The Edgewood National Honor Society has notified students who are eligible for selection at the tapping in October. With application packets in hand, students are walking the hallways in search of teacher recommendations.
The National Honor Society (NHS) provides chances for the children who are a part of it to get more involved in their community and in school through volunteer work.
NHS’s goal for this academic year is to establish a more united group and instill a stronger sense of community in its student body. Social Studies teacher and NHS advisor, Mr. Alec Sullivan, wants the NHS to be the people that the community turns to for support.
“I really want to have a community presence. We are pretty contained in the high school but I want to outreach into the community” Mr. Sullivan said.
The National Honors Society arrived at Edgewood in the 1980s, in those previous years, there was not a great deal of work to be done, and it did not require a great deal of effort to be a part of the program. Now, Mr. Sullivan and senior Jeida McGee, NHS President, have the intention of expanding the reach of the NHS from what it was to what it could be. The system is now stricter and more selective in terms of who will be accepted into the program.
“I like things to be efficient. The NHS wasn’t efficient in the way it was running and I wanted to make it different and make a difference,” McGee said.
The selection of potential members, takes into account both GPA and academic performance are taken into consideration. Following that, students are required to fill out an application packet, which includes a written response. This response gives students the opportunity to tell the NHS about the beneficial impacts they have made to the community. The juniors at Edgewood are not the only ones who are eligible for this, the seniors are also included.
“Some of the best kids we have in this school are a part of NHS and they give such a good name to this school,” Sullivans said.
Following the selection of kids by a committee of Edgewood teachers, the students next are then ‘tapped’. Those kids will be pulled out of class by current members of the National Honors Society, who will then inform them that they have been accepted.
After that to get the new members started, the old and new members will have a volunteer day. Where the group will leave school that day and go out into the community and take part in the first of the many volunteer opportunities.
Finally, the NHS Tapping Ceremony is the official initiation ceremony that welcomes new members into the organization. This ceremony is considered a high honor where students can be proud of themselves and their peers who get to be a part of the initiation. “It was so exciting and it felt so rewarding. It’s also something I had been looking forward to for a long time. I felt celebrated…” Jeida McGee said.
The National Honors Society is aiming to strengthen the bonds that exist between the members of the group this year. Maddie Brown, a part of the NHS fundraising and cabinet committee, wants the members to work together and operate as if they are a small community within the school. “It’s very rewarding to get to know the people in the group so much more than before you might have not known them at all, it gives you a chance to connect with your peers inside and outside of school,” said Maddie.
Mr. Sullivan doesn’t want students to make the same mistake as him, “I didn’t really do anything with it. It was a resume builder. But I saw other schools doing it and I wanted to make our kids want to be involved with it and in the community.” Mr. Sullivan said.
