As the first semester comes to a close, the National Honor Society (NHS) members of the Class of ‘26 have yet to meet as a whole, with no hint of a reschedule after the abrupt cancellation of the planned Sept. 18 meeting, leaving many to wonder—what happened?

The answer lies in a policy change implemented at the start of the year by the LT administration, which has so far been kept discreet and may leave members with mixed emotions. 

“Although hosting events during the school day was an effective way to get student engagement [in the past], we hope that by offering events for multiple days after school and even on weekends, we will still be able to have strong participation,” NHS Executive Board Member Alexis Jain ‘26 said. 

Simply put, the new policy states that the NHS is no longer permitted to hold meetings during the school day. The primary motivation for the change was the scheduling of NHS events during school hours, which took away classroom instructional time, despite only happening once a year during the first period.

“Regarding meeting times, co-curricular activities—including NHS—traditionally hold meetings outside the school day,” NC Associate Principal Sarah Smith said. “With so many clubs and activities and such a high level of student participation, it’s important to schedule meetings in a way that does not interrupt instructional time.” 

The NHS chapter at LT has been serving its mission to empower leadership and commitment to service among students for the past 101 years. According to NHS sponsor Drew Magis, the 343 members of the Class of ’26 have encountered several changes to the program, including the addition of eight Executive Board Members, up from six. Magis also confirmed that the NHS meeting on Sept. 18 was cancelled due to this new policy, although members received no other information or reasoning for the cancellation the day before. 

“Magis and NHS will continue to find ways for students to come together and serve together, in hopes of increasing the feeling of community while doing so,” Smith said. 

Currently, NHS plans to host the all-member meeting virtually going forward, Magis said. This year, members received a slideshow presentation of the meeting content via email, which included information on the annual volunteer events, as well as instructions on how to log and achieve the required 25 hours of service by March 31 in X2Vol. Some of these opportunities mentioned are making cards for hospitalized children and the mandatory week of service in February.

“Historically, most NHS volunteer opportunities have taken place outside the academic day, though there are some exceptions,” Smith said. “One example is the annual Blanket Drive, during which students volunteer to make blankets for those in need during their lunch/study period. Opportunities like this, held during the school day, will continue.” 

Through this new policy, Magis continues to uphold his devotion to ensuring all NHS students meet the service hours requirements by frequently sending out email announcements on local opportunities. Members can gain more information on service projects by checking the NHS Instagram, @lt.nhs, and staying tuned for upcoming events, such as the Blanket Drive, which will take place in the spring. 

“Even with these new changes, NHS members should still stay engaged with the programs because they are great ways to earn service hours, and they benefit our community,” Jain said.