Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character and Citizenship are the five key components for membership into the National Junior Honor Society. Only students at the eighth grade level are considered for candidacy.
Scholarship
At the end of the second marking period of eighth grade, all current students achieving an a cumulative average of 90% or above, without rounding, through eight quarters, (first and second quarters of sixth grade, all of seventh grade, and the first two quarters of 8th grade) will be considered academically eligible for National Junior Honor Society. These students will receive, by email, notification of eligibility in February. Those students receiving notification will then need to demonstrate Service, Character, Leadership and Citizenship.
Service, Leadership and Citizenship
To be considered further for NJHS, each candidate must perform 10 hours of community service. This can and should be done over the course of all three years at FMS but must be completed prior to the date on which the Student Information Form is due. A community service resources list of suggested qualifying activities is available online on our FMS homepage. All community service hours are to be recorded in Section VII of the NJHS Student Information Form. Should students need to attach certificates or other documentation of hours, these items may be scanned and attached to their online submission of the Student Information Form.
To demonstrate leadership and citizenship, eligible students must complete the remaining sections of the NJHS Student Information Form in its entirety. The completed form must be submitted in the NJHS Google Classroom by the due date. Forms that are incomplete will not be accepted or reviewed by the faculty council. Student Information Forms will be made available to all students who are invited to join the NJHS Google Classroom after meeting the academic requirements described above.
As a final step, the FMS faculty council will convene to review all eligible candidates who have completed and turned in all required paperwork for leadership, service, character, and citizenship. The faculty council will select those students to be inducted into the NJHS. Selection to NJHS is a privilege bestowed upon students by the faculty of FMS. Membership is granted only to those students who have met the standards for selection which are communicated above. All potential candidates should be aware that one cannot apply for membership in NJHS and that submission of a Student Information Packet and subsequent review by the faculty council does not guarantee selection. Candidates selected for NJHS will be notified by letter and inducted during an evening ceremony in the spring semester.
The expectation is that newly inducted NJHS students continue to serve and positively contribute to FMS for the conclusion of their eighth grade year. Students who are not selected for induction will be notified by letter as well. Those who wish to appeal the decision of the faculty council should do so in writing by the date indicated on the letter notifying them of the council’s decision. For additional information or to answer any NJHS questions, students and families are encouraged to access our FMS website NJHS resources or contact the NJHS advisor, Melissa Abbasi at abbasim@guilderlandschools.net.
For Sixth and Seventh Grade Students
Use this table to document service hours to be included as part of your Student Information Form, which may be submitted for consideration in eighth grade.
Community Service Resource List
The following lists are to serve as guidelines for what will and what will not count as examples of service. In general, qualifying service hours are those activities for which no fee is paid or gift is given in return. Please note that this list is not all inclusive.
Qualifying Examples
- Albany International of H & A Children’s Program
- Peer mentoring
- Boy Scout, Girl Scout or 4H social service events
- Ronald McDonald House
- Childcare: church/synagogue, school, not-for-profit agency
- Yard work with a service group
- Church music groups (performance NOT during Church service)
- Food Drives
- Clerical/Secretarial backup
- Butterfly House
- Coach
- Organic Garden
- Cultural Fair
- PTA Functions
- Environmental Improvement Projects
- Ushering at plays/musicals
- Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen
- Working with people with special needs
- Fundraisers (non-profit): public radio/TV, overnight lockdowns
- Best Buds
- Habitat for Humanity
- Open House Tour Guide
- Holiday shopping & gift wrapping for charity
- Tutoring (not for pay)
- Office work at not-for-profit organizations
- Leadership at a religious retreat
- Recording songs/books on tape for the blind
- Teaching: Church school, classroom aide
- Religious youth groups volunteer work
- Town band (performance hours only)
- Volunteering at: nursing home, library, hospital, firehouse, Red Cross
- Church/Synagogue group activities outside of worship service (i.e. food drives, soup kitchens, helping shut-ins)
Non-Qualifying Examples
- Any activity for which you are paid
- School prom or ball
- Babysitting at home or for a neighbor
- Odd jobs at home
- Camp counselor
- CIT (Counselor in Training)
- Choir membership
- Scorekeepers
- Class associated activities
- Altar server
- Sports
- Helping immediate family members
- Empire Youth Orchestra
- Office work (parent or privately owned business)
- Preaching door to door
- Participation in religious services
- Club fundraisers, including Booster Clubs and Sports Teams*
*(unless money is donated to non-for-profit organizations)