Membership Request Portfolio for NHS Candidates of Briar Woods High School

Membership Request Portfolio for NHS Candidates of Briar Woods High School

Briar Woods High School National Honor Society You have met the scholastic requirement for membership in the Briar Woods Chapter of the National Honor Society. Be advised that this does not guarantee selection into the Chapter. Candidates are evaluated further on the basis of outstanding leadership, character, and service. If you wish to be considered for membership, please complete the Candidate Portfolio, including the required essays. Certified staff members will evaluate you on the aspects of leadership, service, and character. A faculty council will make final selections after careful consideration of all components. Before further consideration can proceed, it is necessary for you and your parent or guardian to sign this form which is a waiver to any right to access information, evaluations, recommendations, judgments, or whatsoever in the selection process. Further consideration will not be made until this waiver is signed and returned. We also ask that you and your parents sign the attached NHS Requirements After Induction letter. If you or your parent or guardian have any questions, please feel free to contact us at school. The completed Candidate Portfolio must be returned by 4:00 PM on October 5th, to Mr. Mosser in room 505. You can submit the competed Portfolio earlier than the deadline. No Portfolios will be accepted after 4:00 PM. Please do not fold these forms. Sincerely, Josh Mosser Ty Osborne Chapter Advisors We have read and agree to abide by the terms of the waiver herein cited. (Student) (Date) (Parent or Guardian) (Date)

NHS Requirements After Induction Annual dues for this chapter are $10. Members are required to attend monthly meetings that are held the 2 nd or 3 rd Wednesday of the month at 8:30 AM in the auditorium. The constitution states that after a student misses more than two meetings, they may be dismissed from NHS. Two tardies to the meetings will equal one absence. Members are required to complete 30 hours of community service. Members will be responsible for accumulating their hours by participating in service projects that reflect his or her particular talents and interests. For the new inductees, a minimum of 8 hours must be turned in at the January meeting, a minimum of 10 additional hours must be turned in at the April meeting, and the final hours must be turned in at the May meeting. Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be dismissed from the Briar Woods Chapter of the National Honor Society. You may refer to the Constitution and By-laws for more information. I have read and understand what is expected of a member of the Briar Woods Chapter of the National Honor Society. Student Date Parent/Guardian Date

Briar Woods High School Chapter of the National Honor Society Candidate Portfolio DIRECTIONS: Please complete all sections by typing or using black ink. It is imperative that the entire form is legible. Please remember, completion of this form does not guarantee selection. You must return this form and the completed Candidate Portfolio to Mr. Mosser by 4:00 PM on October 5, 2011. I. NAME GRADE II. Please provide the following information in order to facilitate the process for making any necessary contact with your parents or guardians. MALE PARENT or GUARDIAN NAME ADDRESS CITY FEMALE PARENT or GUARDIAN NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE STATE ZIP CODE HOME PHONE WORK PHONE HOME PHONE WORK PHONE III. PLEDGE: If you are interested in becoming a member of the Briar Woods High School Chapter of the National Honor Society, please read the statement below, sign your name, and place the date on the designated lines. I,, understand that, if I accept membership into the Briar Woods High School Chapter of the National Honor Society, I will be required to attend the induction ceremony, maintain at least a 3.50 grade point average, participate in National Honor Society activities including service projects, and attend mandatory meetings. I also understand that my membership may be terminated if I do not live up to the standards of the National Honor Society. SIGNATURE DATE

Message from the Faculty Council Congratulations on being invited to submit an information portfolio for possible membership in the Briar Woods Chapter of the National Honor Society. In order to achieve membership, you must demonstrate that you possess the qualities of scholarship, positive leadership, community service, and good character. We have designed this portfolio to help you do this. Please remember the following: Read the directions for each entry and follow them exactly as indicated (this is part of scholarship). The members of the Faculty Council do not necessarily know you personally. Your portfolio must speak for you. A general survey of the entire faculty will be conducted, and anything positive or negative may be reported to the Faculty Council. You must complete and submit the two student entries to be considered for membership. The faculty will submit the fourth entry. Membership in the National Honor Society is an honor that is not automatically bestowed. We look forward to receiving your portfolio to see if you do indeed meet our high standards.

Entry # 1: Scholarship Because you have met the National Honor Society s requirements for grade-point average, there is nothing that you will need to do for this section. Please be aware that your GPA cannot fall below 3.50 at any point during your membership. Entry # 2: Leadership Candidate s Name: For your second portfolio entry, you will submit documentation of your leadership abilities. Leadership is the ability to organize, direct, and motivate others. The Faculty Council expects you have held an elected or appointed office of leadership in at least two different organizations, clubs, or sports. If you are exceptionally strong in the service component, but weak the leadership component, you are still encouraged to submit a membership request detailing your strengths as the Faculty Council may find that extensive service balances weakness in leadership. Sometimes we show leadership when we are not the official leader: Did you cheer-up your sports team when they were behind and help them to victory in a big game? Did you rally people to vote for a certain political candidate? Have you helped to resolve a conflict between two people? When the club officer was ill, did you step in to help things go smoothly? These are all examples of leadership that we can show even when we are not the official leader. The key to using any of these achievements is that there must be documentation that you did these things. For this entry: 1. You must select experiences during which you displayed the ability to organize, direct, or motivate others. There is no maximum number of experiences, therefore, choose experiences that highlight you at your best. 2. Summarize your chosen experiences in the attached table. Please feel free to print/copy as many of the tables as you need to complete this part of the portfolio. 3. Provide documentation that verifies each of your experiences. Failure to provide acceptable documentation will be counted against you. 4. Acceptable documentation includes: a. copies of certificates of achievement or participation b. copies of award certificates c. copies of scouting records d. photocopies of yearbooks e. copies of newspaper articles f. letter on letterhead that specifically identifies the experience you have summarized.

g. e-mail from a verifiable source (e.g. from a business e-mail address) that specifically identifies the experience you have summarized. h. any other document or evidence approved by one of the advisers. 5. Attach the summary table(s) and documentation to this cover sheet.

Experience (Title of position held or your name for the experience.) Brief Description (How did you display leadership in this experience?) Documentation Provided (What is attached that shows you did this?)

Entry # 3: Service Candidate s Name: For your third portfolio entry, you will submit documentation of your service to the community. Service is donating your time, skills, or resources for the greater good of the community. The Faculty Council expects you to have participated in at least two different volunteer experiences while not an officer of the sponsoring organization, club, or sport. If you are exceptionally strong in the leadership component, but weak the service component, you are still encouraged to submit a membership request detailing your strengths as the Faculty Council may find that extensive leadership balances weakness in service. The Faculty Council places greater weight on service that impacts more people positively. Here are some examples. In each case there are two experiences. One of the experiences is the better of the two to use in this portfolio. 1. Selling items to raise money for your sports team is a service to the members of your team, but your sports team volunteering to clean-up trash at a community park benefits the entire neighborhood. 2. Assisting at a worship service is of benefit to those who attend your house of worship, but helping at a soup kitchen impacts the wider community. The Faculty Council encourages you to be a loyal and active member of your sports team or house of worship, but the point is that in both cases, the second experience is the better of the two for purposes of this portfolio because more people are served. The key to using any of these experiences is that there must be documentation that you did these things. For this entry: 1. There is no maximum number of experiences. Therefore, choose experiences that highlight you at your best. 2. Summarize your chosen experiences in the attached table. Please feel free to print/copy as many of the tables as you need to complete this part of the portfolio. 3. Provide documentation that verifies each of your experiences. Failure to provide acceptable documentation will be counted against you. 4. Acceptable documentation includes: a. copies of certificates of achievement or participation b. copies of award certificates c. copies of scouting records d. photocopies of yearbooks e. copies of newspaper articles f. letter on letterhead that specifically identifies the experience you have summarized.

g. e-mail from a verifiable source (e.g. from a business e-mail address) that specifically identifies the experience you have summarized. h. Any other documentation or evidence approved by one of the advisers. 5. Attach the summary table and documentation to this cover sheet.

Experience (Title of position held or your name for the experience.) Brief Description (How did you display service in this experience?) Documentation Provided (What is attached that shows you did this?)

Entry # 4: Character For your fourth entry, people will vouch for your character. According the Character Counts organization 1 there are six aspects to character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. The entire faculty will be surveyed regarding your candidacy, and the survey results will factor heavily in the character section. For this entry: You don t actually have to do anything for this entry. Just be aware that anything you have done positively or negatively may be reported by the faculty to the Faculty Council, including any Honor Code violations. Any student who is found having an Honor Code violation will be given the chance to address this in an addendum that will be requested by the Faculty Council. You may wish to work on displaying each of the six aspects to current and former teachers so that they have positive things to say on the faculty survey. Entry #5: Essay For the fifth and final piece of your portfolio, we would like you to write an essay. In your essay, we would like you to explain why you should be a member of National Honor Society. We do not want you to simply review what you have already told us about your leadership and service, but, instead, we would like you to address your desire to be a part of this organization. What are those hidden gems about you that you don t feel were exposed in the other parts of your portfolio? What are you going to bring to National Honor Society that will better the organization? For this entry: 1. The essay may be no more than five hundred words. There is no minimum length as long as you cover the questions above. 2. The essay must be formatted as follows. Failure to format correctly will be counted against you. a. Typed. b. Double-spaced. c. Single-sided. d. One-inch margins on all sides. e. 12 point font: either Times New Roman or Arial. f. Your name must appear at the top of each page. g. A word count must be present on the last page of your essay. 3. Errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar will be counted against you. 4. Attach your essay to this cover sheet.