# National Honor Society

The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members.
The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to recognize outstanding students, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools.
Membership in local NHS chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student by a Faculty Council and is based on the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.

## History

The National Honor Society was established on March 1, 1921 by Dr. Edward Rynearson, a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), which is the parent organization of the NHS. Rynearson, then the principal of Fifth Avenue High School in Pittsburgh, PA, envisioned an organization that would balance academics and athletics while emphasizing the role of high schools as a foundation for democracy. Prior to the establishment of the NHS, numerous local and regional honor societies existed, but the NHS was the first organization of its kind with a national scope.
Since its inception, the NHS has expanded significantly, with over 17,000 active chapters across the United States and beyond.
In 1929, the NHS furthered its reach by introducing the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) for middle school students. This expansion was complemented in 2008 with the creation of the National Elementary Honor Society, a collaboration between the NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), aimed at elementary school students.
The NHS operates through a decentralized model, granting autonomy to local chapters for innovation and adaptation within the framework of the NHS National Constitution. This approach allows chapters to address specific local needs while adhering to the overarching principles of the organization.
The operational management of the NHS is overseen by the NASSP, with strategic guidance provided by the NASSP Board of Directors. This structure ensures the continuity of Rynearson's vision and the organization's impact on students' lives.

## Symbols

The four pillars of NHS are Scholarship, Character, Leadership, and Service. Its colors are blue and gold.

## Chapters

National Honor Society chapters operate in all fifty states, territories, and many schools around the world, engaging and serving more than 1.4 million students.

## Activities

Each year, the average NHS chapter contributes:
* 1,000 hours of school/community service
* $26,000 in charitable donations
* 1,000 pounds of food to local, state, and national causes
Since 1946, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has awarded more than $23 million in scholarships to outstanding NHS seniors. Each year, NASSP awards $2 million in scholarships to 600 students, including one National Winner ($25,000), four NHS Pillar Winners ($10,625) 20 national finalists ($5,625 each), and 575 national semifinalists ($3,200 each). Scholarship recipients are selected based on their demonstration of the four pillars of NHS: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.

## Sister organizations

* National Junior Honor Society
* National Elementary Honor Society
* National Student Council

## Notable members
### Arts

| Name | Chapter | State |
| Alda, Alan | St. Thomas More High School | NY |
| Besterman, Doug | Ramapo High School | NY |
| Bodett, Tom | Sturgis High School | MI |
| Bradley, David | Bedford High School | PA |
| Cameron, Peter | Castlemont High School | CA |
| Cavett, Dick | Lincoln High School | NE |
| Cobb, Lee J. | Redford High School | MI |
| Couric, Katie | Yorktown High School | VA |
| Crawford, Cindy | DeKalb High School | IL |
| Davis, Jim | Madison-Grant High School | IN |
| Estefan, Gloria | Our Lady of Lourdes Academy | FL |
| Farr, Jamie | Woodward High School | OH |
| Fey, Tina | Upper Darby High School | PA |
| Francis, Connie | Belleville High School | NJ |
| Gangemi, Joseph | Concord High School | DE |
| Goldberger, Paul | Nutley High School | NJ |
| Gross, Michael | Kelvyn Park High School | IL |
| Guy, Jasmine | Northside High School | GA |
| Harold, Erika | Urbana High School | IL |
| Henson, Jim | Northwestern Senior High School | MD |
| Lachey, Vanessa Minnillo | Bishop England High School | SC |
| Lynds, Gayle | Abraham Lincoln High School | IA |
| Mangione, Chuck | Franklin High School | NY |
| Morris, Sarah | Hutchison School | TN |
| Phillips, Stone | Parkway West High School | MO |
| Rogers, Fred | Latrobe High School | PA |
| Stewart, Jon | Lawrence High School | NJ |
| Streep, Meryl | Bernards High School | NJ |
| Swift, Taylor | Hendersonville High School | TN |
| Underwood, Carrie | Checotah High School | OK |
| Vinton, Will | McMinnville High School | OR |
| Voight, Jon | St. Thomas More High School | NY |
| Zindel, Paul | Port Richmond High School | NY |

### Education/Science/Business

| Name | Chapter | State |
| Allen, Joseph | Crawfordsville High School | IN |
| Bastian, Bruce | Twin Falls High School | ID |
| Bobko, Karol | Brooklyn Tech High School | NY |
| Cerullo, Leonard | Hazleton High School | PA |
| Dole, Elizabeth | Salisbury High School | NC |
| Iacocca, Lee | Allentown High School | PA |
| Keith, Leroy | Howard School of Academics and Technology | TN |
| McGuire, Patricia | Merion Mercy Academy | PA |
| McMonagle, Donald | Hamady High School | MI |
| Morava, Jack | Mercedes High School | TX |
| Penzias, Arno | Brooklyn Tech High School | NY |
| Plunkett, Roy | Newton High School | OH |
| Quinn, Jane Bryant | Niagara Falls High School | NY |
| Resnik, Judith | Firestone High School | OH |
| Silkwood, Karen | Nederland High School | TX |
| Whitson, Peggy | Mount Ayr High School | IA |

### Politics/Military

| Name | Chapter | State |
| Agrast, Mark | Charles F. Brush High School | OH |
| Battani, Marianne | Tuscola Community High School | IL |
| Bingaman, Jeff | Silver High School | NM |
| Block, John | Knoxville High School | IL |
| Brown, Joanne | Notre Dame High School | GU |
| Chiles, Lawton | Lakeland High School | FL |
| Cohen, William | Bangor High School | ME |
| Corzine, Jon | Taylorsville High School | OH |
| Ford, Gerald R. | Grand Rapids South High School | MI |
| Gabriel, Charles A. | Lincolnton High School | NC |
| Gonzalez, Felix | Riverside Military Academy | GA |
| Gray, William H. | Simon Gratz High School | PA |
| Griffin, Marc L. | Beech Grove High School | IN |
| Hastings, William C. | Newman Grove High School | NE |
| Hinojosa, Ruben | Mercedes High School | TX |
| Jackson, Henry "Scoop" | Everett High School | WA |
| Kirkpatrick, Jeane | Mt. Vernon Township High School | IL |
| Martin, Kevin | Charlotte Catholic High School | NC |
| McKernan, John R. | Bangor High School | ME |
| Miller, Robert | Bishop Garmon High School | NV |
| Robinson, Michelle | Whitney Young High School | IL |
| Moffard, Rose | Globe High School | AZ |
| Rodham, Hillary | Maine South High School | IL |
| Spade, Douglas | Camden-Frontier High School | MI |
| Sullivan, Mike | Douglas High School | WY |
| Yellowtail, William | Lodge Grass High School | MT |

### Sports

| Name | Chapter | State |
| Aikman, Troy | Henryetta High School | OK |
| Atwater, Steve | Lutheran High School North | MO |
| Bell, Earl | Jonesboro High School | AR |
| Belote, Melissa | Robert E. Lee High School | VA |
| Everett, Jim | Eldorado High School | NM |
| Fitzgerald-Brown, Benita | Gar-Field High School | VA |
| Gilbert, Gale | Red Bluff High School | CA |
| Glenn, Mike | Coosa High School | GA |
| Grogan, Steve | Ottawa High School | KS |
| Hoying, Bob | St. Henry High School | OH |
| Huber, Vicki | Concord High School | DE |
| Jansen, Dan | West Allis Central High School | WI |
| King, Lilly | F. J. Reitz High School | IN |
| Kinnick, Nil | Benson High School | NE |
| Lucas, Jerry | Middletown High School | OH |
| Mulkey, Kim | Exeter Turnpike High School | PA |
| Ripken Jr., Cal | Aberdeen High School | MD |
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