National Honor Society

Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the Excalibur Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS).

Section 2. The purpose of this chapter shall be to recognize students at the Spring Grove Area High School (SGAHS) who have an enthusiasm for scholarship, value the importance of service to the school and community, demonstrate outstanding character, and model worthy leadership.

Section 1. Eligibility

1. Invitation

a. Candidates will have spent at least one semester at SGAHS

b. Candidates will have a career weighted GPA of 95.00% or higher at the conclusion of their sophomore or junior years

• Beginning with the class of 2029, the weighted GPA requirement will increase to 97.00%

c. Candidates must have successfully taken or be enrolled in a minimum of 4 honors courses worth 1 credit or more with a weight of 1.1 or higher.

d. Academically eligible candidates (upcoming juniors and seniors) will be invited to complete application paperwork that demonstrates evidence of their Service, Leadership, and Character

e. Induction will occur only once per year, with invitations delivered in late September or early October and the induction ceremony taking place in November.

2. Submitting an application

a. Paperwork will be available for students to pick up from an NHS advisor.

b. Completed application must be received by the date/time indicated on the Invitation.

c. No late paperwork will be considered for review.

Section 2. Selection of Members

1. Selection for membership into the SGAHS NHS is at the discretion of the NHS advisors and SGAHS building administration

a. Gathering information

• The NHS advisors will seek out additional information from the SGAHS faculty.
• The NHS advisors will review all forms and information to determine if the student meets all criteria for membership
• All discussions/decisions are confidential until released to the candidates and their families
• Current or former Members will not participate in the discussions or decisions

b. Selected students

• Letters/Emails of acceptance will be sent to the student and their parents and/or guardians
• Selected students who wish to move forward with accepting their membership must attend the Induction Ceremony and its practice session in November.

Section 3. Non-selection

1. The NHS Advisors will contact non-selected candidates to discuss reasons for non-selection

a. Non-selected Juniors, who remain eligible at the conclusion of their junior year, may reapply

Section 1. Scholarship

1. Once inducted, a member’s weighted marking period GPA cannot drop below 95.00%

a. Beginning with the class of 2029, the weighted GPA cannot drop below 97.00%

2. Once inducted, members will maintain individual grades of 70% or higher in all classes

3. Once inducted, members will continue to be enrolled in at least 1 honors course (or equivalent) worth 1 credit or more with a weight of 1.1 or higher each semester

4. Members will submit copies of their report cards each marking period

Section 2. Service

1. Definitions

a. Service is defined as activities that benefit the school or community for which no compensation is received, and are considered acts of service

b. An NHS service opportunity is defined as an act of service that must be open to all members of the SGAHS chapter of NHS. All members who sign up for the opportunity are expected to attend it.

c. Individual service hours are those completed outside of SGAHS NHS and are highly encouraged.

2. Required Hours

a. Members must complete a minimum of four (4) NHS service opportunity hours per marking period. Each NHS opportunity will have a predetermined amount of time assigned to it.

b. In addition to the four hours mentioned above, current members must participate in the following:

• One stadium cleanup during the fall football season (1st marking period)
• Fill the Bus Campaign: Members are expected to come to the food pantry on the day NHS delivers the food. This typically occurs over the December holiday break (2nd marking period). Any conflict with the food pantry date should be communicated at least 1 week in advance.
• Custodial Helpers (3rd and 4th marking period)
• Service opportunities will be made available for sign-up throughout the marking period as they arise, with a predetermined amount of time assigned to each.
• Over the summer, SGAHS NHS members are expected to complete, log, and submit proof of 2 acts of individual service, with at least one completed at least 1 week prior to the start of school. This should be properly documented and submitted through Schoology.

Section 3. Character & Leadership

1. Members must always exhibit good character both in and out of school. A person of good character demonstrates the following six qualities:

• Trustworthiness
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Fairness
• Leadership

2. NHS members will abide by school rules and policies and should not incur disciplinary actions.

3. NHS members will abide by all local, state, and federal laws.

4. SGAHS staff will be contacted each marking period concerning the character of each member.

Section 4. Dues

1. Each newly inducted Member will pay a one-time $15 registration fee.

Section 5. Meetings

1. Meeting times and locations

a. Regular meetings will be held at least once a month at a time and place to be determined each year.

b. Attendance at monthly meetings is required. Members must arrive on time and sign in before the meeting starts.

Section 6. Induction

1. Induction Practice

a. All members are required to attend an induction practice prior to the date of the induction ceremony.

b. If a member is unable to attend the induction practice, he/she must communicate effectively (at least 1 week in advance) with the NHS Advisors through email.

c. If a member does not attend the practice and does not notify the NHS advisors within the appropriate time frame, he/she will not be permitted to participate in the ceremony.

2. Induction

a. All members are required to attend the induction ceremony.

b. If a member is unable to attend the induction, he/she must communicate effectively (at least 1 week in advance) with the NHS Advisors through email.

c. If a member does not attend the ceremony and does not notify the NHS advisors within the appropriate time frame, he/she may not be inducted into SGAHS NHS.

Section 1 - Faculty Advisor(s)

1. Eligibility

a. The Faculty Advisor(s) must be a member of the SGAHS faculty.

b. Approval of the NHS Advisor position(s) will be recommended by the Administrator(s) involved in personnel decisions.

c. No more than two adults will act as Advisors for the SGAHS NHS.

d. The duties of the Advisor(s) will be to:

• Review the academic eligibility of all students at the end of their sophomore and junior years
• An annual review of this chapter’s constitution
• Schedule and organize Induction Night
• Attend all officer meetings and general membership meetings
• Act as a liaison between community leaders and the Officers and/or Membership

Section 2 - Officer Positions and Responsibilities

1. Expectations

a. Officers are expected to attend all monthly meetings of SGAHS NHS, all NHS officer meetings, participate in the induction practice and ceremony, communicate effectively with NHS advisors, and fulfill all duties outlined below for their elected position.

2. Eligibility and Election

a. Must be a current SGAHS NHS member and an upcoming senior

b. Must not have had any disciplinary infractions on his/her record

c. Must have no more than 5 unexcused/unlawful days in the junior year

d. Must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 full course blocks per semester for senior year

e. Must submit a letter of intent at least two weeks prior to the elections stating which singular office he/she plans to run for (date to be determined). These members must also prepare and present a speech of approximately one minute at the voting meeting.

f. Voting is conducted anonymously by all junior members at the voting meeting.

3. President

a. The president is responsible for delegating tasks, organizing group and officer meeting agendas, presiding over meetings, sending emails and reminders, assisting advisors, and communicating with the administration

4. Vice President

a. The vice president is responsible for assisting the president in all tasks mentioned above. In addition, the vice president will be the lead liaison for the Fill the Bus campaign, working with Harvest of Hope Pantry. The vice president is also responsible for managing the SGAHS NHS social media platforms and assisting other officers with their tasks as needed. Lastly, if the president is unable to fulfill his/her duties, the vice president will step in to fulfill them.

5. Treasurer

a. The treasurer is responsible for maintaining accurate record of NHS funds, receiving and disbursing of all funds, collecting registration fees from incoming members and planning/implementing a fall and spring fundraiser to be used to offer NHS scholarships through the Spring Grove Area Scholarship Foundation.

6. Service Chair

a) The Service Chair is responsible for helping to organize NHS service opportunities, communicating these opportunities with members, tracking completed service hours of members, helping to track strikes, and updating the SGAHS NHS calendar with opportunities as they are scheduled.

7. Secretary

a. The secretary is responsible for recording the notes/minutes of each NHS and officer meeting and posting these minutes to the NHS Google drive and Schoology page. Additionally, the secretary will certify to the Secretary of the National Council the number and names of each member in the Excalibur chapter of NHS.

8. Parliamentarian

a. The Parliamentarian is responsible for recording/tracking attendance at all meetings, assisting advisors with GPA checks at the end of each marking period, and tracking strikes for each member.

Section 1. Strikes

1. Strikes may be issued by NHS Advisors

2. Strikes may be issued in the form of an email

3. The following may result in a strike: 

a. Submitting summer service hour forms past the due date (½ strike)

b. Submitting incomplete summer service hour forms (½ strike)

c. Not completing the required summer service hours (up to 1 strike)

d. Not completing the required NHS opps/hours each marking period. (up to 1 strike each MP)

e. Missing a regular meeting (1 strike)

f. Arriving late to a regular meeting (½ strike)

g. Missing the induction ceremony (1 strike)

h. Falling below the required GPA in a marking period (½ strike)

i. School disciplinary infractions not including lunch detention (1-2 strikes per infraction)

j. Behaviors that go against the qualities of character expected of NHS members (up to 1 strike per incident)

k. School attendance (up to 1 strike)

Section 2. Probation & Dismissal

1. Probation begins with the accumulation of 2 strikes

a. The purpose of Probation is to put a member on notice and allow the member to continue with NHS, providing them a final chance to demonstrate their willingness to follow the pillars of the National Honor Society

b. Members who are on probation will not be considered for any officer position

c. If 3 strikes are accumulated, the member will be dismissed from NHS, and his/her membership will be terminated. The dismissed member will not wear a stole at graduation, will not receive an NHS certificate, and will no longer be recognized as an NHS member.