Each year, LT rewards highly qualified students for their academic and community achievements. This is done through the organization National Honor Society (NHS). This year, on April 9, LT will host over 250 students as they are formally inducted into the society by a prominent faculty member, NHS Sponsor Drew Magis said. The ceremony will be held in the Reber Center at NC and is split into two ceremonies, the first for students with last names starting with A-L, and then the other for M-Z.
“Being inducted into the NHS means a lot,” Magis said. “It shows that those students meet the four pillars of NHS–Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Service–and have contributed positively to LT and the surrounding community.”
The pillars contribute to the requirements for induction into the NHS. Scholarship requires an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher or a weighted GPA of 4.25 or higher to be eligible. For Leadership, students must represent dependability and reliability, along with demonstrating positive behavior in others, and have held responsible positions. For Service, students must demonstrate their ability to work well with others and participate in community service along with LT clubs/athletics. For Character, students must demonstrate they uphold principles of morals and ethics, exemplify perseverance, show courtesy, concern, and respect for others.
Magis has been a sponsor for the NHS for three years. He leads the ceremony with the help of the NHS Executive Board, which includes eight senior members selected by NHS student members of their class last year. Magis meets with the Executive Board members to plan out the ceremony once a month. At the ceremony, these eight members will each personally give a speech along with Principal Jennifer Tyrrell.
“[As a member], I get to be even more involved with community service here at LT [than I already am],” Executive Board member Kieran Barnicle ‘26 said.
Barnicle contributes as a member by working with the X2Vol website. This is what the Executive Board uses to track students’ service hours. Students need three recommendations from teachers, coaches, or sponsors, along with no major behavioral referrals, to be accepted into NHS.
Students must also complete an application form that requires a personal statement addressing why they believe they should be selected into the NHS. This is done during the students’ junior year.
“Being a member of the NHS Executive Board means that I can lead our chapter of NHS and work with many amazing people in the process,” Executive Board member Alexis Jain ‘26 said. “I also love organizing events that ultimately benefit our community.”
Jain specifically works with the social media aspect of the NHS, as she manages communicating with members on updates of the NHS event online.
There are three different levels of awards a student in the NHS can receive at the induction ceremony. There is the Presidential Award, which requires 100-174 hours of service, the Silver Medal Award, which requires 175-249 hours of service, and the Gold Medal Award, which requires 250+ hours of service.
“My most valuable volunteer experience with NHS has been organizing the annual food drive,” Jain said. “It was amazing to help organize something that would help a lot of people in local communities. With NHS I want to make a positive impact on our community by encouraging others to help in whatever ways we can. Through community service, members of NHS can actively work towards improving their communities and lead efforts to help those in need.”
Members in NHS get the chance at different scholarship opportunities. They also develop many useful skills for college and their future careers like teamwork and public-speaking skills, confidence.