The NDA chapter of National Honor Society will induct 50 juniors and eight seniors at a special mass November 16 in the school chapel.
The new members will join 57 senior members that were inducted at last year’s ceremony.
“Up until now, the only requirement to be invited to join the NHS was to have a cumulative GPA of 3.670 and higher. This GPA is in line with the GPA requirements to be on the high honor roll.
Starting in the 2024-2025 academic year, the GPA requirement will remain the same, but we will institute a service requirement as well, seeing that service is one of the four pillars of the NHS, along with scholarship, character and leadership,” explained Doctora Diane Mulroney, adviser of the honor society.
“To be invited to join, juniors will need to have 20 hours of service, and seniors will need to have completed 35 hours of service while a student at NDA,” continued the adviser.
After joining the NHS, inductees must also complete tutoring hours.
“Starting this year, all members must complete 15 hours of tutoring at NDA. Up until this year the requirement was 30 hours. Starting last year, students who wanted to tutor had to complete a tutor training workshop with Mrs. Jaime Danen, our literacy specialist. Students tutor individually (1-to-1) at study tables after school, in guided study halls and at final exam study tables,” said Doctora.
Students must also remain in good standings with NHS in order to graduate with the NHS cord at graduation.
“To remain a member in good standing, students must: maintain the 3.670 GPA, pay the one-time dues of $20, complete the service requirement, maintain high standards of personal conduct, not earning a D or F on a semester report card, attend the mass and induction ceremony, attend all meetings, have no honor code violations or student code of conduct violations, and remain off disciplinary probation,” said Doctora.
“I think the students’ immediate reaction would be that ‘it looks good on your activities sheet,’ but it is much more than that, especially with the changes we are making. The tutoring project, with the tutor training workshop, helps students become stronger tutors and develop leadership skills. Some students discover that they have a knack for teaching. But tutoring does not come easily to everyone, so stepping outside of your comfort zone promotes personal growth and challenges you to learn new skills, which is the foundation of lifelong learning.
“Also, students may apply for the NHS scholarships. Through the tutoring project, NHS members are a vital part of the NDA community. The mission statement of NHS is: ‘The NDA chapter of the National Honor Society recognizes exemplary students who demonstrate the core values of NHS. We strive to assist all students in reaching their full potential,’ explained Doctora.