Getting accepted into the National Honor Society is not only about having the top grades. The nationwide organization also requires at least 30 hours of community service. When application time comes, many juniors struggle to find places and organizations that offer community service opportunities, as many don’t even know what technically qualifies as service regarding NHS.

“Service is one of the core principles of the National Honor Society, namely referring to actions done for or on behalf of others without any compensation provided to the individual performing the action,” Pascack Valley NHS Advisor Valerie Santo said.

When asked about how students can earn these hours, Santo encouraged students to get active.

“We’re really looking for people who are involved in the community, who are community-minded, and are interested in helping people,” Santo said.

According to Santo, typical ways PV students can volunteer within their community include participation in clubs such as Camp Raspberry, Pascack Pioneers, and Harvesters. Santo also recommends other local opportunities like volunteer work through the Hillsdale Environmental Commission and the Helping Hands Food Pantry.

Volunteering isn’t only limited to clubs and local organizations. PV senior and NHS President Rowan Gokhale earned volunteer hours by scoreboard-keeping for the PV Boys’ Basketball Team. Gokhale also tallied volunteer hours through peer tutoring.

“Peer tutoring can always just be with a friend as long as you have someone there to see it,” Gokhale said. “So, I would tutor one of my friends last year in the library during lunch, and whoever was there saw it every day, so she was able to sign off on that.”

Santo advises that people start getting active with volunteering as soon as possible, rather than scrambling last minute before the application deadline.

“We’re looking for well-rounded students, not someone that did two weekends of service,” Santo said.

Gokhale agreed with Santo’s suggestion. When speaking about his regrets when applying, Gokhale noticed many juniors rushing to get service hours. He recommends students get hours throughout their academic career and not a couple of days before sending in their application.

NHS requires a 3.85 weighted GPA and involvement within one’s community; Gokhale hopes these requirements don’t discourage juniors from applying to the NHS.

“You don’t have to be Superman to get into the NHS,” Gokhale said.“You just have to be an active member in the school.”

Ways to Volunteer by Tolu Bosede