Springfield Township High School has three honors societies: NHS, Tri-M, and NAHS. Regardless of their different purposes, each club holds high standards for its members and is dedicated to promoting service throughout the community. The Chronicle wanted to explore the purposes of these honor societies and how they differ from each other by interviewing some of the student leaders of the clubs.
National Honors Society (NHS)
National Honors Society promotes well-rounded individuals with four main pillars: scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Jaqueline Walters, a senior and an ambassador of the club, further describes the club as “about keeping your integrity and doing well in school.”
To be accepted into NHS, a student must have a 3.7 cumulative GPA at the end of sophomore year, write an essay about their character, sign a pledge promising integrity, and complete at least 10 hours of service each semester.
At Springfield’s chapter, students can become ambassadors for NHS, meaning they take on more responsibility for keeping the society running smoothly. Walters, one of the ambassadors, explains, “Our job is to promote the club and look for more service opportunities to spread to the rest of the club. We are kind of like the behind-the-scenes of the club, and we help set up opportunities and events.”
Once a student is in NHS, through its pillars and requirements, students can push themselves academically and socially. Walters says it not only “pushes [her] to keep [her] grades up” but that “NHS has helped [her] connect more with [her] community and get involved more with service and also help [her] become more of a leader.” She hopes that every student in the club feels that way, as she believes NHS is a great opportunity for students to grow in the community and in their classes.
Tri-M Music Honors Society (Tri-M)
Tri-M is a music honors society for students who excel in music and academics. Additionally, members provide service to the community in the form of music.
Getting accepted requires a cumulative B average and an A in every music class the student takes; students can apply starting the spring of their sophomore year.
Josie Clark, a senior and co-president of Tri-M, explains the service aspect of the club. “We help at the elementary schools a lot, and we do a lot of things outside of Springfield, too. We performed at two Stag and Doe performances in Chestnut Hill, as well as at a nursing home. We are also planning a big charity concert for the end of the year.” To stay in the club requires dedication to service in music by going to at least one service event per marking period as service is a big part of the club.
Clark is a co-president with Helen Lutz, with an additional five executive board members. Clark describes her role: “Helen and I oversee everything that goes on… We make sure all the members and the board are doing what they are expected to do and then we also plan our meetings, both for officers and everyone.”
Though Tri-M matches other honors societies in terms of requirements, its main focus is music. “I think being a part of Tri-M is way different than being part of just a music ensemble because you have this group of our most dedicated musicians…Tri-M is just this smaller group of your best musicians that really care about what they do; everybody in it plays at their highest level,” says Clark. The club hopes to continue and grow in future years.
National Art Honors Society (NAHS)
National Art Honors Society runs at Springfield as a club for any artists who want to expand their knowledge and pursue art while also dedicating time to service in the community through art.
Unlike other honors societies at Springfield, it has no requirements to go to the club meetings and no academic requirements, however, to be inducted a student must accrue points in the club through service and participation.
The two co-presidents, junior Paulina Orfe and senior Ronan Cullina, want NAHS to be a welcoming space for all artists. Culina says, “NAHS is a place for artists to come – beginner artists, intermediary artists, advanced artists, where we can all discuss art, discuss our own art, and work on projects that we share as groups… we want to give everyone a place no matter what their level is to just enjoy art and be around other artists.”
Service is a big part of the club and NAHS has many opportunities. Orfe describes Chairs for Charity where, “[they] reuse old chairs, paint them, and auction them at the festival of the arts in the spring,” and their Neat Knitwear project where, “members who knit, crochet, or sew have the opportunity to create items which we then sell and donate the profit.” Additionally, they do a worldwide project called the Memory Project where “[they] receive photos of children from other countries and get the opportunity to paint them and send them back as a keepsake for those kids,” says Cullina.
As co-presidents, these two have big aspirations for the club’s future. Cullina says, “We’ve really been pushing to make the club better and do everything we can to make it a more welcoming and enjoyable space.” They both plan their meetings and outside-of-school group events for the members to connect and create friends in the art community. Additionally, Cullina describes the hope for the club to be “somewhere you want to go, we want everyone to feel welcome.”
