Most academic areas have an honor society made up of students and staff from around the school, and English is no exception. The National English Honor Society, a new addition to the FHS community this year, invited seniors to join this group over the summer, and they were inducted on September 27, 2023. The society focuses on tutoring and helping younger students hone their writing skills through programs throughout the building.
Yifan Wei, a new member of the group, described the induction ceremony as an “overall happy celebration”, where members were offered refreshments and individual certificates welcoming them into the society. She also told me more about the group’s role in the FHS community.
“NEHS is working to help other students with English, whether that’s tutoring after school [or] during Hawk’s Nest, or assisting in classrooms. While members still have to undergo training to learn from teachers […] how to effectively teach students, this tutoring service is expected to be coming soon […]. There is also an upcoming Uconn Writing Center Conference, which is an opportunity for the members to engage more with peer tutoring experience in order to become better suited to tutoring the underclassmen,” Wei said.
To be eligible for the society invitation, students must earn a minimum of 90 percent grade point average overall and in their English classes grades 9 through 11, as well as provide writing samples, teacher recommendations, and meet tutoring service requirements throughout the year. Yifan says that once you’ve met these requirements, this group has a strong goal for members to work towards.
“Students should join if they’re committed to tutoring underclassmen in their pursuit of language arts. [The] NEHS motto is “gelast sceal mid are,” which stands for “duty goes with honor” in Latin. This represents their focus and commitment on using members’ gifts and knowledge to provide service to others. This will not only provide a greater understanding of English itself, but it would be a great opportunity to interact with the underclassmen and to give back to the community. NEHS is a national recognition for a student’s achievements in school and is a distinction on college [and] job applications. It’s an opportunity to develop leadership and collaboration skills as well as an opportunity for networking with others who are enthusiastic or have accomplishments in language arts. Lastly, there are scholarships and awards provided by the national branch of NEHS that members of the Farmington chapter can apply for, another benefit of joining NEHS!” Wei said.
NEHS President Sarah Gerg, described her positive outlook about this year’s group saying, “NEHS members will soon be seen around the school as teaching assistants in English classrooms and tutors available during their study halls, during Hawk’s Nest, and after school. The group is taking a field trip to UCONN in early November to attend a writing center conference, and those who attend will then share what they have learned with their peers. [T]his society is very low stress, provides students with opportunities to work with their peers, and develop their own writing skills. I think this is going to be a great society with a really strong group of students and amazing advisors, and I am looking forward to seeing what this year will bring.”
If you’re interested in joining, you can email Gerg ([email protected]) and the group’s main advisors like Mrs. Bader, Ms. MacIntyre, Ms. Gallucci, and Mrs. Heinemeyer. Reach out to them with any questions about joining next fall.
