National Junior Honor Society

NJHS Service Projects

In order to remain active in the National Junior Honor Society, students must participate in at least one service project or activity each year. Epic will offer opportunities throughout the year, but students are welcome to submit hours from service projects of their choice in their area.

Submit your Volunteer Hours

Include the contact person and their phone number so that the NHS adviser can confirm the service hours on the form found below.

Transferring NJHS Membership to Epic Charter Schools

Members of the National Junior Honor Society are able to transfer membership from one school to another, so long as they meet all of the requirements for eligibility of NJHS.

Those requirements are as follows:

1. The student must have been initiated into the National Junior Honor Society and have an official copy of their NJHS certificate verifying their induction and share that information with the Epic NJHS sponsor.
2. The student must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above.
3. The student must perform a service project each year to retain eligibility as a member of NJHS.

If you or your student meets the requirements listed above and would like to maintain their membership in the National Junior Honor Society through Epic Charter Schools we ask that they please submit a copy of their certificate through the form below.

Once a copy of the certificate has been submitted the Epic NJHS Sponsor will review it and contact the student regarding their eligibility.

Scholarship

• A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.
  • Any student that falls below the required GPA of 3.5 will be notified in writing, placed on academic probation and given the rest of the semester to bring their GPA back up. Failure to do so is cause for dismissal from the organization.
• A student must remain current and on pace throughout the school year.
• A student cannot have any truancy occurrences.
• A student must be an Epic student for at least a year.

Those students who meet this criterion are invited by the Chapter Adviser to complete a Student Activity Information Form that provides the Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership, citizenship, character and service. Parent or Teacher nominations are not accepted.

Leadership

Students selected for the National Junior Honor Society demonstrate achievement in leadership. They have led in more than one capacity, and their experience includes leadership of their peers and their community.

Aspects of leadership:

• Is resourceful in proposing new problems, applying principles, and making suggestions.
• Exercises positive influence on peers.
• Contributes ideas for improvements within the community and/or school environments.
• Is able to delegate responsibilities.
• Exemplifies positive attitudes.
• Inspires positive behavior in others.
• Demonstrates academic initiative.
• Demonstrates reliability and dependability.

Service

In order to be selected for the National Junior Honor Society, students must have experience with and commitment to school and/or community service. Students selected have participated in more than one service project or activity.

Examples of service:

• Volunteers and provides dependable and well-organized assistance.
• Willing to sacrifice to offer assistance.
• Works well with others and is willing to take on sometimes difficult and inconspicuous responsibilities.
• Cheerfully and enthusiastically renders any requested service to the school or community.
• Shows courtesy by assisting others.
• Participates in some activity, for example, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, volunteer services for the elderly, poor, or disadvantaged.

Citizenship

The student who demonstrates citizenship understands the importance of civic engagement demonstrates mature participation and responsibility through activities such as scouting, community organizations, or clubs, and has high regard for the law for all citizens at the local, state and federal levels.

Character

A candidate must have no recorded incidents of cheating or intentional dishonesty. Disciplinary records such as knowingly violating school regulations or truancy are considered during the application process. Instead, a candidate must be willing to assist others as well as to support ethical, acceptable behavior in all situations.

A person with good character:

• Takes criticism willingly and accepts recommendations graciously.
• Consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise, stability).
• Upholds principles of morality and ethics.
• Manifests truthfulness in acknowledging obedience to rules, avoiding cheating in any work, and showing an unwillingness to profit by the mistakes of others.
• Demonstrates the highest standards of honesty and reliability.
• Regularly shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others.

A history of leadership experiences and participation in school or community service is also required. To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council will solicit teacher input regarding their professional reflections on a candidate’s service activities, character, and leadership. Candidates can also submit letters of recommendation from members of the community who can objectively evaluate the candidate’s character, service and leadership qualities.

Membership Selection

All forms and letters are carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine membership. A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection. Candidates are notified regarding selection or non-selection according to a predetermined schedule. Following selection notification, a formal induction ceremony is held at a designated location to recognize all the newly selected members. Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all five criteria that led to their selection. This obligation includes regular attendance at chapter meetings held monthly during the school year (additional meetings scheduled on an as-needed basis) and participation in the chapter/individual service projects.
Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can contact the school at communications@epiccharterschools.org.

Non-Selection

As per the ECS NJHS Handbook, a written letter may be sent stating that the student was not selected and a reason for that non-selection may be noted. Non-selected students can request an appeal within fourteen (14) days from notification of non-selection status. Students may ask how the selection process was conducted, but there is no requirement that an explanation of why a particular student was not selected be explained. A final decision will be made by the Faculty Council to confirm non-selection or change a candidate’s membership status.

We will make every effort to maintain communication with NJHS members/parents throughout the course of the school year. In order to do that, we encourage all parties to take time to note the avenues of communication we will use.

Email Communication – While it is likely we have your email address already, make sure you’re checking your email for any important messages we send to NJHS members.

School Calendar – All Important NJHS dates/events are listed on the school calendar. Be sure to check the event details for relevant information such as times, locations, and more.