Mountain View’s National Honor Society is a well-known club that brings a fresh dose of intelligence and community service to the school each year. After enriching the lives of many students each year, the club is left with only one problem: Low attendance. When interviewed, both Emma Buer and Mrs. Austad explained why National Honor S is such an important experience and why more students should apply for it next year.
In addition to being a special ed teacher, Wendi Austad has served as the supervisor for Mountain View’s NHS for 4 years. When asked what she likes about her job, Mrs. Austad replied, “I enjoy working with the students and serving the people in our community, and our school community, and in our other community, I like helping people.” These values have inspired her goals for the NHS this year: “To serve the MVHS community more, and to make sure everyone knows that they feel valued and seen at MVHS.” Clearly the club is out to make a positive difference in the school, and Mrs. Austad’s values align excellently with the values of the NHS. Those that choose to come to NHS meetings will not only be able to help people, but they will also get to be led by someone who cares about the club and what it stands for.
In addition to Mrs. Austad, Emma Buer also plays a role in leading the NHS. Buer is a senior and serves as vice president of the Mountain View High Schools National Honor Society. When asked why she wanted to be in the club in the first place, she said, “I think NHS is just a great service opportunity and I love the idea of a club that takes really good students with good motives and dedication to get together and serve the community.” She also added that the quality of the club is increased because the people that show up want to be there and want to serve. Dedication and enthusiasm are certainly effective ways to enhance any extracurricular experience. The more people that sign up and see what a great experience the club is, the more people will be motivated to show up, increasing attendance and the overall NHS environment.
In both interviews, Buer and Mrs. Austad were asked why students should apply for the club next year, Buer said, “I think you should apply for the NHS because it’s such a fun group of people, and a great service opportunity,” She explained how the club helps a student, “Grow as a person and get more life experience in going out and the community and getting involved and serving those around you. I think those are great skills to have in life in general, and I think NHS really helps build those characteristics in people.” In response to the same question, Mrs. Austad said, “it teaches you how to be a better person academically and in service and in the community; it’s there to help you reach your full potential.” Without a doubt, both Emma Buer and Mrs. Austad believe that more students should be applying and showing up to the NHS. It is an enriching experience that you will not regret, and any readers who are on the fence about applying should absolutely give the club a try.
