The purpose of the Saint Mary Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, to develop character and to encourage citizenship in the students of St. Mary School. Our Saint Mary chapter meets monthly to plan and carry out activities that support this purpose.
This school year the members of our chapter have been busy discussing our new chapter and bylaws which will be adopted after being approved by the membership. In the past we have not had a specific chapter constitution, but have followed the National Junior Honor Society constitution. Our new constitution complies with the National Junior Honor Society constitution and our school policies. It delineates, more specifically, how our St. Mary Chapter is run and contains a few small revisions in the criteria and selection process that will go into effect this school year. It is hoped that the changes will result in a selection process that is understandable and fair for all NJHS candidates and their parents.
Our NJHS members run a weekly after school tutoring program for struggling students in grades two through five. Younger students who struggle are referred to the program by their classroom teacher. The NJHS tutoring coordinators then match each struggling student with an NJHS member that tutors them in Reading, Math, Social Studies, or Science.
Membership in the St. Mary chapter of the NJHS is an honor bestowed upon a student by the faculty. Selection for membership is based on outstanding scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
To be eligible for membership the student must be a member of the second semester of the sixth grade, seventh grade or eighth grade at St. Mary School. Candidates must have been in attendance at St. Mary School the equivalent of one semester. Selection for membership is by a majority vote of the Faculty Council, a committee of five faculty members appointed by the principal.
The minimum standard for scholarship shall be
a cumulative scholastic average of at least 92% with no rounding in all academic subject areas and a cumulative scholastic average of 92% with no rounding in all specials. All grades from the beginning of sixth grade are averaged.
The minimum standard for character is
Following the first semester, all sixth and seventh grade students who meet the minimum standards for scholarship and character will be considered eligible candidates. To assist the Faculty Council in making membership decisions, eligible candidates will be invited to fill out an Activity Form and to complete an in-school essay. Leadership experience and service must be listed on a candidate's Activity Form and/or essay to be eligible for selection to the NJHS. Students who submit their Activity Forms and essays on time will be considered for possible selection.
The faculty will evaluate eligible candidates in the areas of leadership, citizenship and character using a Faculty Evaluation Form provided by the chapter advisor. Faculty shall rate the candidates with whom they have had professional interaction on a scale of 1-4, where 1=low/poor, 2=below average, 3=good, and 4=high/outstanding. For any rating of poor or below average, it is necessary for faculty to provide an additional comment that speaks to the professional rationale for this low rating or examples of the poor performance which led to the rating.
The Faculty Council shall review the Student Activity Form, the in-school essay and faculty evaluations in order to determine membership. Prior to notification of any candidates, the chapter adviser shall review with the principal the results of the Faculty Council’s deliberations. The decision of the Faculty Council will be considered final upon approval of the principal. All candidates that were considered for membership will be notified in writing of the Faculty Council's decision. Selected students become members when inducted at a special ceremony.
Download the NJHS Constitution.