Hamilton High School - National Honor Society: Service & Forms

NHS Service Hour Record   - Verify that everything that you have submitted has been entered accurately. If you have questions, please contact the Historian.

NHS Sponsored Group Service Form

• NHS sponsored group events- each event will have a student leader, officer or advisor check-in all volunteers and take a group picture.
• The leader is responsible for submitting the service hour form to the NHS basket in the IMC.
• The leader is also responsible for emailing the photo to an advisor.

Individual Pre-approval Form

• You may participate in 1 (one) optional non-NHS sponsored event
• Maximum of 5 hours for this event
• All individual service projects must be planned by YOU, and specific to NHS. It should not be a service event that is hosted by another Hamilton club or sport (exception HHS JOI club). It must not be completed at home of supervised by a parent.
• All hours on this form must have signed pre-approval from the advisor as well as a signature and contact information from the adult leading the event. If the advisor approved via email, please attach a paper copy of that email to this form.
• See individual service guidelines in box below

NHS Tutoring Form

• You must be registered to tutor through Student Services (deadline Sept. 29, 2023). Peer Tutor Application

• You must have the tutoring form pre-approved and signed by an adviser. If the adviser approved via email, please attach a paper copy of that email to this form.

• You may submit up to 10 total hours for tutoring. If you tutor more than one student, the total is 10 hours. (example: 7 hours for one student, 3 for another).

• If you tutor different students you must resubmit a new pre-approval form. If you are tutoring siblings in different subjects, you need two different forms, but if it's the same subject, one form is fine.

• Document the date, time, and what was covered for each session. Use the back of the form if necessary. 

• After tutoring, you must obtain a signature and contact information from the tutee's parent to verify your hours. If a signature is not possible, please ask the tutee’s parent to send a brief email to you confirming hours for you to attach for verification. You must have verification. (Exception to this is if you tutor in the  HHS library. You can have Ms. Gorski initial after each session)

General Guidelines for keeping track of your service hours:

• Keep track of your hours (group and optional 1 individual event).
• Prior to submitting hours make a copy or take a photo.
• Submit the hours within two weeks of when your group volunteered or you performed your optional individual event to the wire basket in IMC by Mrs. Gorski's desk.  Late submissions will be denied.
• The NHS Historian will post them in the NHS Service Hour - Google Doc.  Hours will be posted to the Google Doc within 2.5 weeks. 
• Senior hours due May 10th.  Junior hours due June 1st.  

Individual Service Hour Guidelines (optional 1 event):

The following guidelines have been adopted by the Hamilton Chapter of NHS: 

• Babysitting/Child Care- approved only when supervising children at an organization. (ex. childcare at church that isn't a paid position)
• Concessions or Fundraisers for another club, activity or community organization - these hours are not approved 
• HHS Co-Curricular, Club, Sport or Activity Volunteering:  As a member of a club/sport/activity there is inherent work that needs to be completed in order for things to run. This may be an event, meeting, rehearsal, recruitment event (8th gr. orientation), sporting meet/event, set-up/breaking down of performance, or cleaning of equipment.  If you are a member of this club/sport/activity hours are likely not to be approved for NHS service hours.  
• Team Manager: not approved for service hours as this is part of the team sport.
• Classroom helper/teacher helper: not approved
• Assisting neighbors, family members or businesses: moving, helping around the house, child care, cleaning, yard work, etc.- not approved
• Parent signatures are not accepted.  You must perform services that are part of an organization and not solely created/supervised by your parent.

Policy for Religious Services- "participation" in religious meeting or service vs. "event" sponsored by religious organization to help the community.

Participation in religious meeting/service does not qualify for NHS service hours.  This includes:

• Set-up/take down or preparation for service
• Decorating
• Baptism assistant or other "helping" during the service
• Choir, Musical Accompaniment, Technical support

The following are examples of "events" held at a religious institution that will be approved:

• Teacher or teacher-aide for faith based education for young children (ex. Sunday school)
• Assisting in the nursery/watching children in the nursery
• Food Drive- volunteering at event
• Shoe or Clothing Drive- volunteering at event
• St. Ben's in Milwaukee- service time only, not travel time
• Breakfast/Lunch/ Dinners and Fish Fry's THAT ARE NOT fundraisers for the religious institution or its school. In order to receive approval, we must have a signed statement from the director as to how the funds are distributed.  If the funds are for the church or church school (or their participants), then it is not allowed. However, if the proceeds are for a non-profit organization such as Inter-faith or a food pantry then the service will be approved.

Updated 09/17

Service Hours

Our chapter mission is to serve, as a team, with student leadership opportunities.

• Group-based service projects, headed by student leaders
• Projects focus on enhancing our school and community collectively 
• Less individualized service seeking (5 hours max individual service)

• Members are required to complete 20 hours of service from September through May unless otherwise specified by NHS advisors.

• All service hours must be pre-approved or posted in the NHS Google Folder

• Service “sign-ups” will be based on NHS posted opportunities focusing on “NHS team” efforts in the school, district and community.

• Members may submit a request for ONE OPTIONAL non-NHS posted service opportunity (max 5 hours).  A required pre-approval form must be filled out one week prior to the event. 

From the NHS bylaws: "Seniors must provide evidence of having completed all service work prior to May 10th each year and Juniors must submit documentation of having completed 20 service hours no later than June 1st of each year."

Failure to complete 20 hours of NHS specified/approved service will result in referral to the Faculty Council and the following:

• Juniors not being able to renew their membership for senior year
• Seniors not being able to graduate as a member of NHS (no NHS graduation stole or recognition in the graduation program)

You must participate in 1 NHS Sponsored Event from the list below:

Each event will be 2-3 hours

• NHS Blood Drive (donate blood or work the event)
• NHS Food Drive (November) work one or more shifts at the designated locations 
• Tricia's Troops Chemo Care Neighborhood Drive- chemo care items  (Spring drive)