Frequently Asked Questions

Guidelines

Information

National Honor Society Selection Process
     The National Honor Society chapter of Trinity Academy is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of this prestigious national organization.  Membership in NHS is an honor bestowed upon a student.  NHS is more than just an honor roll. Selection for membership in NHS is based on outstanding scholarship, leadership, service and character.  Standards for selection are established by the national office of NHS and may be revised to met our local chapter needs.  Students are selected to be members by a five-member NHS Faculty Council, appointed by the headmaster, which bestows this honor upon qualified students on behalf of the faculty of our school.

    Students in the 11th or 12th grades are eligible for selection into the membership of NHS.  For the scholarship criterion, a student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.  Those students who meet this criterion are invited to complete a Student Activity Information Form that provides the NHS Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate's leadership and service.  A history of leadership experiences and participation in school or community service is required.  Students are expected to have participated in a minimum of 25 hours of documented community service prior to submitting their application for candidacy.  Although additional hours of documentation are welcomed and encouraged, a minimum of twenty-five hours of the documented service must have been performed from Jan. 1st of the students sophomore year through Sept. 1st of their junior year.  Juniors submitting service hours must document twenty-five hours from Jan. 1st of their junior year through Sept. 1st of their senior year.  Please feel free to contact Karen Davis or Linda Hearon at Trinity Academy if you have a question as to whether or not an activity qualifies as community service.

    To evaluate a candidate's character and leadership, the NHS Faculty Council solicits input from the entire faculty regarding it's professional reflections on the candidate.  This information and the Student's Activity Information Forms are carefully reviewed by the NHS Faculty Council to determine membership.  A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection.  Candidates are notified regarding selection or non-selection according to a predetermined schedule.

    Please note the following criteria used to evaluate a student:

Scholarship

    Juniors or seniors who have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 are considered for membership.  Once it has been determined that a student has met the scholarship criteria, the Faculty Council's attention is then directed to the remaining three criteria; leadership, character and community service.

Leadership

    A student who exercises leadership is considered to be a leader in both the classroom and in other school and/or community activities.  Leadership can be demonstrated in resourcefulness, initiative, positive influence on peers in upholding school ideals, improving the civic life of the school, holding office or positions of responsibility (demonstrating reliability and dependability), exemplifying positive attitudes and inspiring positive behavior in others, being thoroughly dependable in any responsibility accepted, upholding scholarship, and maintaining a loyal school attitude.

Community Service

    Service is generally considered to be those actions undertaken by the student which are done with or on behalf of others without any direct financial or material compensation to the individual performing the service. In considering service, the contributions a student has made to school and community as well as the student's attitude toward service are reviewed.  A student who serves as a volunteer provides dependable and well organized assistance, works well with others and willingly takes on difficult or inconspicuous responsibilities, renders cheerfully and enthusiastically any requested service to the school, participates in some activity outside of school, and shows courtesy to visitors, teachers and students.

Character

    When evaluating character, the Faculty Council considers both the positive and the negative aspects of character.  National Honor Society is a member of the Character Counts Coalition, which recommends the use of a multi-faceted definition of a character known as the "Six Pillars of Character."  A person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.  In addition, a student is expected to take criticism willingly, uphold principles of morality and ethics, comply with all school regulations, including the Trinity Code of Conduct, manifest truthfulness in acknowledging obedience to rules, demonstrate the highest standards of honesty and reliability, actively help rid the school of negative influences, and show courtesy, concern and respect for others.

    Sophomores/juniors who meet the cumulative GPA minimum who would like to be considered for membership are encouraged to begin documenting their community service.  Documentation forms are mailed to all sophomores in January.  We will meet with students who meet the minimum 3.5 GPA in September of their junior/senior year.

    If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Karen Davis at 634-0909.