Pamela Maupin
National Junior Honor Society, Advisor
480-472-9919
The George N. Smith Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society is an oppportunity for students who exhibit the following qualities:
Scholarship- A student must maintain a 3.5 or above grade point average for three consecutive grading quarters.
Leadership- A student must show involvement in some capacity as a school/ and/or community leader.
Service- A student must complete a required number of service learning hours for someone outside of the immediate family to make a positive contribution to the community.
Character- A student must have no serious discipline issues or write-ups. This is determined through screening of the administration and faculty at our school.
Citizenship- A student must act as a role model for other peers by making a positive difference every day.
Recruitment
Once it is determined that a student has the above qualities, an invitaton is sent to the student to apply to be a member of National Junior Honor Society. This takes places in May at the end of seventh or eighth grades. A meeting is held before school to discuss application requirements. A packet is distributed with important information. If an applicant cannot attend, he/she needs to meet with the advisor to obtain a packet and go over the application process. Packets are due completed to the advisor in August of the following school year. Attention should be paid to dates and deadlines.
Selection
Completed packets that are turned in on time are reviewed by the Faculty Council for NJHS. This consists of six teachers from Smith from different departments. The selection process is thorough taking into consideration the qualities needed to be a member of NJHS. Once selections are made, a congratulatory letter is sent to each applicant who is accepted.
NJHS Faculty Council for 2009-2010
Colette Bos, School Improvement Specialist
Ed Castorani, Social Studies Teacher
Suzanne Erickson, Art Teacher
Roxanne Karges, Family and Consumer Science Teacher
Lynn Kusch, Mathematics Teacher
Janette Ramsey, English Teacher
Thanks to all of these staff members who selected this year's new inductees.
Elections
Following this selection process, any current or new member of NJHS is invited to run for an officer of NJHS. Each candidate must fill out an application form and then write a short speech discussing his/her qualifications. Offices are President, Vice-president/ Historian, Secretary, and Treasurer. The election is held before school in our cafeteria before inducting our new members.
Congratulations to our new NJHS officers for 2009-2010
President- Patience Pearson
Vice-president/ Historian- Summer Abdeh
Secretary- Brylee Sage
Treasurer- Leezet Matos
This group of young people will make a fine leadership team for NJHS this year.
Induction Ceremony
On September 28, a formal induction ceremony was held in our auditorium in the evening. Family and friends of inductees were invited and encouraged to attend. This included guest speaker, Mr. Casey Eagleburger, our new principal, sharing congratulatory thoughts with this distinguished group of students. A solemn candle-lighting ceremony was held during the induction discussing the very qualities that should be displayed by each member of NJHS. This evening also included the induction of the newly elected officers. After, we shared some delicious cookies and lemonade with all in our cafeteria. A special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt, our Smith math teacher and his wife, for donating the scrumptious oatmeal raisin cookies for us to devour. Thanks to all who were in attendance to share this auspicious occasion.
EXTRA- SPECIAL GUEST
We were honored to have Dr. George Smith attend our first NJHS meeting of the year on October 5th. He spoke to us giving words of encouragement and personally congratulated our new inductees. He also donated a generous amount of money to our group to use for our community service projects this year. Thank you, Dr. Smith. We enjoyed your surprise visit.
Thanks to all staff and students at Smith JH who donated toys, wrapping paper, and Scotch tape for our annual drive. Many families benefitted due to your generosity. Special congratulations goes out to Mrs. Angela Wells second hour homeroom. They collected the most and received a reward of milk and cookies before our holiday break!
Our next meeting will be held on Monday, March 1, 2010, in our cafeteria from 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. All members should have transportation home promptly after our meeting.
This Spring NJHS will again send a team to represent Smith JH at the annual East Mesa Relay for Life at Red Mountain High School. This year it will happen on April 17th. So mark your calendar. If you are interested in walking with our team, please contact Mrs. Maupin, advisor, or any NJHS member. We are already planning our fund raisers to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We are also looking for cancer survivors who would like to join our team.
Fund Raiser for the American Cancer Society
NJHS is selling Valentine cards and Valentine cards with teddy bears from Feb 8-11 before or after school in our courtyard. The cost is only $1.00 for a card. If you want a teddy bear sent with the card, it is an additional $1.00. Cards can be purchased alone, but not bears. Delivery is free and will take place on Friday, February 12, during second hour ELT classes. You must know the first and last name of the person you are sending it to and their second hour teacher or room number. Most importantly, most of the proceeds from these sales will be given to the American Cancer Society.
Purpose
The focus of NJHS is community service. We meet once a month on the first Monday of each month to plan projects that positively contribute to our community and our world. We have been involved in a diaper drive for the Child Crisis Center, helping our soldiers overseas through Packages from Home, a new toy, wrapping paper, and Scotch tape drive to benefit Smith families at winter holiday time, giving gifts to our Smith faculty for Teacher Appreciation Week, and Relay for Life at Red Mountain High School, a walkathon for the American Cancer Society, to name a few of the things we have participated in. We continue each year to implement community service projects that make a positive difference.