Do you know what National Honor Society, NHS, is all about? NHS is an organization that was established to acknowledge well-rounded students across the nation. National Honor Society represents a prestigious organization that acknowledges superb students that attain an array of traits that deem them noticeable. Moreover, National Honor Society was built upon a foundation of the four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Character, and Leadership.
Do you think what you have what it takes to get inducted into this prestigious organization? First of all, to get inducted into NHS, you must acquire a cummlative QPA of 3.85 or higher. Secondly, you must perform 35 hours of community service from the start of the fourth quarter of the year prior, and have visual proof of leadership.
Recently, I interviewed Mr. Lorenzi, the sponsor of National Honor Society and asked him various questions about the Bethel Park High School chapter of NHS.
Adam: ” As an organization, what is NHS all about?”
Mr. Lorenzi: “The National Honor Society is an organization that was started with the intent to recognize the brightest and most industrious young men and women in our nation’s high schools in a formal manner. However, the National Honor Society at Bethel Park High School is something more than that. We expect every young man or woman inducted into the NHS to recognize that they have been given a gift. Whether that gift is the drive and motivation to do hard work with academic potential, it is now their job to show their appreciation of these gifts by giving back to the community. In Bethel Park’s chapter of NHS, we do a great deal for the community. Some of the services we have given our time and effort to this year are Trick or Treat for UNICEF, SHIM, Alzheimers Research, and Habitat for Humanity. We will also be putting on a Battle of the Bands, in which all proceeds will go to Juvenile Diabetes Research.”
Adam: “As an NHS sponsor, what are your responsibilities?”
Mr. Lorezni: “My responsibility is to oversee the day-to-day operation of our chapter of the NHS. My job IS NOT to run the organization. This responsibility falls to the officers of NHS. Essentially, I arrange facilities, inform our officers and committee chairs of service opportunities, give feedback on their ideas, and represent our chapter to the national organization. The officers that we have this year have been fantastic! Kelsey Metheny, Tom Bailey, Trevor Walter, and Nick Poe have all done extraordinary work.”
Adam: “What do the National Honor Society meetings consist of?”
Mr. Lorenzi: “There are two types of meetings in the Bethel Park Chapter of the National Honor Society. The first is the General Membership meeting. At these meetings we have the committee chairs (Dance and Induction, Community Service, and Public Relations and Fundraising) and the officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) inform our membership about different service opportunities and important dates coming up.”
“The second type of meeting is the Committee meeting. At these meetings, the different committees will get together and discuss, organize, and execute our services to the community and the school.”
Adam: “What does application/induction process comprise of?”
Mr. Lorenzi: “The application process starts after the 2nd nine weeks, when all students who have a 3.85 cumulative QPA or higher are invited to apply to the NHS. The invitees then fill out the application, which consists of teacher recommendations, an outline of at least 35 hours of community service, an essay, a discussion of a future service project, and a demonstration of leadership. Once the applications have been turned in, the Faculty Council (a group of 5 teachers) decides which applications are sufficient for induction into the National Honor Society. After that we have the induction, which is a formal recognition of academic, service, character, and leadership excellence.”
Adam: “How are the four pillars (Leadership, Scholarship, Character, and Service) incorporated into the organization year round?”
Mr. Lorenzi: “First, the pillar of Leadership is evident year round in our membership’s intent to put together various service projects. In order to be leaders in a school or community, we have to show our goodwill and appreciation for our gifts by leading others in contributions to the community. Our intent is not only to have our officers lead our membership, but also to have our membership lead the school population.”
“Second, the pillar of Scholarship, the most objective in nature, is evident in our requirement to have a 3.85 cumulative QPA.”
“Third, the pillar of Character is evident in our commitment to making sure that our membership take their responsibilities as leaders seriously. It is imperative that we have high character individuals representing the NHS. Otherwise, who would want to follow our example? Our willingness to do service for others is an indication of great character.”
“Fourth, the pillar of Service is evident in what we are. We are not just a collection of intelligent, young adults. Bethel Park’s chapter of the National Honor Society is an organization that gives back to the community.”
Induction – March 15:
The induction process, that took place on March 15 at 7:00 PM, consisted of various elements that made the nigtht special. First, the inductees went through a practice ceremony. Then, the inductees entered the auditorium and sat on stage. The beginning of the ceremony comprised of a plethora of speeches from the NHS officers, Mr. Lorenzi, Dr. Jansante, and Judge Wyda. Lastly, the inductees were called up individually to receive and accept their plaques of authentication. The night ended with delicious treats and refreshments, including cookies, brownies, juices, and water.
Inductees for this year:
SENIORS • Danielle Rauch • Marissa Campbell • Emily Correia JUNIORS • Dan Bello • Adam Bromley • Kevin Burke • Grant Conroy • Cody Dapper • Hayley Dowd • James Futrell • Alexis Keibler • Miranda Koenig • Dominic Papalia • Sean Raymond • Lucy Sola • Matt Tomasetti SOPHOMORES • Lydia Archinal • Allison Brinkhoff • Ben Brownfield • Sarah Buczkowski • Anthony Capozzoli • Austin Carrozza • Jamie Cavrak • Victoria Lynn Chorey • Jarrod Cingel • John Counihan • Christina Cvetic • Megan Douds • Olivia Dowd • Michelle Duke • Zachary Enick • Brenna Erzen • Stephen Evrard • Emily Fankulewski • Autumn Fleckenstein • Kevin Fleischmann • Ian Fleming • Lauren Forsythe • Rachel Gaddis • Shannon Good • Rebecca Greene • Madison Gregg • Michael Gronsky • Brandon Hanson • Jason Harnack • Elizabeth Hartman • Jessica Horgan • Carmen Jansante • Luke Jansante • Dylan Karas • Alyssa Kearns • Kara Kosmer • Kevin Krieger • Clare Kucerovy • Luke Langkamp • Adam Larson • Hayley Lazzari • Emily Mackowiak • Megan Marecic • Ross Martin • Erin McMahon • Alexandra Meyer • Jake Murphy • Claire Nero • Mitchell Nordstrom • Katelyn Petronie • Kaleigh Poe • Valerie Poutous • Marc Reed • William Ruschel • Tatiana Ruzzini • Angela Sanctis • Hannah Scheirer • Alec Searles • Brett Seese • Nicki Shannon • Jenna Smetana • Haley Smith • Jamie Smith • Lydia Strickling • Mary Hannah Swaney • Stephanie Trozzo • Logan Tuite • Rachel Unger • Sean Varley • Logan Vignovic • Chad Vomer • Ellen Walker • Tyler Williams • Liam Wolf • Lindsay Yost • Brock Zekany • Katie Zilcosky • Harper Zimmer • Conor Zimmerman • Garrett Zola
* For more information about National Honor Society, please visit: http://www.nhs.us/ or http://www.bpsd.org/hsNHS.aspx
