NHS (National Honor Society) had its first meeting in the auditorium on Sept. 16. The club met with current members as well as new potential inductees to go over the timeline for the rest of the year and to inform new members of the commitments required for joining the club. They went over different volunteer opportunities for the year, discussed their goal of promoting new membership and also introduced the new NHS officers for the 2025-2026 school year.
Advisor Lindsey Meyer said the NHS board intends to be inclusive with who they invite, so many people can participate and volunteer. According to her, NHS should be accessible and give equitable opportunities to members, ensuring more can get inducted.
“I hope the underclassmen interested in NHS know that (our school’s chapter’s) goal is never to keep students out. The more students who are in NHS, and the more services that we can do, the better,” Meyer said. “(We) want to keep communicating on how to get involved and how to be successful in NHS, as well as to get started early with hours and volunteering so that as many students as possible can be inducted.”
Junior Griffin Hanson said he’s looking forward to being a new member of NHS this year because of the positive remarks made to him by past members. According to him, while NHS seems fun, it will also help him create meaningful change.
“Getting the invite was obviously super exciting. I’ve heard about it from past juniors and seniors, old friends (and) sports teammates, and the initial impression was good. My first thought was that it’s a fun but serious organization. (You get) to be with your friends, but also (make) an impact in the community,” Hanson said.
Senior Vice President Alex Driver said she recommends new NHS members to begin their service at the beginning of the year. According to her, NHS students should choose something they are passionate about to make the work fulfilling and enjoyable.
“I would tell any future NHS students who are to be inducted to start their hours early. It’s important to choose something that they enjoy for their hours and choose something that makes a meaningful impact on the community, because it makes it much easier and much more fun,” Driver said.
According to Hanson, he already has some service opportunities in mind to get his hours in, and NHS’s current members have given him some ideas as well. Hanson said he had prior experience with community service, he brings up how he has spent time with his church with youth.
“There is an event at the football game for Breast Cancer night. I think I’m gonna sign up, and I’m excited for that. A lot of the leaders talked about wanting to volunteer at an elementary school, which I have already talked to some teachers about, so I’m excited to take advantage of that. And for me personally, there are a few volunteering things that I do through my religion and (I) volunteer at camps and stuff like that, so I think I have a lot of options,” Hanson said.
Meyer said the opportunities for students volunteering is expanding, with new members of the community reaching out to request the aid of NHS students. Meyer said since she’s had a few years under her belt, more groups are reaching out for assistance.
“There are hundreds of opportunities over the course of the year. We partner with so many community organizations (such as) Westwood Nature Center, all the elementary schools (and) Early Childhood,” Meyer said. “Now that I’ve (been an NHS advisor for a) few years, we have a lot of people who reach out who need volunteers, and we have this very big group of students who can provide volunteering.”
Driver said NHS has helped her try new things, even if they seem uncomfortable at first. According to her, assisting other people is a great way to overcome her fears.
“NHS has taught me to go outside my comfort zone, because it has made me reach out to people and do things that I was scared to do at first,” Driver said. “(Eventually) I realized that some things are not as scary as they seemed, like going to tutor, or (doing) other group projects.”
