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Thanks for the feedback about NJHS...here's my initial request and the = replies I received. I'll be sharing this with our Leadership Team. QUESTION: We have a parent group interested in having us form a National Junior = Honor Society at our middle school. We have teachers opposed to this = based on the middle school philosophy of encouraging all students to feel = success and helping them all to build their self esteem. We do have team sponsored achievement celebrations that include academic, = attendance, citizenship, and improvement awards on most of our teams. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has formed a NJHS at their = middle school, or who have other academic achievement recognition programs = you are proud of. I'll post of HIT of replies. RESPONSES: I see nothing wrong with an NJHS. Maybe that can inspire some kids to be = better students and achieve in the classroom. I'm all for self-esteem, but = I have a son who is in fifth grade, and he says self-esteem comes from = knowing he is loved and his straight A-plus average. No one pushes him to = do well. It comes from him. But he is tired of seeing the teachers spend = so much time and attention on discipline and not enough on achievement. = Honor those young men and women who put school at the top of the priority = list. Chris Collins chris.collins9@gte.net I did not help form it, but my son was inducted to NJHS this year. He is = an eighth grader. He felt very honored and the ceremony was a handsome = affair with candles, a description of each inductee, recognition of = parents and teachers and the speakers encouraging all students to strive = to meet such goals. The philosophy of, as you wrote, "encouraging all students to feel success = and helping them all to build their self esteem" is very nice, but I see = no harm in recognizing deserving students for outstanding academic and = service achievements. These are not perfect kids, but they are kids who = get good grades, are helpful, respectful and concerned for the welfare of others. = They often get lost in the waves of students who misbehave and need = attention and also in the emphasis on athletic achievements. Why wait until h.s. to give such recognition? I think with today's = pressures, students need it earlier rather than later. Julia Steger, Librarian, Clifton Middle School, Covington = VA Dear Cindy: I am the sponsor of the NJHS here at our middle school. We = have found it to be very successful as it does recognize those students = who have leadership potential as well as high grades. We are involved in = many community projects and donate our funds to worthy causes. We run the = school store and take part in producing the morning news show. Even though we = too want to minimize the "competition" among students, the faculty feels = the need to also recognize those who go above and beyond what is expected. = We usually induct around 25?30 7th graders in the spring and about 20?25 = 8th graders in the fall. If you have any further questions, please do not = hesitate to contact me. My e-mail address is: diane_downie@pac.odedodea.e= du I am the advisor for our JH Honor Society (was formerly the HS advisor, = then did both for one year, and dropped the HS to work exclusively with = the 7th/8th graders ? they are _much_ more enthusiastic and willing to do = things for community service, leadership, and fundraising activities. = Because the organization emphasizes leadership skills as well as academic = achievement ? unless your school provides leadership opportunities to all = middle school students ? belonging to Honor Society gives members a leg up = for positive involvement with their school and community that will help = them when they get into high school. While promoting self-esteem is a = worthy endeavor, it seems counterproductive to deny students, who are = often the nonjocks or other "popular" students, the opportunity to gain = some excellent leadership and service experience, plus recognizing their = scholarship ability. Linda Klemp, LMS Montesano Jr.?Sr. High School 303 N. Church Montesano, WA lklemp@monte.wednet.edu 360?249?1924 Our Middle School has one ?I believe it works in a similar fashion to the = senior high organization. Our HS, however, is no longer following the = national guidelines and too many students have been admitted to make it = mean anything. I know one of the recognition's we use at MS at the end of year is = something like highest GPA? awards are given in each subject area and = recommended by staff. Also presidential Physical Fitness Awards are = given. AASL has a new award that librarians can give for Information = Literacy that may be worth considering. D. Marger Line Mt. H.S. Herndon, PA marger@ruralife.net We belong to the National Junior Beta Club. They let you set your own = standards. http://www.betaclub.org/ Our current standards are All A's = and B's and a "passing" grade on our state test. Beta runs a nice little state convention with academic and talent = competitions. They include crafts, map making, spelling bee, math = competition, trivia bowl, tower power (build tower from straight pins and straws in a time limit. Tallest tower wins) and more. Our club has about = 100 members and we take 20 ?30 to convention each year. They have a = blast. We do bunches of service projects here at school and are quite = active. I hope you find what you need. Heidi Lewis School Library Media Specialist and Beta sponsor Guinyard Butler Middle School Barnwell, SC 29812 library@barnwellsc.com Just a personal note. Dustin was inducted into the JrNHS in NC. At the = time it was a great thing for him to receive recognition. Not very many = students in his school were academically oriented and he was struggling = with a new school and friends, etc. It was really a boost. Just one = parent's point of view. Sue Sue Taylor, Teacher Librarian Great Lakes Elementary School Holland, MI tgrsat01@westottawa.k12.mi.us We chartered a National Junior Honor Society at this middle school about 9 = years ago. I am the chapter advisor. Overall, I think it has been a good = experience for the students. It certainly has fostered many opportunities = to teach about character, since every year there is at least one person = who has the grade but has not shown the other four qualities of character, = leadership, citizenship or service required to be invited to join. We = never single a person out, but we always stress to the whole student body = that grades alone do not get someone in to Honor Society. We also have a = nighttime scholarship banquet for any 8th graders (and parents) who have = stayed on the A or A/B honor roll their four years in this school. = Scholarship parties??ice cream, pizza, etc. are scheduled for the other 3 = grades??my Honor Society students help to host these. Athletes are honored = at a special night banquet for them and their parents. Students of all = grades are given awards for everything from perfect attendance to service = awards to straight A's in a rather lavish awards day ceremony each May. = Add to this the DARE parties/awards, the recognition of school "heroes" in = our Character Counts program, UIL participation in all areas, the Pride = Pins awarded by each teacher every six weeks in a special program and I = believe almost every child in the school is recognized for some sort of = accomplishment either as part of a group or individually. We, too, try to = help each middle school child to enhance their own self esteem. NJHS is = just one small part of a much larger effort here at C.O. Wilson. Sorry for = the length of this message, but when I started thinking about all the = different ways we try to recognize students, it went long. I probably = left some out, even then. Donnah Phillips Library C.O. Wilson Middle School Nederland, TX We have an NJHS chapter at our school and it works well. We recognize = other academic achievements, so why not do this. Our group is strictly = service oriented?we raise funds for the Humane Society, do clean?up and/or = landscaping at the local soup kitchen, do a book drive for an elementary = reading readiness program, etc. The students have also landscaped around = our school and several times have helped me in the library by moving books = and/or reading shelves. They do one fun trip a year for themselves. Hope this helps, Beth Pounds, Librarian Beasley Middle School 1100 South 18th Street Palatka, FL 32177 pounds_b@firn.edu We have a NJHS at our school. Selection includes academic, as well as = service requirements. The students are viewed as leaders, and set the = standard in many community service endeavors. I highly recommend it! Cindy Fiegenbaum LIS Bear Creek School Lakewood, CO =20 Hi, My name is Kristen Prevedel and I'm a 7th grade teacher at Gorman = Middle School in Colorado Springs. I am also the school sponsor of NJHS. = THis is my first year teaching as well as being my first year as sponsor. = I have seen some pros and cons with NJHS. Some of the pros are that NJHS encourages not only good academic scores, but also rewards leadership, = good citizenship, character and community service. It is a chance for = students in your school to get involved in the community and do some extra = service. Some of the cons are students tend to be enthusiastic to start = but tend to drop it later on. The sponsor has to put in quite a bit of work to get = the program started as well as to schedule community service activities. = There can also be hard feelings from those students who don't make it even = though they have the grades. If you have any questions feel free to = contact me. (719) 579?2615 Kristen Prevedel Cindy Dobrez, Librarian Harbor Lights School 3600 N. 152nd Ave. Holland, MI 49424 thlckd01@westottawa.k12.mi.us 616-738-6884 phone 616-738-6791 fax =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law. To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST, etc.) send email to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST 4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv. For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors: http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=