Big changes could be coming to National Honors Society, an organization that has long been a staple at Millard South. NHS could be dropping some of its largest and most recognizable events, including the newly-renamed Ultimate Patriot pageant and the Trunk-or-Treat event they put together at Bryan Elementary each October. Instead, NHS could shift its focus towards more community service events outside of the school.
Candace Ahrens, an English teacher and the group’s primary sponsor, says that, currently, the fate of these events are unknown. She says she’s “hoping to look at more community-based service hours and doing a different type of fundraiser for next semester.” What that will look like is yet to be determined. Ahrens is purposefully noncommittal towards any commitments for the group next year, as she hopes her new co-sponsor, a teacher new to the building, could provide the group with ideas.
“I want to keep things open, so then [the new sponsor] is able to come in with their ideas and a fresh perspective,” Ahrens said.
Despite no official announcement, rumors continue to circle surrounding the potential demise of NHS’s large events and their potential replacement with more outside community service events. Jenna Hellbusch, an NHS officer involved in the group’s transition, suggested partnerships with local food banks and the Humane Society as potential NHS events next year. Hellbusch also speculated that, if these changes were to be adopted, NHS members would be required to complete more community service hours, up to 20 from the 15-hour requirement this year.
To offset the increased community service requirements, the number of meetings would likely be decreased.
“If there’s not a big event that we’re running, like The Ultimate Patriot, there would be no reason to need as many [meetings],” Hellbusch said.
Reactions within NHS are mixed. Some junior members say they support the changes, while others are upset about losing the events that distinguished NHS from other groups at the school. While Hellbusch falls into the first camp, approaching the new changes with optimism, Evelyn Vanek, a junior NHS member, falls squarely within the second camp.
Vanek, a first-year NHS member, said she is upset about losing some of NHS’s larger events. Bryan Trunk-or-Treat, an event at risk of being permanently discontinued, Vanek said was her favorite event last year.
“You got to see all the kids dressed up in their costumes, and it was adorable,” she said. She said she also enjoyed putting together the auction baskets and working backstage for The Ultimate Patriot.
“Working with the auction baskets for The Ultimate Patriot made me talk to people, which pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Vanek said and “working backstage is just like normal theater for me, so it was comfortable and fun.”
These experiences could be lost if NHS pushes the Ultimate Patriot to the wayside, as it has recently discussed
While Hellbusch said she is still hopeful that another group within the school will volunteer to take on The Ultimate Patriot if NHS decides to stop sponsoring it, the show is and has been, the backbone of NHS at Millard South for decades. Hellbusch said she believes that The Ultimate Patriot is “a good show, a good way to raise money for a good cause, and it’s fun to watch,” which gives her hope that another organization in the school would choose to sponsor it.
Vanek said she is also hopeful, but realistic, about the future of the show.
“There’s a ton of people in my class who really want to do it next year,” Hellbusch said. “It’s a really fun thing to do. [The Ultimate Patriot] is very entertaining, and I would really miss it if it goes away.”
For now, fans and potential future contestants are left in anticipation as the future of the show hangs in the balance due to its sponsor organization’s upcoming overhaul.
Yet, despite being upset about the proposed changes to how NHS operates, Vanek said she plans to continue her NHS membership next year.
“I do like the community service aspect of NHS,” Vanek said. She said she is hopeful that the forthcoming changes could bring more weekend community service opportunities.
“Right now, there’s a ton of opportunities that are weekdays, which is kind of inconvenient for a lot of [NHS members] because we’re very busy people,” she said.
Ahrens said she hopes that these changes will increase engagement within the group.
“I feel as though a lot of the responsibilities fell on a certain, small group of people, and I want more people to be engaged and active in [NHS]. There’s members that I don’t feel as if they’re actively engaged.”
Ahrens said she believes, that by shifting towards a more community-based approach, next year’s officers, a group that includes Evelyn Vanek, will not face the same level of burnout as Hellbusch and this year’s officer group did.
Overall, NHS members current and future say they are worried about the future of their organization, but optimistic. What changes are coming are still unclear, but the majority of people within the organization said they still maintain hope that, even without the events that once defined NHS, the group will continue to thrive. For now, they cautiously wait to hear what’s going to happen.
