Between keeping grades up, clubs, sports, studying, and trying to keep a social life, it can seem hard to find time for anything else, but students in honor societies have to contribute additional time outside of their meetings. Honor Societies students earn points through taking part in an array of different activities.
Each honor society has different ways students can accumulate points. The German Honor Society uses the points as a way to get their members to experience the culture behind the German language. Members need four points by the middle of the school year, and four more by the end. Additionally, they need one more point that is a “field trip point”.
“They try to get students to go off campus and be active, like examples of those are visiting the German Embassy or eating at a German restaurant” said German Honor Society officer and senior Michael Gibbons.
Different Societies ask for a different amount of points. Members of the National Honor Society (NHS) need to earn twenty points for the whole year. However, if it is a student’s first year in the society, then they only need half of the required amount.This point total is comprised of different kinds of points that are earned in different ways and members are always informed in what upcoming events they can earn them at.
“We give a lot of opportunities,” said senior Amna Anjum, NHS officer and English Honor Society President. “The points that we post on Blackboard and discuss at our meetings usually have to do with like local elementary schools, helping them set up for different events, like babysitting for PTA meetings, and then there’s some in school stuff like tutoring students”.
The purpose of the points isn’t pointless, despite the time put in for them not counting towards service hours.
“Part of the National Honor Society is showing service, so service to the country, and service to the school too”, said Spanish Teacher Ms. Phillips.
Points ensure that students have to work to be a part of the society and that they get something out of it.
“[Points are] to make sure that all the members are active” said Gibbons, “[to] make sure everybody else, everybody is putting in the same amount of effort”.
These points have the potential to cause problems for students who already have a busy schedule. School work, practices, meetings, and family plans can leave little time for anything else, so finding time for points could be difficult. However, students seem to find time. Andrew Pata, a sophomore and a member of the German Honor Society doesn’t find it difficult to get the points he needs.
“I think it’s manageable for most, I mean if you’re in several honor societies then it might be a bit much” said Anjum.
