Cathedral Catholic High School has been a long-standing participant in the National Honor Society (NHS), an organization established to recognize and encourage academic achievement of high school students. The 2013 induction ceremony for new members was held on Thursday, April 25 in the Guadalupe Center at Cathedral.
Sophomores and juniors qualify for the National Honor Society if they earn a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.75 or higher at the end of the first semester. Qualifying students are then invited to join the society.
Students who confirm their interest are asked to complete a “Candidate Form” on which they must list and describe their leadership, service, community, and work activities and awards. Forms are then reviewed by a council of five teachers.
The council assesses each student on three cornerstone of importance: character, leadership and service. The teachers then vote, and invitations to join are mailed to the accepted candidates. Once they become members of NHS, students must maintain a 3.75 cumulative GPA, serve five hours of peer tutoring per semester, and attend chapter meetings.
At this year’s ceremony, attended by students and parents, new members were inducted into Cathedral’s NHS chapter. The program was presented by this year’s officers, Nicholas Prunty, Michel Rosenburg, Antonina Caudill, Kevin McNeela, Rahel Hintza, and Mikaela Greeven, and Chapter Advisor, Mrs. Valerie Charat.
A short video presentation in which current NHS members talked about the benefits of participating in NHS, was followed by the traditional and ceremonial lighting of candles, each representing the pillars of NHS: scholarship, leadership, character, and service.
The ceremony culminated in the official induction of new members, who were each recognized by name and presented with an official NHS certificate of participation by Mrs. Anne Egan, Cathedral’s Director of Instruction.
Mrs. Valerie Charat has worked with peer tutors in the Student Success Program (SSP) at Cathedral for four years, and this is her first year as NHS Chapter Advisor. “I was asked by administration to fill the shoes of my predecessor, the wonderful Ms. (Kristy)Bormann. She has been a tremendous help to me as I learn the role,” said Mrs. Charat.
“It seemed natural to further synthesize my professional obligation to support the student success at CCHS, and so I jumped at the chance to oversee our phenomenal NHS chapter,” she continued.
As a requirement for preserving their positions in NHS, students must demonstrate leadership and character, which includes attending the chapter meetings throughout the year. Meetings include discussion about NHS annual projects; this year’s is the school-wide book drive for which they collaborated with Rady Children’s Hospital Club.
Our chapter was able to donate nearly a thousand new and gently used books. Future projects will be determined by NHS Officers who are selected by the Chapter Advisor, Mrs. Charat, and will be identified in the fall.
Tutelage is an integral part of NHS, and members can participate in two ways – through the online database of NHS tutors or with a commitment to assist with the on-campus peer- tutoring program.
Students looking for additional help can speak with their counselors to determine an appropriate tutor. This year, NHS members have collectively contributed nearly fifteen hundred hours towards peer tutoring.
“Anyone who has worked with our NHS chapter can hopefully attest that this organization is a catalyst through which our students provide meaningful, valuable contributions that make CCHS a stronger community,” said Mrs. Charat. “I am very proud to work alongside our chapter members, and I look forward to next year with our new inductees!”
