CGS National Honor Society

Membership in the National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a high school student. At CGS, our chapter strives to give practical meaning to the Society’s standards of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These four ideals are considered as the basis for selection. No student is inducted simply because of a high academic average. The National Honor Society strives to recognize the total student—one who excels in all of these areas. 

Recent activities:

• A team of CGS NHS members took the lead to streamline and implement new processes for the CGS tutoring program. They created a new system whereby teachers and students can request a peer tutor to help with any subject. Students and teachers simply need to complete the Tutor Request Form and the NHS team will connect requests with tutors.
• Several other teams have been formed to evaluate and implement changes to weekly House lesson plans for students in the 10th through 12th grades. House meetings are important advisory meetings held each Wednesday for twenty minutes where students discuss issues concerning their academic and personal development. The NHS teams will help determine the most relevant and useful topics for discussion at each meeting. 
• NHS members are leaders in CGS clubs such as Model UN, Dramatic Arts, China Club, Garden Club, Japan Bowl, and Teen Talk to name a few. As leaders of their clubs, NHS members develop plans, organize students, and motivate their peers.

The standards used for selection to the CGS National Honor Society are: 

• Scholarship: determined by an unweighted GPA above 3.5.
• Leadership: determined by holding positions requiring the student to lead, direct, and/or support others in a substantial way.
• Service: determined by student participation and leadership in organized and/or informal programs that help their community and in particular, serving the CGS community.
• Character: shown by the student in their daily conduct: reflecting qualities of honesty, integrity, goodwill, kindness, compassion, community spirit. 

Membership, however, is more than an honor. It is an ongoing responsibility and an obligation to continue to demonstrate those outstanding qualities that result in a student’s selection. Membership also carries a responsibility to the chapter. If our NHS chapter is to be effective and meaningful, each member must become involved. Click here for full access to the chapter bylaws. 

At CGS, NHS chapter obligations include:

• Mandatory volunteering in the CGS tutoring program.
• Leadership roles in at least one CGS initiative. These could be clubs, the tutoring program, schoolwide organized events and initiatives such as potlucks, recruiting and student panels.
• Frequent participation in CGS initiatives.
• A commitment to involvement in a substantial way in an organized or informal program outside of CGS. 

The process for new candidates is as follows:

1. Each year around February, a list will be compiled of potential candidates based on GPA.
2. Letters will be sent out to candidates to their home addresses.
3. Candidates will be asked to complete an application explaining their involvement in school activities that demonstrate leadership and service.
4. CGS faculty will review each candidate for membership to the CGS National Honor Society.
5. Students will be informed of their acceptance to membership by May and will be inducted into the CGS National Honor Society.