High School and the Evils of NHS

Think back to your own school experience: high school, junior high, even elementary school. What are some of the groups you remember? Did your school have "jocks"? "Preps"? Goth kids? Gamers? Care to place yourself in one of those groups? Can you remember any of the rules?
My high school graduating class was 63. I knew everyone’s name and had met most of their parents. In my hometown there was one elementary, one junior high, and one high school. In fact, all the school was linked together by hallways. Moving up schools didn’t mean meeting new people and having more options for friends. Of course, there were the students who transferred in from other schools, but those were rare.
Elementary classes were small; the average class was about twenty children. Up until about fifth or sixth grade, your friends were the children of the same sex who were in your class. In fifth grade, sports started to be an option for us. This started separating children into people who played sports and those who did not.
This trend continued into high school and intensified. Our school offered four sports a year, and it was very common for people to play all four. It made sense that athletes hung out with athletes because they spent most nights together either at practice or at a game.
Other groups existed too. Farmers hung out with other farmers. I guess they were fit what the articles classified as “hicks,” but to me that word has a negative connotation, and farming is such a common practice that it was not looked down upon.
Then there were people whose parents let them stay out late and hang out with older people. I don’t know exactly what to classify this group as. They did not have much guidance and experienced many things before most other people. An appropriate name might be the “wannabes.” I would not say they wanted to be like the athletes or anyone else, but they wanted to act older than what they were. They experience sex, drinking, and other things with older people.
As we entered high school, groups started to differ. In junior high, people played sports because it was the popular thing to do. Now people who weren’t as talented athletically began to quit. They had already solidified their social position and became what most people call “preps.” They were still friends with the athletes though. Other people became more interested in music, speech, and drama and started forming their own group. I call them the “arties.” The farmers remained the same. The wannabes were now the ones showing the younger kids sex and drinking. Some people swayed more to one group, but for the most part, everyone stayed in the same position they had in junior high.
This grouping did not bother me for the most part. I must say that I was definitely an athlete. I was also in band and ending up graduating Valedictorian. I was the girl who got most of the breaks because I made the game winning shot at the basketball game, then was the only person who aced the physics test. Still, I could see the game at work. One circumstance where it was most obvious was National Honor Society.
The National Honor Society says its goal is to recognize students who excel in areas of “Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character.” In order to join, students must be nominated and approved by multiple teachers. The point of this is to go beyond just grades. The effect is the more privileged students are accepted into the society in place of more qualified students. It is a glorified parent popularity contest. Students whose parents are on the school board or a member of the booster club always get in. Other students with better GPAs and who were much kinder to other students were rejected. The student’s parents have more of an influence on the selection process that the morality of the student.
I know one student in particular who graduated ninth in our class, participated in band, dance, and student council, and was never inducted into the society. Why? There is no legitimate reason for her not to be inducted, but then her parents were not friends with any of the teachers, so I guess there was no pushing force to get her in.
Although NHS does not make or break a college application, it does help. It is unjust to deny a qualified student that honor because of the politics of parents.
If this opinion seems like the ranting of a scorned student, furious to be denied acceptance, it is false. I was inducted into the society as a sophomore. I was very honored at first, but as I moved through high school and was more involved in the society, I lost respect for it. I saw too many qualified people be hurt by being denied acceptance. I saw even more unqualified people inducted and act arrogant towards others. My advice is to let students vote on members, because students know the character of other students much more than any teacher ever could.