National Junior Honor Society

The National Junior Honor Society is the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle school level students who have demonstrated excellence in five defining characteristics - scholarship, service,  leadership, citizenship, and character.

It is a privilege for our school to be affiliated with the National Junior Honor Society and to uphold and promote the ideals of that organization within our community.

When we begin the process to select inductees in grades six, seven, and eight, we first verify who is eligible based on their grades, effort, and conduct.  This is only part of what we recognize.  A committee of faculty members review the information those students submitted to find individuals who possess the responsibility to lead others by words and actions, who give their time generously to serve others; who actively participate in programs offered here at school and in their communities, and who are known for their integrity.

During the Induction Ceremony - The candle lighting ceremony is the oldest and most common tradition of the National Junior Honor Society.  The lit candle represents the Society's torch, the symbol of the eternal light of knowledge.  The candles represent Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Citizenship, and Character.  Membership to the St. Mary of the Hills Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society has been earned by the effective demonstration of these five qualities held in high esteem by the Society.

Students who are inducted into the National Junior Honor Society are recognized and honored for their hard work by receiving their Certificate of Membership and Pin, signing the Official Chapter Register, and raising their right hand, and taking the following Honor Society Pledge:

I PLEDGE MYSELF TO UPHOLD THE HIGH PURPOSES OF THE NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY TO WHICH I HAVE BEEN SELECTED.  I WILL STRIVE IN EVERY WAY BY WORD AND BY DEED ALWAYS TO SEEK THE LIGHT OF TRUTH, TO MAINTAIN HIGH SCHOLASTIC STANDING, TO GIVE MYSELF FREELY IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS, TO HOLD AS FUNDAMENTAL AND WORTHY AN UNTARNISHED CHARACTER, AND TO ENDEAVOR INTELLIGENTLY AND COURAGEOUSLY TO BE A LEADER IN MY SCHOOL AND IN MY COMMUNITY.

Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is both an honor and a responsibility.  Students selected for membership are expected to continue to demonstrate the qualities of scholarship, service, leadership, citizenship, and character that were the basis for their selection.