The Arenac Eastern High School chapter of the National Honor Society is founded on the four qualities defining membership: Scholarship, Character, Leadership and Service. Students at Arenac Eastern High School become eligible for membership by earning a 3.0 grade point average, or higher, after 3, 5, or 7 semesters of high school. Eligible students are notified and encouraged to return the student activity sheet documenting experiences the student has had which supports development of Character, Leadership and Service.
The Student Activity Sheet is very helpful for the members of the NHS Faculty Council who review each candidate’s credentials and determine if membership standards have been sufficiently met to justify NHS induction. NHS membership is an honor which is bestowed on students and is not simply an automatic occurrence based on checking achievements off a list. The faculty council carefully considers each candidate’s overall development in each of the four qualities necessary for membership before voting. Majority voting of the 7 membered Faculty Council determines if a student will or will not be inducted.
Once inducted, every NHS member must maintain his/her qualities of scholarship, character, leadership and service. Falling below the expectations in any one of the four areas is grounds for placing a student on probationary membership status. If, during the probationary period, the student does not sufficiently demonstrate improvement in the deficit area(s), the student could be permanently dismissed from NHS membership.
Community service is an important component of NHS membership. For many years the Arenac Eastern High School chapter has participated in the Michigan Department of Transportation Adopt-a-Highway program. Each fall and spring you will see NHS students picking up the trash along a three mile stretch of M-65 near Twining. This is a service the group proudly donates to make our community a nicer place to live and visit.
Another responsibility each NHS has is to perform 20 hours of documented community service each semester. Students have accomplished this through tutoring, assisting at athletic and school events, pitching in at church events, and a host of other activities. The 20 hours must be completed with no compensation of any kind being furnished to the student. The volunteer service must not benefit the student directly, nor should it be a function of proselytizing. NHS community service should ultimately contribute to making the world a better place to live.