The National Honors Society (NHS) is an organization in which students with a 3.6 unweighted GPA and demonstrated community involvement and service at LHS push themselves to run different nonprofits across the community of Libertyville.

Senior Jack Gerber, president of NHS, believes that NHS is just a “good group of people.”

“We do a lot of volunteer work,” Gerber said. ”That’s just kind of a goal…We have people email us about jobs that are needed…like, wheelchair sports events.”

The average NHS meeting consists of getting and sending emails with a clear agenda for people who they need to contact.

For members of the club, at least eight service hours are required to stay in each year. 

Since NHS holds students to such a high standard, the application process can be somewhat strenuous. 

“To get into NHS, you need at least 3.6 GPA unweighted,” Gerber said. “And you have to write an essay about why you want to be in NHS or what you do around the community. And then after that, a board of teachers go through [it]… It depends on your relationship with your teachers and all that, as well as –  if you’re keeping good grades and doing a lot, then you should be good enough to go in.”

There is though, still a chance even if a student doesn’t achieve the grades needed to join the organization, they could still re-apply your senior year. “It’s good for colleges,” Gerber said. “They love seeing it. So I think it’s always beneficial.”

NHS is mainly focused on doing acts of kindness and service around the community, even if a student is just involved in the group because they want to get community service hours for university. 

“I love doing volunteer work, [such as] over the summer and stuff,” Gerber said.  “I feel like we’re all fortunate where we can go out and help other people that need it. And that NHS is a good way to just go through that.”

NHS can be a way for students to get extra service, catching the eyes of universities around the United States. Colleges can learn through NHS how motivated students really are in their willingness to help people.