National Honor Society Advisor: Emily Beaulieu
Overview
View CRLS National Honor Society Selection Procedure (PDF) >>
The National Honor Society chapter of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of this prestigious national organization. Membership is open to those scholars who meet the required standards in four areas of evaluation: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. scholars are selected for membership by a majority vote of a five-member principal-appointed faculty council, which bestows this honor upon qualified scholars on behalf of the faculty of our school each school year.
Scholars in grades 11 and 12 are eligible for membership. For the scholarship criterion, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 87 or better on a 100-point scale. Beginning with the class of 2028, scholars must have a cumulative GPA of 92 or better on a 100-point scale. Each fall semester, those scholars who meet this criterion are invited to complete a Candidate Information Packet that provides the faculty council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership, service, and character. Candidates must have accrued a minimum of 40 hours of documented community service since the start of high school. Candidates must also submit an essay response to a prompt on leadership. All forms are included in the Candidate Information Packet.
The faculty council uses two forms of input to evaluate a candidate's character. First, Deans of scholars must endorse a candidate after review of any disciplinary records. Second, candidates must submit a teacher recommendation form. Again, both of these forms are included in the Candidate Information Packet.
All Candidate Information Packets, including service forms, endorsements, recommendations, and one essay, are carefully reviewed by the faculty council to determine membership. A majority vote of the council is necessary for selection. Candidates are notified regarding selection or non-selection according to a predetermined schedule.
Following notification, a formal induction ceremony is held at the school to recognize all the newly selected members. Once inducted, new members must maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all four criteria that led to their selection. Once inducted, scholars:
- Must participate in the NHS group service project (to be determined each semester)
- Must accrue a minimum of 10 hours of service per semester
- Must submit hours once per semester by the deadline assigned in Google Classroom
- Must attend semesterly member meetings
- Must maintain an average GPA of 87% or higher*, and once inducted, no grade shall fall below a 70% on the marking term
- If a grade falls below 70%, the member must demonstrate their commitment to improvement (i.e. meet with teacher regularly, start tutoring etc.) or they may be subject to dismissal by the faculty council
- *Beginning with the class of 2028, the scholarship criterion will be 92%
- Members that do not maintain their status may be subject to dismissal by the faculty council.
School Year 2024-2025 Selection
Monday, October 21, 2024 – Submissions OPEN (emailed to eligible candidates, hard copies available in 3628)
Friday, November 1, 2024 – Submissions CLOSE
November/December 2024 – Candidates notified of decision
February 2025 – Induction Ceremony (date TBD)
School Year 2024-2025 Faculty Council
Each year, a diverse group of CRLS Faculty members are responsible for reviewing Candidate Information Packets, recommending candidates for membership, and participating in membership hearings. If you are a CRLS Faculty member interested in becoming a member of this group, please contact Emily Beaulieu in the Spring Semester of the school year.
Vera Duarte, MLL Program Coordinator
Bryant Gomez, History Department
Daniel Hikes, School Counselor
Ryan Mannion, OSS Liaison
Reyita Ramos, Social Worker
What Counts as Community Service?
Please use the information below to determine whether or not the action you participate(d) in can be considered an act of service. Note: some organizations may award community service hours for work that, for the purposes of the National Honor Society and our Chapter, we cannot count towards a service requirement (both before and during membership). If the action you complete(d) falls under the internship or work-experience category below, it cannot be counted as service towards entering the Derry-wood Chapter OR maintaining membership in the Derry-wood Chapter.
| Action |
Definition and Distinctions |
Examples |
Service
Counts as service |
Any voluntary activity for which no monetary or academic credit has been given, received, or exchanged. This action should directly benefit the community it serves. The student engaging in service receives no benefit(s) from the act apart from a positive feeling of self.
|
Charles River cleanup, Food Pantry services, tutoring, Club 4 Activities, Interact Club Activities, etc. |
Internship
Does not count as service. |
The position of a student or trainee who works in an organization, with or without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification.
|
Medical research assistant, Teaching assistant, RSTA co-op, etc. |
Work Experience
Does not count as service. |
A position of employment where a student or trainee receives direct benefits; benefits include but are not limited to financial compensation and experience in a job. These experiences may also include paying to participate.
|
Counselor in training at a camp, Cashier, Retail Sales, etc. |
View Community Service Opportunities >>