Manhattan High’s National Honor Society chapter is recognizing the next round of sophomores for their academic excellence and demonstration of leadership skills by initiating them as new members.

“The process of selecting new members for NHS is I get a list of all the students that have a GPA of 3.5 and greater. And then after that all of those students get sent an invitation to apply for NHS and the applications are based on scholarship, leadership, service and character,” NHS sponsor Robin Mall said. “They are to write an essay about why they would be good candidates for NHS. I consider the essay, their community service hours and their GPA, then I have other staff members that help me to grade them.”

NHS members are now preparing for the induction ceremony to initiate the news members. The ceremony will be at 7 p.m. on April 29.

“All of the students who are inductees for NHS will receive a certificate,” Mall said. “It’s a ceremony where we also welcome new members along with new officers. And we have refreshments following the ceremony so it’s really nice.”

Being inducted into the National Honor Society is more than just a badge of honor — it is a privilege and a responsibility. These students have proven themselves not only to have the requirements for the club but have shown that they represent the four pillars NHS is based on: Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Character.

“Then you know if people are applying for scholarships and they are applying to different colleges.” Mall said. “It does look good on your applications because of those facts, because it’s not an organization you can sign up for, you have to demonstrate those characteristics.”

President Anna Jund, senior, is one of the current students who has seen the benefits of joining NHS.

“It’s pretty hard to give up your own time to volunteer for others but it really is so fulfilling and does really good for your school and community and it looks really really good on resumes.” Jund said. “It’s just fun to do and to get involved when you can.”

Being in NHS has changed Jund’s perspective of things.

“I think it’s just made me more apt to go out and volunteer. I became a coach for Special Olympics this year just because of volunteering and stuff and I really love it,” Jund said. “It kind of opens up your eyes to other people in the world and that you’re not the center of attention. You can do a lot for other people.”