A Study In Student Leadership: Serving with Honor
By Brooke Foster
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Leadership can come in a variety of forms. Throughout history, there have been many notable names when it comes to leadership. When you first think of a historical leader, who first comes to mind? Did they work to save lives like Florence Nightingale? Maybe they dreamed about inspiring social change like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What about President George Washington leading troops to victory and freedom during the Revolutionary War? While it may seem as if a leader needs to have specific qualifications and backgrounds, that is absolutely not the case. The truth is a leader could be just about anyone: a friend, teacher, teammate, or even a family member. Here at NorthStar Academy, students can get introduced to ways they can serve through leadership. The National Honor Society (or NHS) is one of these opportunities.
According to their website, the National Honor Society has worked to promote core values of leadership through the four pillars since being established in 1921. The pillars are scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Members of the National Honor Society are divided by their individual chapters. There are many schools across the globe that offer high school students between grades 10-12 the opportunity to apply for NHS membership. NorthStar Academy is one of these schools. At the start of every academic year, students can download and fill out an application, submitting it to the Guidance Department for approval. For the 20-21 school year, almost sixty students are able to call themselves a new or returning member of the National Honor Society!
One of the four pillars of leadership is service. Throughout the school year, National Honor Society members are required to complete and log a minimum of 25 community service hours. Over the years, NSA’s National Honor Society members have served communities both in the United States and abroad. When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the service offerings for students, members needed to get rather creative on how they could serve their community safely, whether in or out of NorthStar Academy. We recently spoke to a couple of the newest NHS recruits at NorthStar about their service experiences.
How have you been volunteering within your community?
“Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, I haven't been able to reach as many programs as I have wanted to,” says Alexis Tuyo. “I'm currently involved in something called ‘Assissteens.’ We reach out to many organizations. We have a "Thrift Shop" where we take donations and sell them in order to fund our programs. I'm [also] involved with "Awana," which is a Christian program for younger kids.”
One National Honor Society member needed to get creative within their local community: “I have been doing no contact cleaning of my elderly neighbor’s yard since she cannot do it herself physically; otherwise, COVID-19 has made other contact service [opportunities] challenging. I continue to look for virtual opportunities to serve.”
Do you have a favorite volunteer activity? If so, what is it and why?
One National Honor Society member is passionate about helping members of their local four-legged friend community! “I love to help people with animals and doing animal adoption days, which I did before COVID. I enjoy this service activity because I love animals and want to help with adoptions.”
Alexis said one of her favorite volunteer opportunities within her community is “Safe Passage”: “We help deliver food to people who cannot afford to feed themselves due to being laid off or other circumstances that may have left the family unable to provide food for their family. I love seeing the faces of the kids there when they receive their food. They're always so happy and it amazes me that they're able to be that happy in the situation that they're in.”
Finally, what do YOU think makes a strong leader?
Simply put, Alexis says compassion comes to mind when she thinks about leadership. “I think I would say that is what makes me a strong student leader is how willing I am to help others with what they need. Even if I didn't know exactly what someone wanted, I'd one hundred percent try to help them out, even if it is just directing them to someone that would do a better job than I could.”
“I think a student who steps up and takes on projects or leads in prayer for other people,” says another National Honor Society member. “[They] help people realize their potential and give out clear but respectful directions.”
As you can see, although stepping into roles of leadership can seem challenging, the first step is as simple as getting involved. If we look back to historical heroes such as George Washington or Dr. King, we can see that there is one thing they had in common: they wanted to make a change. All it takes is an idea to spark a movement. So get out there and make that difference!
Brooke Foster is going into her third year with NorthStar Academy. She is currently serving as Student Council President for the 20-21 school year. In her free time, Brooke enjoys reading, writing, singing, and listening to the latest Broadway soundtracks. In the future, Brooke hopes to be able to use her skills to give a voice to those in need.