Students Explore Volunteer Opportunities Through National Honor Society
Students who were accepted into National Honor Society are inducted as new members on Thursday, Oct. 25.In the first year of their membership, they will have to earn 20 volunteer hours and participate in one mandatory volunteer event. (photo by Jakob Mueller)
National Honor Society is a student-led organization committed to service and community outreach. They coordinate volunteer opportunities with various organizations and sponsor mandatory opportunities at school that have consisted in the past of a bike and blood drive.
In National Honor Society, members are required to earn 20 hours of volunteer work and provide documentation of hours served at the end of each year they are a member. They are also required to participate in one event, which will not count towards their hours. One of these events is usually a blood drive, but the sponsors haven’t decided the event yet for this year.. This year, NHS is instituting a new policy, in which members turn in one cover sheet for all of the hours. Previously, the organization had accepted separate cover sheets for the different places members volunteered. The sponsors also remind the students to turn their hours in on an official letterhead.
“Wait till you have 20, then turn them in all at once. If it doesn’t have an official signature with an official letterhead, we won’t accept it.” sponsor Lori Schaffhauser said.
The newly elected officers of National Honor Society are: President Zia Tollette, Vice President Heidi Tandiono, Secretary Hetvi Shah, and Volunteer Coordinator Taylor Seupaul. This year, the teacher-sponsors are Lori Schaffhauser, Ellen Waldon, Kim Gilbert, and Heather Rainbolt.
“We’re going to continue the Instagram and Remind we used last year. If you’re not on those, you’re not gonna know what’s going on,” Former President Meghana Bollimpalli said.
NHS has also expanded its list of approved sites to include religious associations, as long as they are nonprofit and the volunteers aren’t being paid. Nonprofit events or organizations, even political campaigns, can be used to provide hours for a member. Private schools will not count towards a member’s 20 hours, and many approved sites are listed on the back of the volunteer sheet that all new and returning members will receive at their mandatory meetings. If a member misses the meetings, teacher sponsors are located in room 148 and 150, where a member can ask questions or receive information sheets.
