NHS National Honor Society: Top of their class By Katherine Lacaze For the Seaside Signal The National Honor Society at Seaside High School is a hive of quality students who show excellence in scholarship, ser- vice, leadership and character. “These kids are all top- notch students,” said math teacher Mitch Ward, who has been the group’s adviser for about 20 years. Juniors and seniors are in- vited to apply for the National Honor Society if they have grade-point averages of at least 3.5 and have demonstrated ex- emplary character, service and leadership. They apply at the start of each new school year. The school’s four-member National Honor Society Fac- ulty Council sifts through the applications and selects those SEABREEZE YEARBOOK/SUBMITTED PHOTO New students are inducted into the National Honor Society for the 2015-16 school year during an assembly. Juniors and seniors can join National Honor Society if they have grade- point averages of at least 3.5 and meet other criteria. who make the cut. Once a stu- dent is inducted into the local chapter — which takes place during a ceremony at a student body assembly in January or February — they do not have to reapply. If their GPA drops below 3.5 they are given a pro- bationary period to pull it back up, but Ward said that is a very rare occurrence. The number of Seaside chapter members varies from year to year. Usually member- Go o d luck Sea sid e H igh W in ter Ath letes! Feather in their cap The National Honor Soci- ety, established in 1921, is the nation’s premier organization to recognize outstanding high schoolers. An estimated one million students nationwide participate in activities of the National Honor Society and its middle level counterpart, the National Junior Honor so- ciety. “It’s a really good feather in their cap for college appli- cations,” Ward said. “Across the country, it’s very recogniz- able.” Davis agreed, adding membership is good way to demonstrate to college admin- LVWUDWLRQRI¿FHUVWKDWDSHUVRQ was recognized by faculty as an outstanding student. “It’s more of a recogni- tion,” she said. Davis said she has had great success with her college applications, even those for oversea schools, and she be- lieves her National Honor So- ciety membership is a factor. Getting things done Once a student is awarded membership into a local chap- ter, he or she assumes certain obligations. According to the or- ganization, chapters must con- duct at least one service project for the school or community and encourage development of an individual service project for each member. Additionally, chapters may choose to sponsor fundraising projects or involve themselves with their school to reach other chapter goals. The Seaside chapter meets when necessary and participates in at least one community ser- vice project per year. For the 2015-16 school year, several members joined the North Coast Land Conservancy in Novem- ber to plant early blue violets as part of a habitat restoration proj- ect on the Clatsop Plains. GO GULLS! GOOD LUCK TO ALL SPRING ATHLETES, TEAMS & COACHES!! Simple Elegance 503.436.1151 988 S. Hemlock Street Cannon Beach, OR 97110 www.newmansat988.com ship hovers between 40 to 60, with about 20 to 40 new stu- dents inducted annually. For the most part, Ward al- lows the members to manage themselves under the leader- VKLSRIVL[RI¿FHUVZKRDUHVH- lected at the end of each school year for the following year by a vote that excludes outgoing VHQLRUV7KLV\HDU¶VRI¿FHUVLQ- clude president Cosma Davis, vice president Brenda Lopez, treasurer Sophia Trevino, sec- retary Bridgette Malone and co-sergeant at arms Aunnuka Brown and Zachary Marston. They all are seniors. Celebrating over 50 Years of Making Sweet Memories 200 N Prom, Seaside 503.738.6211 www.seasideaquarium.com • 2 LOCATIONS • Downtown Cannon Beach 503-436-2641 Seaside Outlet Mall 503-738-7828 www.brucescandy.com 10 • Seaside Signal/Cannon Beach Gazette • Spring 2016 • Seagull Pride