NHS Eligibility Requirements

Each candidate for membership in The Bear Creek School Chapter of the National Honor Society is required to demonstrate outstanding qualities of scholarship, character, service, and leadership. The method used to select members requires an accumulation of seven out of a possible ten points, determined as follows:

Scholarship

One point required; three points possible
Students must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.0 and have completed a minimum of three semesters in high school, one of which was at The Bear Creek School.

3.30 – 3.49 One point
3.50 – 3.69 Two points
3.70 – 4.00 Three points

In late January, students who meet or exceed the minimum scholarship requirement will receive an invitation to complete the next steps in the selection process by submitting evidence of character and intellectual virtue, service, and leadership as detailed below.

Character and Intellectual Virtue

One point required; three points possible
At the Bear Creek School our aim is not just to turn out students who have mastered a certain body of knowledge or have achieved a certain GPA. Instead, we aim to produce students who are earnest seekers of Truth and, as a result, have developed fundamental intellectual character traits that will lead them into truth as they go through life—both inside and outside the classroom.

Students who have been in serious violation of the school’s guiding principles and/or rules are not eligible for membership in the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society.

Students should ask each of their seven teachers to evaluate their Character and Intellectual Virtues. Nominees must gain at least one point (to a maximum of three) from each teacher to meet the minimum requirements for admission to the National Honor Society.

36 – 50 points per teacher One point
51 – 60 points per teacher Two points
61 – 70 points per teacher Three points

Service

One point required; two points possible
Candidates are expected to have contributed to the school or community through voluntary service. The requirement for this service is that it contributes in some way to the improvement of the school or community and that no pay or other monetary benefits are received for the service.

Community service such as working with church groups, serving as a tutor, being a scout, volunteering at a hospital, homeless shelter, nursing home or food kitchen qualifies to earn points in this category. Examples of qualifying for service in the school include active participation in organizations such as the ASB, Student Life, working as a teacher’s aide, library aide, peer tutor, or any volunteer work that helps develop programs which benefit the Bear Creek community. Only hours logged and verified via MobileServe will be considered.

40 hours of community service One point
65 hours of community service Two points

Leadership

One point required; two points possible
Candidates are required to submit the NHS Candidate Leadership Information form and two letters briefly describing ways in which they have exhibited qualities of leadership and service to the community.

Letters of recommendation may be submitted from staff members at Bear Creek only if they have been a coach or supervised the student in some capacity outside the regular classroom, supervisors at work or in community organizations, or by other non-relatives who are in a position to observe the candidate's leadership qualities. Letters should include comments upon the student’s involvement in helping to direct or motivate others, providing a positive role model, and taking initiative in group situations.

Two positive letters of recommendation One point
Two positive letters of recommendation and a formal leadership position in a school or community organization such as ASB, a sports team, or other club, during high school Two points