From fun monthly meetings to formal induction ceremonies, the Lakewood High School chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) is a club filled with exceptional students. Through the program, students commit to serving their local community.

Lakewood’s NHS is a club for juniors and seniors that meets once a month to complete service projects for the community. “[It’s]…a chance for people in the school to get involved with different kinds of service and take some time out of their…[schedules]…to help others,” said senior officer Gwen Hongosh.

It all starts in junior year when students are invited to fill out the application needed to join NHS. It’s a comprehensive application meant to measure which students have what it takes to be part of this honorable club.

While filling out the application, students will learn about and reflect on the society’s four pillars: “scholarship, service, leadership, and character,” club leader Dayna Hansen said.

• Scholarship: Students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
• Service: Requires students to have a minimum of 24 verifiable service hours.
• Leadership and character: Applicants must supply a list of activities they’re part of, awards they’ve received, and other notable events or organizations they’ve worked in or with that show their developed character and leadership skills as a student in the community.

Although NHS looks good on resumes or college applications, there are other benefits of joining that draw students to the club. “I mean, obviously, everyone joins because it looks good for colleges. Also, for the application, you already have a lot of desire to help others, and you have to have service. You have to have leadership,” said senior member Paisley Norris. “And so I just…genuinely enjoy…doing stuff like that, and I like being around people who also share the same values.”

NHS club meetings are held once a month after school and are planned by student officers. “We start by planning out the meeting, like the day or a couple of days beforehand. And then once we get there, we set everything up,” Hongosh said.

Meetings help to progress the club’s service projects. Some recent projects include a schoolwide food drive conducted as a homeroom competition, pumpkin painting for nursing homes, and encouraging sidewalk chalk art at the school entrance.

NHS officers plan the meetings and also participate in them with the other members. “We tell everyone what we’re doing, and then kind of walk around and make sure everybody is good. And then we participate as well. Like, if we’re painting pumpkins, I also paint a pumpkin,” Hongosh said.

The ability to serve others is invaluable to the students in NHS. “NHS impacts the community by honoring those students who are doing excellent things without our school community and local community, and then it gives them an opportunity to work together as a team to continue serving others,” said Hansen.

Not only does NHS impact the community, but it also affects members, changing how students see leadership and service. “It’s definitely cool because I feel like I’ve never done anything super servicey. I’m not really part of a church or do anything like that, so I haven’t been super involved with the community. So it’s actually been really cool to do something that allows me to do that,” Hongosh said.

Beyond individual service, NHS members also come together to grow in their skills and character. “Beyond service, they are put into a leadership position, and they are promoting different projects and helping others beyond their personal interests, and working together with those students through collaboration,” Hansen said.

Every member in NHS comes from their own area of life. They are part of different clubs, groups, and walks of life, yet they can come together to do good for the community and themselves. “I think…[NHS]…definitely teaches you that you can be more collaborative. Even with the officers, they don’t really have a clear position of power over you. We all work together to get these projects done. And we’re not doing it for profit or money, we’re just doing it because we can,” Norris said.

By using the four pillars of academics, leadership, service, and character, Lakewood’s NHS members continue to become better versions of themselves while making a tangible difference in the community (and having fun).