Eastern Greene NHS students are well-rounded

There are many Eastern Greene High School students who are making a difference in their community.

And they enjoy doing so.

The Eastern Greene Chapter of the National Honor Society is more than an academic club that honors students who make good grades. It also teaches them how to be quality community members as well.

That was easy to grasp during a conversation with Lori Vandeventer, Eastern Greene media specialist/librarian and NHS co-sponsor, on Wednesday afternoon. Amy Frank, a chemistry teacher, serves as co-sponsor with Vandeventer.

They're both proud of their students classroom successes, and they're equally as proud of what they do for the Eastern Greene community.

"To become a member of the National Honor Society, a student must be in grades 10-12 and have a GPA of at least 3.3," Vandeventer stated. "(But) good grades are not enough, however. The Faculty Council reviews a student's attendance, leadership skills, service to the school and community, and overall character before the student is admitted into NHS."

Last month the NHS at Eastern Greene conducted its annual induction. New members are Jacob Avooske, Kaylee Brown, David Carroll, Julia Chaney, Audrey Crane, Adam Cullison, Gary Divine, Kristen Fowler, Rusty Fox, Jordan Frye, Mallory Graybill, Rachel Harding, Josh Jenness, Melissa Lagenour, Michael Love, Keith Maze, Rikki McCann, Keith Milhoan, Janna Page, Samantha Reed, Whitney Richardson, Chad Rollins, Cora Sherfield, and Sydney Spice, and Jeremiah Stevens.

Congrats to those students for making good grades.

But as stated earlier, these students do more than a lot of homework and get good grades. Vandeventer, Frank, and others at the school help teach them about community service. In the long run, these students will be more well-rounded, productive members of our Greene County community.

"The Eastern Greene Chapter of NHS focuses its efforts on service projects for local organizations. The group will complete two projects each semester," Vandeventer explained.

Last fall, the Eastern Greene members volunteered to help assemble and distribute family Thanksgiving baskets at Backstreet Missions in Bloomington. They also rang bells for the Salvation Army at Christmas.

The club is currently planning its part of the first annual Spring Carnival scheduled for April 25.

"They will be working booths to raise money for school academic needs as well as providing a fun activity for elementary students," Vandeventer said.

Vandeventer added that the final service project is still in the planning stages. The NHS members are planning on "going green" with an environmental project.

"They have divided into groups who will donate their time to helping people with outdoor lawn work," Vandeventer said.

Vandeventer said her and Frank researched how they could have their students do more than just academics.

"When Amy and I began reading information from the national level NHS Web site, we decided to approach the students about making our chapter more involved with the community. All of our current members said that they were excited to complete service projects together," Vandeventer explained. "We have 49 current members, so our chapter is a good size. Having so many members says so much about our students, staff, and parents. These kids can set goals and then meet them.

"Beginning next August, we will be implementing another piece of the service plan. The national by-laws encourage students to complete an individual service project that will mean something to them personally. For next year, each member in the chapter will complete the two projects per semester as a group, and then each member will write a proposal for an individual plan. The students are excited to use their specific interests and talents in this project."

Chris is the general manager/editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947-4487 or by e-mail at cpruett79@hotmail.com .