When senior Kirby Goodman, secretary of National Honors Society (NHS), thinks about the incoming NHS junior members, she wants them to be optimistic and think of NHS as a benefit to their high school experience rather than a hardship.

Goodman said she wants to succeed in developing a different view of NHS this year.

“I hope the members don’t think of NHS as a burden or a nuisance. I hope they actually enjoy it,” Goodman said. “I think (incoming members) should expect it might be a little bit different than what they heard about in the past years, just because we have a new advisor.”

Goodman said the officers had difficulty formulating their plan for this year due to a last-minute selection of the club adviser, Jill Merkle.

“It might seem a bit disorganized, but we got a new advisor so late and we’re just trying to get things going,” Goodman said. “I think coming in, us officers realized how much the old adviser really did and that a lot of that is falling on us now, just because we are working with the new adviser who has never advised NHS before.”

According to Goodman, the first meeting on Friday morning, Sept. 30, consisted of social activities to get to know each other and a review of the NHS requirements.

“We are going to start with an icebreaker activity and then we’re just going to go over a lot of the NHS member book and then talk about our first group projects,” Goodman said. “I think that (members) should expect that it might be a little slow starting out, but we are going to get things going and do a lot of new things.”

Goodman said NHS represents a very advantageous experience because it helps high school students create time during their busy schedules to give back to the community.

“I think that it has given me a good opportunity to work with others and get me to volunteer. We are all busy but if you make time for something, you will have time for it,” Goodman said. “I think it forces you to make time to give back and it has also given me an opportunity to be a leader.”

The first NHS group project is volunteering at the Autism Speaks Walk on Sunday, Oct. 2.