National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationally recognized organization that promotes the four pillars of service, leadership, character, and scholarship among students. Carterville High School is part of the Elbert Fulkerson chapter of the National Honor Society which consists of over 13,550 chapters worldwide. 

Induction into the group is very selective. Students who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher in their high school careers are invited to apply for the organization during their second semester of junior year. Junior, Adeline Wagner says, “I decided to apply because it was a new opportunity, and I love trying new things. It’s not quite like any other club I’ve done so I wanted to give it a shot.” However, the original group of applicants is then narrowed down through a series of written and spoken interviews. Wagner also says, “I was really nervous but the interview was not as scary as I thought it would be. It was the first interview I had ever done, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and I had spent so long on my application that I was prepared for most of the questions.” In total, the group typically consists of around 40 members with this year’s group consisting of 32 juniors and seniors. 

This year’s selection process began early second semester and after the last round of interviews on Tuesday, Feb.1, new members were notified that they had been selected. New member, junior, Grace Arnett says, “When I learned I had been selected for NHS, I was very excited because of the new service opportunities and community it would bring.”

Prior to spring initiation, NHS consists of solely senior members. In the fall, senior members are expected to complete at least 20 hours of community service. According to the NHS By-Laws, Article XI, Section 3, “Service is considered to be those actions undertaken by the student which are done with or on behalf of others without any direct financial or material compensation apart from working for immediate family or the family business. Service hours must be obtained separately from any other school or club requirement.” In order to fulfill her service hour requirement, senior, Eesha Gowda says, “Some of my favorite service opportunities include volunteering at the local non-profit, Gumdrops, and at a nursing home playing bingo with the residents because it is a very heartwarming experience.” 

 The induction ceremony for this year is currently scheduled to be held on March 3, 2022, in the Carterville High School Auditorium. Additionally, unlike last year’s virtual ceremony, due to COVID-19, families of the inductees will once again be able to attend the celebration in person this year. This is very exciting for many members and NHS president Lara Alzoubaidi (12) says “I’m most looking forward to watching a talented group of people get rewarded for all the hard work they’ve put into school and community. They’re all individuals who represent this club well and coming back from such a crazy year, it’ll be exciting to have a ceremony in which our parents are allowed to attend.¨

The members that make up National Honor Society have dedicated much of their time outside of school to bettering the community and helping those around them. With the added benefit of getting to put the organization on college applications, being a part of NHS allows the student to be considered reputable and someone other students look up to. National Honor Society is a nationally recognized organization and therefore it can be considered a major honor to be selected.