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NEW BEGINNINGS
For many chapters, the selection of new members for the 2015–16 school year is well underway. The online Adviser Resource Center’s “Selecting Members” section offers lots of guidance, customizable documents, and even a video to help you through the process. We hope the addition of new members—bringing their ideas and interests—helps your chapter in defining and achieving its goals for this school year.
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
It’s a New Day for NHS and NJHS Members, Parents, and YOU!
New NHS and NJHS programs and services designed to further support the lifelong success of members were formally announced earlier this month. These new efforts include college admission and financial aid planning webinars, exclusively for NHS and NJHS members and their families. The webinars are followed by a Twitter Town Hall to engage students in discussions with the presenters. Also, a scholarship search tool tailored specifically for NHS members offering prefiltered results based on the four pillars of NHS is debuting in early 2016. The NHS Scholarship fund is growing to $500,000 for this academic year, with incremental increases planned in successive years. The NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award is being introduced to give NJHS members a jump-start on college savings. Meanwhile, State Summits will focus on student empowerment and leadership development opportunities.
We recognize the need to support, you—the adviser—and the critical role you play in supporting your students, too. Comprehensive chapter management and collaboration resources are available in the online Adviser Resource Center. Visit the adviser section of the websites, www.nhs.us/advisers and www.njhs.us/advisers, to become familiar with the student and parent programs as well as the Adviser Resource Center. Watch this video recap of the announcement to learn more and be sure to share it with your chapter members.
Be Part of our Pilot Online Community
NHS and NJHS will be launching an adviser online community to allow you to collaborate with and learn from fellow advisers. We are currently looking for advisers who would like to be part of a pilot community launch. Apply to be part of the pilot here.
It’s National Principals Month
Celebrate your principal! Entries are now being accepted for the 2015 Principal Props Video Contest. Submissions are due October 31. Ask your students to pull out their smartphones and make a video telling us why your principal is such an effective administrator. Entrants are eligible to win a Best Buy gift card.
Showcase Outstanding Student Service
Do you know a student in grades 5–12 who has demonstrated extraordinary volunteer service? Applications for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program are due Tuesday, November 3. State and national honorees will be awarded cash prizes and a trip to Washington, D.C. Visit www.nassp.org/spirit for details.
Energize Your Leadership at LEAD
Registration is open through November 10 for the first LEAD Conference of the school year, held in Phoenix, AZ, November 13–15. Register soon and take advantage of the discounted early bird rate that is available through October 30. Don’t miss this opportunity for you and your students to sharpen your leadership skills to improve your school culture and community while networking with peers from around the country.
“The List” is Now Available
As a teacher, have you ever wondered about the educational value or legitimacy of a student contest, program, or activity? Every year, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) publishes the NASSP List of Approved Contests, Programs, and Activities for Students. Listed programs have met specified standards reviewed by a committee of NASSP member principals. NASSP is the parent organization of NHS and NJHS. The list is available for download here. Use it yourself or share it with your principal.
PROJECT OF THE MONTH
Veterans Day Project
Want a new way to celebrate the service of your community’s veterans next month? Search the National Student Project Database for ideas, like this one from Lower Macungie Middle School in Macungie, PA. Students, faculty, and staff submit names of veterans to appear on the Roll of Honor wall, featuring a blue banner with stars indicating the veteran’s name, the conflict or war, and the veteran’s relationship to a student or staff member. Most recently, 265 names were submitted and the entire wall, located by the auditorium and visible upon entry to the school, was filled. On Veterans Day, the school invites community veterans to an assembly. NJHS students act as greeters and three students read essays of appreciation during the program.
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Please share your chapter’s service projects with NJHS and NHS by uploading your project descriptions and photos to the National Student Project Database on the NHS and NJHS websites. Watch this promotional video to learn more about submitting to the database.
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CHAPTERS DOING GREAT THINGS
For the past four years, the NJHS chapter at Deerpark Middle School, in Austin, TX, has received a grant to use toward community service. This year, they helped Project Care Case, a local nonprofit that donates suitcases containing two outfits, undergarments, socks, a pillow, blanket, and stuffed animal to children of all ages in foster care. The NJHS members go shopping to fill the suitcases, and many members write a personal note to the child to include in the suitcase.
The NHS Aquinas Institute chapter, in Rochester, NY, raised enough money to “purchase” a house through Food for the Poor, Inc. The house cost $3,200 and includes sanitation for an impoverished family in the Caribbean or Latin America. Last year, money was raised through candy and frozen treat sales, grant money, and donations. Chapter members will also travel to Jamaica during their 2016 spring break to build the house. They hope to make this life-changing experience an annual mission trip and eventually build a village!
Has your NJHS or NHS chapter sponsored an activity you’d like to see highlighted? Tell us about it. Email [email protected] or [email protected] with “Chapters Doing Great Things” in the subject line.
HONOR SOCIETY TIPS AND TOOLS
Member Selection. Many chapters are starting the process for selecting new members. As a reminder, all chapters are required to have a five-member faculty council. (See the NHS and NJHS constitution for details.) A majority vote of the faculty council is required for selection (and dismissal, when necessary). For help, read your NHS or NJHS Handbook or visit the online Adviser Resource Center for a step-by-step guide to member selection, including customizable letters and forms. Contact the national office at [email protected] or [email protected] with questions.
Is there something you’d like us to include in next month’s Honor Society News? Email your ideas or suggestions to [email protected].
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IMPORTANT DATES
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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In this month’s Advise:
The October/November issue features the very first “Participation Station,” a centerfold section you can tear out and pass along to your student members. The four-page spread features brief articles and checklists geared especially for students. The cover story, “Standing Up for Each Other” focuses on school climate and notes the growing appreciation for social, emotional, civic, and intellectual learning.
Share your experience and knowledge as a student program leader with peers by writing an article for Advise! Get submission details, including deadlines, here.
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