The National Honors Society’s first spring semester meeting was held on Jan. 15, following the students’ return from winter break.
NHS is a well known nationwide program that allows academically exceptional students to meet with each other and plan for community volunteer service opportunities.
To be qualified for this program, interested students must complete and submit an application to the school board towards the beginning of the school year.
The NHS meeting on Jan. 15 was held in the library, mainly focusing on the volunteer service opportunities for the students as the program’s main goal is for the members to serve their community in different ways and each meeting provides various events and opportunities for students to fulfill this goal.
In this meeting, the main concern for the NHS members was to provide aid and help for the Los Angeles fires by donating clothes and other items. The members have been donating and bringing items in for the past week, hoping to aid the people affected by the fire.
The advisor of the NHS program, Mrs. McClellan said “I think that it’s very important that we can be helpful and donate. We all probably have heard or know of someone who has been affected by the fires, and it means a lot to them as we help.”
While the fire was the main concern of this meeting, fulfilling social responsibilities and community service was also a main topic of this meeting.
The members were given a list of different events and places that would be accepting volunteers in return for service hours. To the program, completing community service is a very important attribution in the NHS community.
Mrs. McClellan spoke on this concept, “There are various events and opportunities available for everyone to complete the required community service for this semester. Being able to serve the community is not about the hours, but the help that you guys do and the aid that you are is what is really important.”
Different opportunities for volunteering as mentioned during the meeting include donating to those affected by the Los Angeles fires, contributing in different clubs such as making cards in the Create for Kids Club, or volunteering at different elementary and middle schools.
Sophomore Lily Hoang spoke about the volunteering opportunities, “Though we are responsible for serving the community, I think it is really helpful when the NHS meetings go over and talk about different events. I think it makes it so much easier for us members to be helpful to our community when we are given a list of different opportunities.”
Besides from the most important subjects of the meeting that are gone over, the National Honors Society meetings also contribute in ensuring that the members are able to bond and get to know each other by introducing the birthdays of the members from different specific months.
Lastly, the meeting provided a link for all members to sign up for the weekly tutoring sessions that are available for all students on campus. There is a certain requirement for all members to fulfill their specific hours for tutoring throughout the semester.
