National Honor Society

The National Honor Society (NHS) chapter of Fordham Preparatory 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 the Faculty Council, appointed by the principal, which bestows this honor upon qualified students on behalf of the faculty of our school.

Students in the 11th and 12th grades are eligible for membership. For the scholarship criterion, a student must have a cumulative weighted GPA of 3.8 or better on a 4.0 scale. Those students who meet this criterion at the end of the first semester of the 11th grade are invited to complete a Student Application Form that provides the Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership and service experiences. A history of the student’s involvement in both school and community activities is also evaluated.

To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council uses two forms of input. First, school disciplinary records and attendance records are reviewed. A candidate may be precluded from selection if he has a serious infraction on his record. Examples of this include, but are not limited to the following: a violation of the Academic Honesty policy, an infraction related to drugs or alcohol, a disciplinary probation and excessive absenteeism or lateness. Second, members of the faculty are solicited for input regarding their professional reflections on a candidate’s service activities, character and leadership.

The information accumulated for each applicant is carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine membership. A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection. In April of their junior year, candidates are notified regarding selection.

In May, 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 better) in all four criteria that led to their selection. This obligation includes participation in the chapter’s peer tutoring program.

Students who did not meet the scholastic criterion at the end of the 1st semester of their junior year are still eligible for membership. The moderator of the NHS will review the cumulative weighted grade point averages of all students at the end of their junior year. Students who meet the 3.8 criterion then will be invited to apply for NHS and proceed through the application process in the fall of their senior year. Late inductees to the NHS will receive their certificates and pins, but will not take part in a formal induction ceremony.

Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can contact the chapter moderator, Lauren Zefran, by email at zefranl@fordhamprep.org.