Nurturing NHS: National Honor Society returns at Cedar Shoals
Cedar Shoals High School previously hosted a National Honors Society chapter that grew disconnected and went defunct. As of spring 2025 the NHS is back to connecting students at Cedar Shoals.
This current chapter consists of 57 total members, 23 returning members, five student officers and 29 new members who were inducted on Sept. 17.
“It’s a lot of stuff for them to learn skills for the future. (Last) October we restarted NHS within Cedar. Sometimes the students with high GPAs can get forgotten. I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen,” co-sponsor Melanie Marty said.
President Omnia Mansour leads members toward meeting their volunteer hour goals. She wants to involve more students this year with their community by increasing their volunteer hours and opportunities.
“It’s very important, especially for academically striving students who want to make an impact in their community. My goal this year is to help people be more involved with their community. Sometimes it’s hard to look for opportunities that you’re interested in, not just to do it just to get the hours in, but to do it because you care,” Mansour said.
NHS organizes itself around four principles: scholarship, service, leadership and character. Members are required to maintain a grade point average above 93%. Only juniors and seniors are eligible to join the NHS.
“National Honor Society is one of the oldest and most widely recognized academic based student organizations in the country. It is largely a student-led initiative. For us at Cedar Shoals that requires a minimum of a 93 GPA, evidence of service, leadership and character as evidenced through an application detailing activities of the student during their high school career and a teacher recommendation,” co-sponsor Jessica Varsa said.
Eligible students receive an email that notifies them they have met membership requirements. After initiation, students are responsible for completing 60 volunteer hours in the community. Requirements of the application are 60 hours minimum of volunteering, participating in events, or student leadership position activities by the end of one school year. By the end of the second full year students should have 120 hours. Students are then required to complete a schoolwide service project, which the membership votes on over the course of the school year.
“It basically asks you, what are you involved in? What service hours do you have prior to this?” senior Caroline Michael said.
Cedar’s NHS chapter has an advisory board for the selection process. The advisory board evaluates and offers feedback on the student service project. The advisory board consists of Associate Principal Nathan Reinchel, Principal Dr. Makeba Clark, Melanie Marty and receptionist Arnulfo Flores.
“This year we’re already planning what our school wide project is going to be. We didn’t do a fundraiser last year, but we are planning the fundraiser we want to do and things like that. We are way ahead of ourselves. We’ve already got our officers. Our officers didn’t get voted in until January last year, so we’re a half a year ahead of where we were,” Marty said.
