Credit: Jeffery Zhang

The Wayland High School National Honor Society chapter holds its first ever welcome ceremony at the commons of WHS.

On Dec. 13, the Wayland High School National Honors Society (NHS) chapter held its first ever welcome ceremony. The ceremony occurred in the commons, and served to welcome newly inducted members. This year, food and speeches were given in addition to the standard email sent out to students to let them know about their acceptance into NHS.

NHS has been around in the United States since 1921 with the purpose of benefiting high schools and their communities through the four pillars: service, character, leadership and scholarship. There are over 16,000 NHS chapters across the United States and beyond. Since all chapters are connected to the main organization, most chapters have similar processes and structure. However, WHS’s chapter differs in some aspects.

“Wayland’s chapter includes more responsibilities than other schools,” NHS President Annabelle Zhang said. “For example, Wayland requires that all students do peer tutoring at least once per cycle and complete a leadership project. The additional responsibilities ensure that members of the Wayland chapter leave a positive impact on the community and not just to have the title [of being an NHS member].”

For some students, the NHS application can be a tedious process. Students with a cumulative GPA above 3.5 will receive an email from Academic Center Director and NHS advisor Aimee Lima in September or October that invites the recipient to a mandatory informational meeting. Attendance is taken during the meeting, and then attendees will receive a second email with information to begin the application process. The application asks for community service hours, extracurriculars, leadership roles, awards, teacher or staff references, five essays and one personal statement.

Zhang understands that the application process can be arduous for some and offers a piece of advice. For starters, she recommends that people interested in applying should fulfill the 50 community service hours required first.

“I also recommend that applicants start the application early since it takes a long time to get signatures confirming your service hours and to write essays,” Zhang said. “The process is good practice for college applications, so if you do the NHS application well, you’ve got a good start on your college application too.”

Although the NHS application can be difficult for some, there can also be benefits to applying. NHS members have opportunities to help members of the Wayland community, as well as neighboring towns and organizations.

“NHS can help students develop as members of our school and global community,” Lima said. “Students are encouraged to engage in different kinds of community service to expand their experiences and also to create leadership projects that are meaningful to them.”

In addition, NHS can provide students with resources and motivation to carry out service projects. For those who are unsure of where or how they can help their local community, NHS can provide helpful options.

“If you want to make a positive impact or help a disadvantaged group but don’t know how, NHS is the place to start,” Zhang said.

When deciding on whether or not to apply to NHS, students should also be mindful of the time commitment that comes with NHS.

“When students are deciding if they should apply to join NHS, my advice is that they should apply if they want to grow and develop as leaders and community members,” Lima said. “NHS is a big time commitment, so students should only apply if they are interested in continuing to develop themselves in the four pillars of NHS.”

For some students in NHS, they are able to look past the time commitment and focus on the benefits that NHS brings them.

“I’ve enjoyed helping people all my life, so NHS gives me an opportunity to really help my community and anybody in need,” NHS member and senior Zach Rainville said. “It can be a lot of work, but it’s always worth it when you’re doing good for the community.”

For newly joined member Santiago Whelton, NHS also provides him with an opportunity to further impact his community through service.

“I joined NHS so I could help others in my community,” Whelton said. “It’s a big commitment, but I’m happy to be involved.”