Elevating Excellence: National Honor Society Offers Students Opportunities to Excel at Olympic Heights 

For decades, the National Honor Society (NHS) has been an aspirational milestone for high school students who strive for academic achievement. Founded in 1921, NHS embraces four pillars: scholarship, service, leadership and character.  

To be accepted into this prestigious organization at Olympic Heights, students must have a 4.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and complete an application providing evidence of scholarship, leadership, service and character. They must be in good standing at OH with no behavior issues. Staff writer Amelia Welch took the opportunity to interview the NHS club sponsor, Ms. Koher to share her perspective.

“In 2016, I took over the club after the former adviser retired. It was the first time I got involved in an extracurricular activity at OH, and I thought it would be a fun club to run,” shares Koher. 

National Honor Society tops its numbers at 1.4 million students across 50 states. Olympic Heights plays a part within this large club supporting current numbers of 155 members representing the class of 2024 and 158 members from the class of 2025. NHS is one of the largest clubs at Olympic Heights. With an organization this size, members can make a meaningful impact on the community through its service projects. Community service opportunities are optional for juniors but mandatory for seniors who want to work toward earning an honor cord to wear at graduation. Most recently, NHS partnered with Boca Helping Hands to fill over 250 boxes for the Thanksgiving Box Brigade so that less fortunate families in the Boca community could have a Thanksgiving meal. Koher shares, “Even though it’s sponsored through NHS, the event is open to the whole school so that anyone can participate in it. A lot of students started filling boxes their freshman year and have donated all four years of high school. I hope that this instills a lifelong desire to give back to the community.” The next NHS community service project is writing letters to deployed U.S. soldiers.  

During the third quarter of each school year, rising juniors and seniors are invited to apply for membership. To be considered for membership, sophomores and juniors must have completed three high school semesters and achieved a cumulative, weighted GPA of 4.0 or higher. It will then be up to invited students to complete and submit the invitation by the assigned deadline. Once all student documentation has been reviewed by Ms. Koher, along with a committee of faculty and administrators qualified applicants are notified of next steps to prepare for induction.

“The induction ceremonies are always memorable for me. It’s such an honor to be invited to become an NHS member, and to see how many students are not only eligible but also complete the membership process is exciting. I really like seeing all the students dressed up for this prestigious event. I also like seeing the NHS officers lead the ceremony, highlighting their leadership skills,” says Koher.

National Honor Society provides students with a multitude of opportunities and engagement throughout their community. Taking part in this club helps students recognize the importance and value of helping their community.