The second annual honor society fair took place on Feb. 25 during lunch in the media center to educate the student body on the various application processes for these societies and to encourage sophomores and juniors, particularly under-represented minority students, to apply.
The fair was organized by AP Chemistry and AP Research teacher Brett Bentley and English teacher and Restorative Approaches Lead Lindsey Vance. “For the Honor Society Fair, my role was to support Mr. Bentley in hosting the event, specifically focusing on inviting under-represented groups to attend. As the Restorative Approaches Lead, one of my responsibilities is ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, can access the full range of opportunities available. This event aligns with school leadership’s commitment to promoting inclusivity and equitable access within the school community,” Vance said.
The honor society fair’s emphasis on encouraging African American and Latinx students to apply stems from the lack of representation in honor societies. “In all honesty, I don’t think representation has changed much. Although some honor societies have more diversity than others, I don’t see much diversity in them. Specifically, in SNHS [Science National Honors Society], I haven’t seen many people who look like me or could represent me,” junior Ruth Bayou said.
National Honor Society, English Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, French Honor Society and National Art Honor Society all participated in the fair. Officers or members stood by their respective trifold, providing information to attendees regarding the requirements for joining, responsibilities as a member and how to apply. “We should make sure everyone knows the requirements because, in most cases, you don’t need a lot to join,” Bayou said.
To encourage African American and Latinx students to apply, the honor society fair featured a panel of students from these backgrounds who are members of honor societies. The students were asked questions about why they joined their honor society, how they felt about minority representation in their respective honor societies and why they would encourage students to apply. “My main goal was to encourage as many people as possible to sign up for honor societies, but more specifically, to ask questions and not be afraid to dive into areas outside of their comfort zones,” Bayou, who spoke on the panel as a representative of Science National Honor Society, said.
In addition to encouraging underrepresented minorities, the honor society fair was designed as a way to advertise honor societies and provide information about them in one central location. “I won’t lie, honor societies aren’t advertised enough. We hear about them, but it needs to be brought up more frequently. I know for a fact that if they were mentioned more often and promoted everywhere, then students would most likely give it a shot,” Bayou said.
Executing the honor society fair did come with challenges, particularly due to the fact that the event took place during lunch. “It has been challenging to get students to attend academic-related events during lunch. Lunch is a time for students to eat and relax with their friends. I want to identify a time and date when more students will be inclined to attend,” Vance said.
Overall, students found that the honor society fair was an effective and convenient way to learn more about the application processes of the various societies at this school. “I really enjoyed the honor society fair because it was very informative and helped me with preparing for the application processes,” sophomore Sanaya Dixit said.
