have a 3.7 GPA or higher and who have proven themselves to be quality members of the community are eligible for induction. Although most students are inducted after their fifth semester of high school, it is possible to be inducted after their seventh semester as well.

Students who are in NHS are required to complete 10 community service hours by the end of their senior year. These hours can be fulfilled by volunteering to help with an array of school and community events throughout the year. In conversation with many NHS members though, Hi’s Eye found that the majority of members interviewed were not aware of the service requirements.

“When I joined NHS, I was not aware that there were any responsibilities beyond attaining the required GPA,” said WHS senior and NHS member Michael Liebermann.

In response, NHS Advisor and WHS Guidance Counselor Andrew Buckner made it clear that he will make sure the responsibilities are explicitly stated in the induction materials going forward.

Recently, NHS members served as tour guides for the class of 1971 and 1972 who came back to visit the high school. This is just one of many examples of volunteer opportunities here at WHS, and a way for NHS members to fulfill their 10-hour service requirement.

Additionally, NHS uses a Google Classroom page to post volunteer opportunities, and from there members can sign up for any of them. According to Buckner, “Any time people need volunteers to do something, they usually come to NHS.”

A big part of NHS at WHS is their help with the Police Athletic League tutoring program through which NHS members volunteer to tutor students who need extra help with their schoolwork. Additionally, parents can contact NHS for private tutoring. Private tutoring, which counts toward the service hour requirement, will cost families $30 per hour with $15 going to NHS and $15 going to the students.

This year though, NHS is struggling to get members to sign up for both PAL and private tutoring. “My goal this year is to stabilize the tutoring program. We are just not getting people volunteering,” said Buckner.

NHS officer and senior Joey Gamba agreed with Buckner. “I think the issue with tutoring is that, coming off of years with virtual school, I don’t think [NHS] students remember all that much from what they were learning. I think there is a lack of comfort in signing up for tutoring, which is leading people not to sign up,” Gamba said.

Once you are inducted, Buckner recommends checking Google Classroom for opportunities to fulfill all NHS service requirements before graduation.