National Honor Society
This page will provide current and prospective members with information about the Reagan chapter of the National Honors Society.
Ronald Reagan High School
National Honor Society By-laws
The Ronald Reagan Chapter of the National Honor Society is for the recognition of students who reflect outstanding accomplishments in the areas of academics, character, leadership, and service.
Selection Procedure
Juniors and seniors who have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 3.50 at the beginning of the school year are eligible scholastically.
The positive aspects of character shall be considered such as honesty, responsibility, fairness, courtesy, tolerance, and cooperation. Students being considered for induction must have no U’s and no more than one N in conduct for the previous school year. Students must not have any out-of-school OR in-school suspensions for the previous school year.
Eligible students will be notified and invited to complete the application for membership for further consideration on the basis of leadership, service, and character. Students must earn a minimum of 14 points, with at least 10 points earned with involvement in specific Reagan activities (sports, service clubs, academic teams, special interest groups, etc.). The last 4 points can be accrued by delineating special awards or leadership positions at Reagan or in the community. The number of points awarded for activities vary depending upon the amount of time invested. For example, dedicated involvement in a sport could be worth 3 points for each year of participation whereas consistent attendance at Latin club which meets monthly might only be worth 1 point for each year of participation.
The entire faculty is invited to make comments on the candidates.
A Faculty Council consisting of four members will be selected and approved by the principal. This council will have authority to resolve all membership issues.
Five to six additional faculty members representing various disciplines will serve on the NHS Faculty Advisors Committee. Each student application will be reviewed independently by at least 3 different members of this committee.
Candidates receiving a majority vote of the Faculty Advisors (and Council, as necessary) will be invited to become members of the National Honor Society.
Students who have transferred to Reagan High School and were already inducted members of their former school must have their former NHS sponsor send a letter on school letterhead stating that the student was in good standing as an inducted member at their previous school. These students must maintain the eligibility standards set at Reagan High school and perform the required service hours.
Membership
Membership in the National Honor Society is not a right, but a privilege. Membership is an honor bestowed upon a student because he/she has demonstrated qualities of excellence in the areas of leadership, service, character, and scholarship. A member must continue to demonstrate the qualities for which he/she has been selected.
Members must continue to maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative unweighted GPA. Grade averages are monitored every semester to determine that this requirement is met. If a student’s GPA falls below the required 3.50, he/she will be placed on probation and given a period of one semester to restore the cumulative GPA to a 3.50. Failure to maintain this standard will result in dismissal. Graduating seniors will have their GPAs evaluated at the end of the third nine weeks rather than at the end of the semester. Those seniors in good standing at the end of the graduating semester will have earned the right to wear the honor cords of the National Honor Society.
Members must continue to demonstrate excellence in character. Should a student’s character become questionable due to disciplinary problems, reports of poor attitude or honesty problems such as cheating, that student will be placed on probation. A student will be placed on probation if he/she receives one “U” (“Unsatisfactory”) or more than one N (“Needs Improvement”) in conduct in any quarter after induction. Should the conduct be repeated at a later time, the student will be eligible for immediate dismissal.
Members are expected to complete a minimum of four (4) service hours to the school during each academic year. These hours may not be in conjunction with any other service club or organization. Forms to document hours earned must be completed and signed by the teacher for whom the student has worked no later than May 1st each year. Juniors who fail to complete service hours will be placed on probation for the following semester and must make up the hours plus a penalty of 2 additional hours. If hours are not completed, the student will be dismissed from NHS. Seniors who fail to complete service hours will be ineligible to wear the National Honor Society Honor Cords during Commencement exercises.
Probation
A student who has not maintained the described membership requirements or who has failed to maintain the standards of excellence for which he/she was selected will be placed on probation.
Probation is a warning given by the sponsor that the student’s membership is in jeopardy. The warning will be sent to the address on the school’s records via US mail to the parent or guardian of the student under probation.
The intention of the probation notice is to enable the student to make up the deficiency for which he was placed on probation. The student will be given a reasonable amount of time to improve his performance to the required standard. For example, if a student’s unweighted GPA falls below the required 3.50, the student will have one semester to bring the average up to the required standard.
In the case of disciplinary referrals or behavioral problems, the student may be given a warning by the sponsors. The Faculty Council will review the student’s records on the second occurrence. The student will face the possibility of dismissal from the organization.
The exception to probation may occur in the case of flagrant violation of school, civil, or criminal law. The National Constitution of National Honor Society states that in such cases the student does not necessarily have to be warned before dismissal occurs. This would be decided by the Faculty Council.
Dismissal
A student who has not maintained the NHS membership requirements will be promptly warned and given a deadline to correct the deficiency and to complete the probation period. An exception to this rule may occur in the case of flagrant violation of school, civil, or criminal law. In such a case, the student does not necessarily have to be warned.
In all cases of impending dismissal, the student has the right to a hearing before the Faculty Council. The parent of a student recommended for dismissal will be notified when the recommendation for dismissal is made by the Faculty Council.
Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership. A failure to pay dues by the due date will be considered a resignation unless a valid excuse is given and accepted by the Faculty Council. The membership certificate and any other NHS material must be returned to the sponsor upon dismissal.
Dues
Dues are ten dollars ($10.00). This one-time fee must be paid by November 30 in the year of induction. Dues go toward chapter expenses such as induction supplies, graduation honor cords, membership cards and/or certificates.
Graduation Cords
Members in good standing at the time of graduation will receive NHS honor cords to wear over their graduation gown. A member will be considered in good standing if dues have been paid, service hours have been documented, other membership requirements have been met, and that member is not on probation.
Officers
All officers will be inducted seniors and elections will take place in Sept each year. Candidates will submit to the NHS web page a short profile and their photo for review by fellow members. Senior members will vote online for one candidate. The top 3 candidates to receive the most votes will select the officer position (President, Secretary or Treasurer) they wish to hold in the order of the most votes received. Voting will take place online and will last for 1 week.
The President will direct the induction ceremony and assist the sponsors when requested.
The Secretary will help maintain records of service hours performed by members and assist the sponsors when requested.
The Treasurer will collect, record, and turn monies into the sponsor for deposit and assist the sponsors when requested.
NHS Scholarship
Each year, four senior National Honor Society seniors are selected by the Reagan Scholarship Committee to apply for the National Honor Society Scholarship sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. These are $1,000 scholarships awarded to over 250 NHS Seniors nationwide. Each school is allowed to nominate only four people. The applications are forwarded to the National Selection Committee for consideration.