Anonymous wrote:Sure! It's not going to alter the course of their lives, but for my kids, it was a nice way to do service projects. And it's a little feather in their cap that keeps some kids motiviated. Not a make-or-break ... but if you are invited, why not?

Do they get SSL hours for service projects?

Sure! It's not going to alter the course of their lives, but for my kids, it was a nice way to do service projects. And it's a little feather in their cap that keeps some kids motiviated. Not a make-or-break ... but if you are invited, why not?

Anonymous wrote:Well, first of all your kid has to
- have and maintain a good GPA,
- be of good moral character,
- needs a certain number of SSL hours to qualify,
- needs to be invited to join,
- needs to write an essay and get recommendations to complete application
- pay dues and then be inducted
- do a certain number of NHS sponsored activities to remain in NJHS.

An easy proposition if your kid is already all of these things. Otherwise, sour grapes.

Teacher recs too unless that is just HS

It's a good idea if your kid is otherwise weak on extracurricular activities and/or intends to submit an application somewhere for high school. If your kid already has other activities that allows the child to show their interests and show service outside of school, then there's no need.

It's also a good idea if your kid needs social opportunities. They may develop friendships that otherwise would not have formed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Worth what? It requires nothing.

You have to pay to join (can't recall how much) and your child will have to put in time. There will be other contributions for bake sales/can drives/donations.

Lol. Around $10 bucks (which can be waived if you cannot afford it) and another $10 for a t-shirt. You require to put in some time for service hours. No significant cost otherwise. A lot of kids get inducted. And then a larger majority of kids do not get invited or inducted.

Anonymous wrote:Well, first of all your kid has to
- have and maintain a good GPA,
- be of good moral character,
- needs a certain number of SSL hours to qualify,
- needs to be invited to join,
- needs to write an essay and get recommendations to complete application
- pay dues and then be inducted
- do a certain number of NHS sponsored activities to remain in NJHS.

An easy proposition if your kid is already all of these things. Otherwise, sour grapes.

A mini college application process.

Well, first of all your kid has to
- have and maintain a good GPA,
- be of good moral character,
- needs a certain number of SSL hours to qualify,
- needs to be invited to join,
- needs to write an essay and get recommendations to complete application
- pay dues and then be inducted
- do a certain number of NHS sponsored activities to remain in NJHS.

An easy proposition if your kid is already all of these things. Otherwise, sour grapes.

Not worth it.

Anonymous wrote:Worth what? It requires nothing.

You have to pay to join (can't recall how much) and your child will have to put in time. There will be other contributions for bake sales/can drives/donations.

Worth what? It requires nothing.

Mine did. I would say no. Even regular NHS is not really worth it assuming you have other strong leadership positions. One of mine declined to do it since he felt it would take time away from scouting which already offered tons of leadership and service opportunities. The other did it. Tons of kids were inducted. You had to participate in a certain amount of activities to stay active and graduate with the award. I felt like it was just a box to check. When I was in HS, it was much more selective.

Did your middle schooler join NJHS and if so, was it worth it?