Selection Criteria and the Selection Process

Selection Process

Students in grades 10 through 12 in a school with both an official charter of the National Honor Society and an affiliation with the NASSP Department of Student Activities is eligible for consideration for membership in the National Honor Society.  Information about the deadlines for induction to and the requirements to join the Cary Academy chapter are available on this website.  All membership selection is handled through the Cary Academy chapter.

NHS is more than just an honor roll. The NHS chapter establishes rules for membership that are based upon a student's outstanding performance in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These four criteria for selection form the foundation upon which the organization and its activities are built.

The Cary Academy Faculty Council will review each student's file and determine whether or not that student has demonstrated excellence in the following areas, in addition to the other information required by the faculty council.

• Scholarship: students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.500 or higher, meet the scholarship requirement for membership. These students are then eligible for consideration on the basis of service, leadership, and character.  

Scale Used:

If you are interested in submitting materials for possible selection, notify Mr. Coven.  He will determine your GPA and let you know whether or not you have met this standard for selection.  If you have not, you may have an opportunity to submit materials again in the future (if you do not meet this requirement, you are not eligible to continue the process at this time).  The specific selection process is outlined here.

• Service: This quality is defined through the significant voluntary contributions made by a student to the school or community, done without compensation and with a positive, courteous, and enthusiastic spirit. The student who serves:

  • volunteers and provides dependable and well organized assistance, is gladly available, and is willing to sacrifice to offer assistance

  • works well with others and is willing to take on difficult or inconspicuous responsibilities

  • cheerfully and enthusiastically renders any service requested by the school

  • participates in some activity outside of school, for example Scouts, church groups, volunteers services for the elderly, poor, disadvantaged

  • represents the school admirably and honorably in school competitions

  • mentors others

  • shows courtesy to members of the community and assists visitors, teachers, and students

• Leadership: Student leaders are those who are resourceful, good problem solvers, promoters of school activities, idea-contributors, dependable, and persons who exemplify positive attitudes about life. Leadership experiences can be drawn from school or community activity while working with or for others.  The student who exercises leadership:

  • is resourceful in proposing new problems, applying principles, and making suggestions

  • demonstrates initiative in promoting school activities

  • exercises positive influence on peers in upholding school ideals

  • contributes ideas that improve the civic life of the school

  • is able to delegate responsibilities

  • exemplifies positive attitudes

  • inspires positive behavior in others

  • successfully hold offices or positions of responsibility; conducts business effectively and efficiently; demonstrates reliability and dependability

  • is a leader in the classroom, at work, and in other school or community activities

  • is thoroughly dependable in any responsibility accepted

  • is willing to uphold scholarship and maintain a loyal school attitude

• Character: The student of good character upholds principles of morality and ethics, is cooperative, demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability, shows courtesy, concern and respect for others and generally maintains a good and clean lifestyle. A person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.  A student of character:

  • takes criticism willingly and accepts recommendations graciously

  • consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise, stability)

  • upholds principles of morality and ethics

  • cooperates by complying with school regulations

  • demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability

  • avoids all circumstances of academic dishonesty

  • actively helps rid the school of bad influences or environment

Again, a student must demonstrate excellence in all areas, have satisfactory recommendations, and meet all criteria of the Faculty Council before he or she is offered membership into the chapter.

The Process of Selection

1.  The Chapter Advisor will notify students in grades eligible for selection via e-mail, announcements on 600 Seconds, and with announcements at Grade Level Meetings about the selection process and deadlines at least three weeks before any materials are due.

2. Interested students ask the chapter advisor to check their GPA to determine if they meet the scholarship criteria (based on the published GPA requirements).

3.  Students who meet the scholarship criteria then complete all of the appropriate forms and request recommendations from Cary Academy faculty (and optionally, from an outside person as well).  All forms are available on the CA NHS website.

4.  All materials are made available to the Faculty Council.  The Chapter Advisor may also ask the Upper School Faculty at large to comment on any of the students who have submitted materials for consideration; the Chapter Advisor shares this feedback with the Faculty Council as well.

5.  The Faculty Council reviews all of the submitted and available information and determines if each student meets the criteria outlined and specified by the National Honor Society.  Each student is discussed and all members of the Faculty Council have an opportunity to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of each student's materials and if the student meets the specified criteria at this time.

6.  The Faculty Council members each vote by secret ballot.

7.  The Chapter Advisor totals the votes.  If a student receives 3 yes votes (out of 5), he or she is offered membership.  If a student receives 3 no votes, he or she is not offered membership.  In the event that a student does not receive 3 yes or 3 no votes (because of abstentions), the Faculty Council meets again to discuss the student and another secret vote is taken.  If the student does not reach the requisite 3 yes votes on the second vote, the student is not offered membership.

8.  Students who are not selected are encouraged to meet with the Chapter Advisor, who will review their materials with the student.  The Chapter Advisor is bound by confidentiality issues and cannot discuss specific comments by specific faculty members on the council, but the Chapter Advisor may be able to sum up areas of strength and areas of concern for a particular student.  It is hoped that this feedback will give students the ability to improve their chances for selection in subsequent selection windows.

9.  Students who wish to appeal their non-selection after meeting with the Chapter Advisor may do so in writing to the Head of Upper School, who may listen to the concerns of a non-selected student and/or the parents of the student.  If the Head of Upper School feels that some type of technical or procedural mistake in the selection process has been made, he may ask the Faculty Council to reconvene to review the situation, which may then re-vote on a student if the technical or procedural error may have influenced the non-selection of the student.  (If a re-vote is taken, the procedure spelled out in item 7 above applies).  Technical or procedural errors might include the inadvertent omission of a student's name from the list of those qualified for induction, the erroneous averaging of grades, or failure to follow proscribed procedures.  In the absence of specific evidence to the contrary, the Head of Upper School would likely assume that the Faculty Council exercised their judgment in a legitimate manner and good faith.

10.  If the Head of Upper School appeal is not successful, students may appeal in writing to the Head of School, who would make the final decision in the matter. 

The National Council and the National Association of Secondary School Principals have no authority to review or overturn the judgment of the Faculty Council regarding selection of individual members to local chapters and the national office of the National Honor Society does not hear appeals about non-selection.