Selection Process

The National Honor Society chapter of North Allegheny Senior High School is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of this prestigious national organization. Membership is open to those students who meet the required standards in four areas of evaluation: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Standards for selection are established by the national office of NHS and have been revised to meet our local chapter needs. Students are selected to be members by a Faculty Council that is appointed by the principal, which bestows this honor upon qualified students on behalf of the entire faculty of our school each Fall and Spring.  For the scholarship criterion, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.95 or better. Those students who meet this criterion are invited to complete an application for membership that provides the Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership and service. Eligible juniors will be invited to apply after first semester grades are finalized, sometime in February, to be inducted in late April.  Eligible seniors will be invited to apply in the early fall to be inducted in late September.  These are the only two times eligible students can apply. 

A history of leadership experiences and participation in school or community service is expected. In order to be considered for selection, a history of participating in service is expected.

To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council uses two forms of input. First, school disciplinary records are reviewed. Second, members of the faculty are solicited for input regarding their professional reflections on a candidate’s service activities, character, and leadership.

These forms and the application 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 notification, a formal induction ceremony is held at the school to recognize all the newly selected members. Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or more) in all four criteria that led to their selection. This obligation includes regular attendance at chapter meetings held monthly during the school year and participation in the chapter service projects.  A minimum of 24 hours of service is expected. However, at this time, we will be doing our best to serve our community as much as possible. Additionally, a $20 in annual dues and $10 for honor cords is required at the time of induction.

Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can contact the chapter advisors, Dana Oliver at doliver@northallegheny.org or Nate Tengowski or at ntengowski@northallegheny.org