By Tara Higgins
The National Honors Society has always involved a large number of some of the school’s best students. About 150 kids are part of this year’s NHS. There are about 50 returning members and new members will be notified by mail later this week. The induction ceremony will be held on Oct. 21.
NHS recently conducted new officer elections. Becoming an NHS officer is a long process. Eventually, five new senior officers were selected: Natasha Williams as President, Madison Turner as Vice President, Greg Brantley as Treasurer, and Quentin Geile as Secretary, and Daesha Martch as Historian.
“We always have such great kids,” said Spanish teacher Tina Stroman, the NHS sponsor. “The seniors lead the whole organization.”
All high schools in Douglas County require 20 hours of community service in order for students to graduate. For members of the National Honors Society, those 20 hours are only the beginning.
NHS is a student-run community service organization whose primary mission is to help others. The juniors and seniors who are invited to join are required to serve an additional 20 hours of service per year, which is divided into two parts.
Half of the hours involve service projects members participate in as a whole organization, and the other 10 hours give members a chance to come up with their own ideas and services.
Members receive an invitation to apply when they are juniors or seniors, and only seniors who have become full-term members can run for office.
Prospective candidates are required to submit an essay and present their work and ideas for the organization. Their essays are reviewed by a Faculty Council that is made up of a group of teachers who also review member applications, and also by other seniors who heard their presentation.
Final elections are conducted by the senior members and by the administration in charge of reviewing the essays.
Seniors share quite a lot of responsibility. As president, Williams is responsible for organizing all of the community service events, meetings, and projects. Vice President Turner is responsible for updating the NHS Facebook page and assisting Williams.
Secretary Geile is in charge of the NHS Moodle page and updating the calendar of events. He also manages attendance at meetings.
Treasurer Brantley collects all of the money for NHS and will be in charge of Pennies for Patients later during the school year.
Historian Martch is in charge of keeping track of and recording the nearly 150 members’ 20 hours of community service per year and ensuring that everyone completes those hours on time.
Once the organization aspect is under control, NHS is dedicated to its service. Toys for Tots and Pennies for Patients are just two of the annual events that are the main focus of the organization. These projects count towards the 10 hours members are required to submit for NHS. The remaining hours are devoted to whatever the members themselves choose.
“I lead worship at my church,” Martch said of her service, while Williams will do anything possible for the community. “We just show up and volunteer our time,” said Martch.
The National Honors Society devotes itself to serving in the community and helping others. With all of the help 150 students can provide, the mission of NHS can easily be fulfilled, and the greater impact on the community.