Want to better your college applications and make the most of your high school experience? Then join our national honors societies! Hunterdon Central’s national honors societies create  fulfilling, enriching experiences that upperclassmen can participate in, which in turn help boost their college applications and give them something to look forward to after school. These societies also incorporate many service opportunities that can aid our community and our school. So what exactly do these honors societies entail?

To begin, our national honors societies are tricky to apply to. The application process and requirements for each society differ, but they usually focus on your grades. For example, to get into the Science National Honors Society, your overall science GPA must be above a 3.3. All of the honors societies are similar in this aspect in that they analyze your GPA to decide whether or not you are accepted.  Some are a little more difficult to get into, like the English National Honors Society. For that one, you must have had above a 90% in all of your English courses, have above a 3.5 GPA, and have at least 3 points in English-oriented activities. Those activities can include writing for The Lamp, completion of a journalism course, being on the speech and debate team, and so on.

Once you get past the application process, there is usually an induction ceremony, meant to assert your place in the honors society that you have joined. It’s a celebration of your application and acceptance! These typically take between 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how many people are in each society. For the language honors societies, the students meet in the evening after school. Each language is meant to memorize some sort of phrase, poem, or song to recite at the ceremony. For example, the French Honors Society had to memorize the phrase “Celui qui sait deux langues en vaut deux.” Translation: “He who knows two languages ​​is worth two.” When the students go up on stage, the officers read off of a script describing that specific honors society and its history, and then the students do their job. They typically will light a fake candle as well. Then, once all of this is done, each student is called up to receive a certificate and have their picture taken. It’s a bit different for each society. For the Science National Honors Society, students are called on stage one at a time, receive a certificate and a glowstick, and then once they get through everyone, the officers read a speech before instructing their students to snap the glow sticks. These glow sticks and candles are meant to represent how the students illuminate the societies and shine a light on their place in the world for all of the work that they do! 

After the induction ceremonies are complete, the societies return back to the ordinary schedule. They meet a few times a month and discuss their upcoming plans. They typically include service opportunities, helping them gain points and, in turn, receive credit for being in the honors society. If they don’t receive enough points, they can be kicked out of the society. An example of ways to gain points is to tutor someone in the subject. One way is, for example, something the French Honors Society does; they collect Thanksgiving food and supplies to donate as well as decorate Thanksgiving-themed baskets. Another example is in the Science Honors Society. They do several service projects like fundraisers and experiments. Each meeting is very important to attend, especially since just attending can gain you points. 

Finally, the last thing is the officers, who are significant people in the societes. Some societies only have two to three, but others have more, like the Science Honors Society, which has seven officers and one advisor. The advisors and the officers set everything up. They plan the meetings, the activities, the service hours, the fundraisers, and more. They get a lot of credit, and being an officer makes your college applications look great. It’s also just a super fun experience! They get to run a whole society of like-minded students. These societies are a fantastic way for students to get out there and meet new people, learn new things, and have new experiences.

Hunterdon Central’s National Honors Societies are, in a word, awesome. The application is rigid, the induction ceremony is a fun celebration, and the meetings always have good opportunities to gain service hours and points. Plus, they make for a stellar college application. Students love our National Honors Societies!