Members

• Maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.60

• Earning at least 15 hours of verified, signed community service each semester

  • • • A maximum of 3 hours may be derived from substantial donations

• Modeling respectful character (no cheating, no referrals, no suspensions, etc.)

• Approval by a five-member Faculty Council (for New Members ONLY)

• Attending the mandatory Induction Ceremony in May (for New Members ONLY)

If you're a Current Member and you meet all the above requirements, you'll keep your membership and be in good standing. If you don't fulfill one or more requirements for the semester, then we'll notify you that you're placed on warning— and if you don't return to good standing within a certain time period, then your membership may be confiscated at the discretion of the five-member Faculty Council.

If you're a New Member and you meet all the above requirements, you'll be Inducted into the National Honor Society at the mandatory Induction Ceremony in May. At that time, you'll possess official membership in the chapter. If you're continuing NHS the following year, you will then be a "Current Member." If you don't fulfill one or more of the above requirements, you'll receive written notice of your ineligibility to be inducted into NHS that year. If you'd like, you may try to work towards induction once again the following school year as a New Member.

"Current Members" are students who have already been inducted in the past— and thus hold the official title of member. Throughout the school year, "Current Members" consist of juniors and seniors. After the Induction Ceremony in May, eligible sophomores, juniors, and seniors join the ranks of official members in the chapter. Current Members are still required to meet rigorous requirements each semester to maintain their membership— see the question and answer above for more information.

"New Members" are students who have not been inducted yet and thus do NOT hold the official title of "member"; they are working toward induction in May and thus official membership. "New Members" may also be referred to as "Candidates for Induction." New Members do not have the privilege of receiving a warning before dismissal from NHS. After being inducted, a "New Member" will earn the title of being an official member in the chapter.

If you have been inducted in the past (at Plano East or another high school) and are still working to maintain membership in the chapter, then yes, you retain your official membership in the National Honor Society. If you have not been inducted yet, you are not an official member yet. Note that Plano East NHS refers to students working towards induction as "New Members" for sake of simplicity.

Yes. You must maintain at least a 3.60 cumulative GPA to maintain or receive membership in NHS— see the requirements above for more information.

Yes. A five-member Faculty Council will meet in the spring to review the New Members and approve eligible students to be inducted in May. The chapter's adviser has no decision-making authority in the Faculty Council. The Faculty Council will consider any comments and concerns from the faculty regarding any candidate’s character, leadership, scholarship, or service and will select the candidates to be inducted.

Warnings are issued to Current Members only to notify them if they are not meeting the requirements to maintain membership in good standing. A warning is a written notice delivered to a student with details on why the warning was issued and what steps may be taken to return to good standing, such as earning extra hours— and yes, we do scrutinize them.

A warning may be issued because a Current Member fails to earn enough hours, attend enough meetings, pay his or her dues on time, submit his or her completed paperwork on time, maintain a minimum cumulative 3.60 GPA, conduct himself or herself in accordance to the Four Pillars of NHS, or meet any other requirement listed above.

Treat ONE warning as a warning. If you receive TWO warnings in one school year, that's grounds for dismissal. Our five-member Faculty Council will review your case and take action accordingly— you may be dismissed from NHS permanently. Members not in good standing—that is, with a warning—are not permitted to wear the National Honor Society stole at senior graduation in June.

If you believe you have been issued a warning letter in error, you may be able to appeal your warning. Your appeal will be thoroughly investigated with care by our team. We strive for fairness for all our members. That's our promise to you.

No. Because "New Members" are not official members yet, they do not enjoy certain privileges that Current Members do, such as the right to receive a warning before dismissal from NHS. Thus, if one or more of the requirements for the semester are not fulfilled, a New Member will not receive a warning, but rather receive written notice of his or her ineligibility to be inducted into NHS for that year. If applicable, the student may try to work towards induction once again the following school year as a New Member.

Warnings derived from failing to meet requirements from one semester will be delivered at the beginning of the next semester. At this time, letters will also be delivered notifying New Members who did not meet requirements of their ineligibility to be inducted that year.

If you're a member, we'll transfer your membership and all pertinent information to your new school.