The National Honor Society is a nationwide organization for high school students, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Calabasas High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society continues to thrive and help LVUSD students academically. The NHS provides free tutoring through Zoom to the students in all academic subjects twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

The National Honor Society is a national organization that is committed to the values of scholarship, service, leadership and character, according to Calabasas’ NHS Vice President, Katie Pool. The National Honor Society recognizes students for their accomplishments and encourages further active involvement in school activities and fosters a dedication to community service. 

“We have about 150 members at our school and over a million nationally,” said Joshua Tam, the Director of Hours of NHS at Calabasas.

For students to get into the National Honor Society,  applicants need to be involved in school activities and show academic distinction. They must also meet the organization’s criteria after filling out the application that can be found on the NHS website. 

“Applicants must be in grades 10-12, have a 3.0 GPA minimum, and submit essays exemplifying their scholarship, service, character, and leadership,” said Marni Merritt, the Secretary of the NHS board.

National Honor Society participates in numerous activities to give back to the community through volunteer organizations and supports students through tutoring and fundraising.

“My sister was part of the NHS, and I would always hear that it was [NHS] such a great opportunity, you get to collaborate with the top students in our school and work together to give back to the community. After hearing her experience with NHS, I felt motivated to join” said Rachel Weissman, Co-President of the NHS board. 

 Along with plenty of other organizations, the NHS was affected by  Covid-19 and had to adjust to  new circumstances. Members  meet over Zoom twice a month to discuss future plans as well as tutor students. Their community service events have also been put on hold since they are not permitted to gather.

The National Honor Society chapter wanted to focus on things which would make the most positive impact and help a lot of people while being online. The optimal resolution was tutoring because it works well online and brings value to both the students and school. Even though the capabilities of  NHS is more limited during the pandemic they are not giving up on activities that the program used to organize before online schooling. They’ve implemented covid-safe fundraiser nights to raise money for  non-profit organizations.

“It’s been a difficult situation, but everyone has worked collaboratively to help the effort succeed” said Isabella Solis, a tutoring commissioner on the board.

Even though NHS tutoring is valuable and enjoyable for the students through zoom, they are hoping to go back to in-person participation and work as a community to help others.