National Honor Society for High School Engineering/Robotics students?

[Robotmmm]

I am having a hard time understanding why this is not an idea that the CD community seems interested in. There are over 600 views of this post and no comments.

I believe this would be very beneficial for the students. Is the non-interest due to a disdain for honor societies? Or is there another reason?

[daniel_dsouza]

Originally Posted by Robotmmm

I am having a hard time understanding why this is not an idea that the CD community seems interested in. There are over 600 views of this post and no comments.

I believe this would be very beneficial for the students. Is the non-interest due to a disdain for honor societies? Or is there another reason?

At our school, our NHS program is not very rigorous (nearby schools are even more lax). While membership may be held in regard by scholarships and colleges (I can't see why, it is not very exclusive in my area), most students, and some teachers, treat it as a joke. The more serious volunteer organization at our school is our KEY club.

The same goes for Varsity Letters. The students involved in the robotics program do not really care too much about getting a letter that says "Robotics" on it, and are certainly not going to pay for $100+ for a jacket...

The fledgling engineering and technology programs are too new to have had the chance to gain any recognition. However, we do our best to bring [good] attention to the programs through our robotics program. I do not think that there will be any letter opportunists until our team is a force of nature. Our Government Debate team has won competitions and been recognized on an national level for several years, and we still don't have a letter for that...

Every robotics-student-alumni that comes down from college to visit, describes how their experiences in robotics helped them gain admission, or win a scholarship. In an essay, or during an interview, our FIRST experiences set us apart from the plethora of NHS/volunteer/Varsity Letter droves. We have a lot more to say than, "I volunteered at a hospital and homeless shelter and cleaned up a road." or "I showed up to practice, put in the hours, suffered the pain, and won 1st in state". Something about "working with mentors" and "developing problem-solving skills" and "team-leadership experience" and "connecting with local businesses as sponsors" really turns on interviewers; it isn't something than many people claim to do.

I wouldn't say that there is a disdain for honor societies, but rather that we have a much more unique payoff. This isn't to say that some of us would not like a Letter, or an official organization backing up our credentials.

Best of luck to you Mr. B. A faculty member that recognizes the value of FIRST is a valuable person indeed, and an honor to know. Please keep us posted.

[Mr. B.]

I appreciate those of you who have replied. From my seat, I feel very strongly that our students should be recognized at any and all levels for their time and commitment to FIRST. Our students earn their varsity letters like any other student athlete, they put in time 12 months out of the year and should be recognized. It took me three years to get the school board to approve our program as a varsity team, but to me it was time well spent. Being able to hand out varsity letters to our students at our year end banquet is AWESOME, and seeing future students striving to earn theirs has been a positive element here with MORT. Thanks again for your posts and hopefully we can continue to find ways to help us recognize our students! Mr. B.

[chmorroni]

As a student, I am extremely interested in this. How would one start such a thing?

[MrsC_2338]

I too feel strongly that our students should be recognized for their team efforts. Attempting to model other honor societies, I recommended to both our high schools (2 schools, 1 team) criteria that needed to be met in order to be awarded a graduation honor cord, and this includes student input: minimum of 3 years on the team, minimum GPA requirements, minimum community service/outreach hours, and a leadership role for at least 1 year.

One school just said no, you are not an honor society. The other school recommended the students be awarded a patch after successfully completing 4 years. Really?! Every sport hands out a patch for only a season of participation. Not sure why we should have to wait 4 year-round seasons.

We are unique as we are a hybrid of a sport and a club/activity and they just don’t know how to deal with us. If a ROBOTIC honor society was formed, I would be willing to do all the paperwork to get a chapter within our school district. An engineering honor society may not appeal to all team members because not all of our robotic students go on to pursue engineering degrees. Most, but not all.