The 2019-20 National Honor Society at MHS saw lower inductee numbers than usual this year with only 55 new inductees, 12 being boys.

The low numbers in the club this year put more pressure on the existing members to volunteer more often.

“[We] have to step up and take on more responsibility and hours giving back,” Senior Kylie Brua, NHS member, said.

The difference between the number of boys and girls in the club has yet to cause any noticeable changes or challenges, said Co- President Dillon Blake, senior.

He added, part of being in NHS is putting differences aside and working toward a common good.

“We are a diverse group, and everyone is here to help the community,” Blake said.

Because of the time commitment required of NHS members, many students chose not to apply.

“We require many hours of volunteer work from our members, so when we were working on finding new members, we made it clear that we had very high expectations,” Blake said.

The application process can be daunting to some, too.

To even be invited to apply, a student’s unweighted cumulative GPA is 3.7 or higher. Once invited to apply, students must then submit an application, which addresses how they fulfill the organization’s pillars of leadership, service and character.

“Care and consideration to be fair based on only the information in the application is highly regarded,” NHS Adviser Jennifer Fallon said.

Fallon added students take upholding the pillars of NHS very seriously, and consequences can be issued if students do not uphold them.

Five MHS faculty members, not the advisers of the club, review the applications and vote on admission. The decision process takes a full day.

Once inducted into the club, club members are expected to help out the community by volunteering and organizing events to aid others around them.

Members said while fulfilling work like this requires a lot of time commitment, the opportunity to help others benefits the members, too.

“NHS is a great club and brings good and happiness to everyone involved– the community and the club members,” Brua said.

Blake expressed a similar idea.

“I’ve been able to grow as a leader and a person,” said Blake, who added he has also enjoyed taking a bigger role in the community and helping others with their needs.

An example of one of the organization’s projects is an annual St Patrick’s Day Dance for adults who are developmentally disabled.

NHS provides snacks, decorates the venue and brings a lot of dancing high school students.

Fallon said, “It’s a great way to serve in a different capacity.”