The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) of Julius West recently opened candidate forms to 7th and 8th graders, and the deadline to submit was December 7th. But what is NJHS? What do you do in this society? What are the requirements for applicants? Why should a student apply?
NJHS has been around since 1929 to honor students who show exceptional scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character, which are the five pillars of membership. This society provides opportunities for service learning, leadership, and school and community involvement with events, activities, and projects. Students are able to lead a project of their own selected by the other members to help the community, both in school and out of school. Members of this society will also participate in field trips and social activities.
To join this program, students need to be a 7th or 8th grader, and they must have a GPA of 3.71 or higher. (You can check your GPA on your report card.) Eligible students apply through a candidate form, found in myMCPS Classroom in the JWMS tile, which asks them about scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character. The form is then reviewed by the Faculty Council made up of teachers from different grade levels and subjects.
Students are specifically asked to write about three characteristics of NJHS: scholarship, leadership, and service. For the last pillar (character), students' teachers are contacted, which takes the place of requesting references or recommendation letters.
At the high school level, students can apply for membership in the National Honor Society (NHS), which offers many benefits, such as volunteer and leadership opportunities, academic resources and tools, and scholarships for college.
If you are someone who is interested in becoming a member of NJHS next year, strive to take academics seriously, be a role-model inside and outside the classroom, and look for ways to get involved at school and in your community.