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National Chinese Honor Society

National Chinese Honor Society

• National Chinese Honor Society (NCHS)

• Additional Information

• Honor Cords for Graduating High School Seniors

• Standards and Reasons for Teacher Determination of Eligibility

• When to Give Awards

• The Ceremony

• Other Awards

[back to top]                                                National Chinese Honor Society (NCHS) 

Diane Mammone, NCHS Chair

The National Chinese Honor Society was established in November 1993. Its objective is to acknowledge the high academic achievement of students studying Chinese as a second language. Like any other honor societies, the National Chinese Honor Society not only recognizes high scholastic achievement but also leadership, character, and service. In addition, its aim is to perpetuate the advancement of international friendships and to create enthusiasm for Chinese language learning as well as the understanding of culture. Students who are inducted into the National Chinese Honor Society should exemplify these aforementioned qualities.

Qualifications for NCHS Membership

A regularly enrolled student of secondary school (grades 9-12) who has

1.  taken a minimum of three semesters of Chinese at the high school level
2. maintained an overall B grade or better in Chinese and other academic subjects
3. displayed character, leadership, and service

Download Student Application Form 

(This is a PDF file. To view it, you must have the Acrobat Reader software. Click below for free download)

NCHS School Chapter Advisor

The Chinese teacher at local high school serves as the advisor and liaison between the school chapter and the National Chinese Honor Society. The advisor must be a good standing member of CLASS who is responsible for determining the eligibility of all applications.

NCHS Membership Fee

The membership fee is three dollars paid before induction by each student. Students pay no other membership fees as long as they are NCHS members. 

NCHS Members Receive:

NCHS Membership Certificate

Optional:

NCHS pin ($5 each) 

NCHS Graduation Cord ($15 each, see below)

The school or chapter advisor collects the fees, completes the Request Form and mails the order to the NCHS Chair who then mails the membership certificates (pins and cords, if requested) to the chapter advisor. Pins and cords may also be ordered at a later date.

Application Process

NCHS school chapter advisor shall

1. ask students to submit the NCHS student application form and essay;
2. determine the eligibility of all applications based on the NCHS objectives and membership qualification;
3. finalize the list of students who will be inducted to the Chapter;
4. complete the School Chapter Request Form (Download School Chapter Request Form);
5. collect the $3 membership fee from each inductee, and optional $5 pin fee;
6. make out one check for all fees, payable to CLASS NCHS;
7. submit names of inductees, the completed NCHS School Chapter Request Form, and the check to:

Diane Mammone

NCHS Chair

P.O.Box 249

Barre, MA 01005

Email: mammone@rcn.com

International orders: Please email the Chair for the total shipping cost.

[back to top]                                                                  Additional Information

1. NCHS cannot accept cash, purchase orders, or requests by fax.
2. The deadline for certificate and pin orders for each school year is the end of the 2nd week in May. We cannot guarantee timely delivery after this date.
3. Please plan ahead and allow two to three weeks for processing. If unsure of your final list of inductees, order several extra certificates. If possible, please do not request last minute mailings. 
4. Be sure to submit to NCHS an accurate list of your school chapter inductees.
5. Please email the Chair for additional information or questions.

[back to top]                                           Honor Cords for Graduating High School Seniors

NCHS offers optional Honor Cords for students of NCHS to wear with caps and gowns at their high school graduation ceremony. The cords are light and dark purple. A brief description of the significance of the knot designs and cord color, written in both English and Chinese (traditional or simplified characters) is included with each cord. The cords are very attractive and well made and really stand out at the graduation ceremony.

Cost for each cord is $15. Shipping cost is the actual postage. Please email for information.

Supplies may be limited depending on demand. Please plan ahead to avoid disappointing students. Email if you have a big order. You may also consider purchasing in advance. 

NCHS FAQ

[back to top]                         Standards and Reasons for Teacher Determination of Eligibility

NCHS-CLASS ' goal is to encourage students to study Chinese and recognize their efforts. The society’s written standards are flexible because Chinese programs vary so much from school to school. For this reason we believe the local teacher is the best judge of eligibility. Use the award to encourage your students, but please keep in mind that if an award is given to too many students or too easily, the value of the award is lessened.

[back to top]                                               When to Give Awards

When your students have begun Chinese language study-- elementary, middle or high school--is an important factor in this decision. If your program begins in high school, consider waiting at least until junior year to give awards. You should be sure that your candidates have demonstrated sufficient commitment to Chinese. There is no way to take the award away from a student whose grades drop afterwards. Please emphasize to your students that NCHS membership, like any other honor society membership, will impress college admissions officers. 

[back to top]                                                    The Ceremony

There have been a few requests regarding what type of award ceremony is appropriate for new members. In the spirit of flexibility, we say that the teacher should decide on a type of ceremony that best helps his or her program and fits in with protocols at the individual school. Some teachers hold a formal private candle lighting ceremony for inductees, similar to the National Honor Society ceremony. Other teachers prefer greater exposure and give the NCHS awards at a general school award assembly. In the past a few teachers wrote short descriptions of their induction ceremony and oath. We have a few of these descriptions on file. It would be helpful if we could collect a variety of these descriptions. Please, veteran chapter members, email the Chair directly if you would be willing to write a few words about your chapter, your ceremony, and special chapter activities.

An advisor from Glastonbury (Connecticut) High School wrote this oath for her chapter:

身為全美中文學會的會員，我願意繼續學習中文，並不斷在生活中運用中文。

我了解語言是各種文化，種族和國家之間溝通的橋梁。我願意運用我對中國文化的了解及中國語言的知識，為促進國際之間的友誼合作，盡一分力量。

[back to top]                                                        Other Awards

Over the years, other questions about membership in the Chinese National Honor Society have concerned awards for middle school students and other academic or achievement awards in Chinese language. At this time, we offer no other awards than the NCHS membership. We have suggested in the past that teachers make their own awards for their individual classes or use their school’s awards to recognize students’ achievements. We can only suggest that if this is a concern for a number of members, please address your thoughts to the Chair or the members of the Board of Directors. We take your concerns seriously. Please plan accordingly for this year.