The National Honor Society is one of the highest honors a student can receive at Lakewood High School. But how do students get into it? And what even is NHS?  

The National Honors Society is a national organization that celebrates student achievements in all areas – not only in terms of grades, although that determines eligibility. Any junior or senior who is eligible for NHS would have been sent an email or a letter from Lakewood High’s NHS organizer, William Roth. This email details how eligible students can apply for NHS and what they need before applying. 

To be eligible students must…

• Be a junior or senior.
• Have a 3.5 GPA or higher.
• Have At least 24 verifiable service hours (cumulative from ninth grade, and middle school service hours will not be counted).
• Be enrolled at LHS for at least one semester.

However, not all eligible students will be accepted into the program by the National Honors Society. NHS has four different pillars that they look for in students which are scholarship, leadership, service, and character. “We look at the whole student, we’re not just looking solely at good grades as we reward, like Principal’s Honor Roll and Merit Roll that already do that,” says adviser William Roth. Students who join NHS aren’t just hard-working students, they are also good people with more skills than just academics. Senior Mikey Klasa says that to meet the requirements “I completed a lot of service hours with my baseball team, I kept my GPA up, and I think my teachers gave good reviews on me.”

Besides the application, faculty also gets a say on whether students should be accepted into NHS, they get sent a form on which they’ll rate how much they think said student fits the pillars. After that, a council of teachers, typically one from each department, makes the final decision on whether the selected students can join, looking over all the information given, which the majority rules. If a student is accepted they will receive a letter letting them know they were accepted and if a student isn’t accepted, they’ll still receive a letter stating that they were not accepted but they can apply the following year if they keep their GPA at a 3.5, if they are a junior. Although if a junior is accepted they do not have to reapply the following year. 

NHS has similar programs to H2O, members will work on service projects such as food and money drives. The first meeting for potential new members will be happening on Oct. 25 at 3:15 p.m. in the cafeteria. It will discuss how to fill out the electronic candidate form and they will answer any remaining questions students might have. 

Here are some thoughts from members of the National Honors Society :

Senior Olive Diemert says “I feel very proud, accomplished, and honored to be in NHS. I believe it has brought me a lot of great opportunities to do good in my community and to become a better, more active citizen.” She also says “I would definitely encourage people to apply, especially if you’re a high-achieving scholar who enjoys volunteering and helping others in your community.”

Senior Mikey Klasa says “I felt honored that the hard work I’ve put in has paid off” and “I would encourage all who are eligible to apply because it’s an opportunity to get involved and help others.”