Dedicated to community service projects and volunteering, the National Honor Society (NHS) is an honor society that operates in all 50 states. For over 100 years, it has served schools across the country, each chapter averaging 1000 hours of service and $26,000 in charitable donations. 

At West Linn High School, the club is run by five student leaders—Sarah Yuk, Zachary Santoso, Rhea Sukumar, Lucas Sobotta, and Emily Pierce, all seniors—with individual roles and responsibilities. Each officer is required to present a different service project to the club’s members at every meeting. These can range from cleaning the school parking lots to helping elders in the local area. 

At the February meeting, held on Feb. 10, Santoso, the club’s secretary, proposed a project that partnered with Friends of Trees, a nonprofit organization primarily based in Portland. Founded in 1989, Friends of Trees is focused on planting trees in western Oregon and southwest Washington through community programs and events. Two dates were offered at the meeting for planting trees in nearby cities: Feb. 21 at Brown Nature Area in Tigard and March 14 at Hillendale Park in Oregon City.

“It’s a really great project to be a part of,” Santoso said. “I wanted to do more environmental projects this year because I had a lot of requests for them. It’s a nice opportunity to do, and one of the most important things you can do for the environment is replanting [trees].”

When deciding which projects to offer club members, officers must research local businesses and opportunities; however, some organizations, including Friends of Trees, reach out to the leaders themselves.

“People from the organization come to help those who signed up and give instructions,” Santoso said. “I wasn’t able to make the one in February, and won’t be there for the one in March, but I’ve reached out to the other [NHS] officers to see if they can come instead.”

Friends of Trees offers similar opportunities throughout each month for anyone interested. They provide gloves, tools, beverages, and snacks, and the sessions last roughly four hours. Participants must register before the event, and those under 18 must complete a youth waiver.

Outside of service projects managed by organizations, a recurring opportunity is campus clean-ups. Yuk, the club’s communications liaison, has proposed one at every meeting, typically offering two dates each month. 

“[When choosing projects], we have a number of them that are based on precedent—things we have done in the past and continue to do,” Yuk said. “For example, we’ve made cards for hospitalized kids, dog treats, campus clean-ups, and tutoring, so we’re able to pull from those examples.”

At campus clean-ups, students sign up to sanitize and pick up trash around the school. These are generally outdoors, such as in the parking lots, but the December opportunities were held indoors to organize the classrooms. Every session lasts from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., and all necessary equipment is provided.

“I’ve attended every campus clean-up, and for the majority of them, I’ve actually gone out there and helped if I’m not walking around monitoring,” Yuk said. “They’re really interesting and a new experience for me because the core idea is that we’re picking up trash, so I think for many people, that’s not an exciting idea. But when you go out there, even when it’s raining, and see 20 other people doing it around you, it’s really awesome.”

To ensure attendance is accounted for and that there is an equal number of students at each session, those interested must submit a Google Form to state which campus clean-up they are attending. These spots generally fill up soon after the dates are announced.

At the February NHS meeting, officers announced that it was time for juniors to apply to be club leaders. Students interested were required to answer three short-essay questions, and a popular vote was held at the meeting in March. Interviews will also take place during Life class in the middle of the month.

“[For applicants], I think volunteer hours are important, [and] being organized, involved, and interested is important,” Santoso said. “Especially having ideas is important because what a lot of this comes down to is what students are going to add to NHS. Last year, when I was announced as an officer for this year, one of the service projects was my idea—I had given it to one of the officers, and they then hosted it. So, I’m hoping another new officer can come up with an idea as I did.”

This year, 11 students submitted applications, and five will be on the leadership board next year. Possible roles include president, vice president, secretary, social media coordinator, and communications liaison. Results will be announced after spring break.

“Something that has been the most important to me is the intention people have going into things,” Yuk said. “Two people can go into the same opportunity, for example to study for a test, but have totally different reasons for why they’re doing it. I think it’s awesome to have diversity and intention in what you do, but, for me, I want to choose a candidate who is genuine and sincere about what they are doing.”

NHS meets on the second Tuesday of every month during lunch in the Auxiliary Gym. Members are expected to meet a set of requirements throughout the school year and have at least 20 hours of volunteer service to be inducted. For more information, contact one of the officers or the club’s advisor, Brandon Smith ([email protected]).

“The NHS has an invisible impact on the school, and you really can make the whole community, whole school, better,” Santoso said.