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Pillars

NASC, National Honor Society, and National Junior Honor Society are all programs supported by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Each program has its own "pillars" that support its mission. These pillars are below. Whether a council or an Honor Society, PASC encourages each of our member schools to uphold all of these pillars. Why? Because of a core belief that unifies all of these programs:

 

Listening to kids makes us stronger.

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Whether your school’s student leadership is flourishing, emerging, or somewhere in-between, student council and honor societies are for you. These programs empower and equip students with the knowledge and skills to be transformative leaders in school, the community, and beyond. In addition, it provides a necessary bridge between students and school leaders — helping adults to engage and hear what students think, feel, and need.

National Association of Student Council​s (NASC)

The National Association of Student Councils (NASC) is a national network that empowers and equips your students to develop and hone their leadership skills. It provides the framework to transform your students into the next generation of leaders and includes milestones to recognize and celebrate their progress.

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NASC membership is centered on a commitment to:

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  • Leadership
    Empowering and equipping students to develop and hone their leadership skills and challenging them to be positive change makers in their school and community.
     

  • Service
    Establishing and sustaining a culture of service through active volunteerism and serving.
     

  • Student Voice
    Promoting student government as the voice of the student body, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to be heard.
     

  • Engagement
    Encouraging and coaching students to be active participants in school and community leadership and decision-making.

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What We Believe

 

At NASC, we believe that:

  • Empowered students can affect positive change in their school and community.
     

  • Student leaders have the responsibility to be positive role models.
     

  • Student councils play a vital role in the democratic process.
     

  • Leadership training programs are essential for developing leaders to achieve their full potential.
     

  • Involvement in state and national programs enhances a school’s student leadership development.
     

  • Student council programs are stronger when all students are encouraged to participate.
     

  • Every middle level and high school should have an active student council.

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Unveiled over a century ago, the National Honor Society enshrines four pillars at its heart: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. More than mere badges of honor for NHS members, these principles are transformative keys that unlock potential, enhancing every student’s educational journey, and ultimately empowering them to make profound, enduring contributions to our world.

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Scholarship

Scholarship is more than a report card; it represents a dedicated commitment to lifelong learning. It’s about optimizing the educational opportunities offered and pursuing knowledge within and beyond academic confines. Scholarship necessitates a consistent effort, with an aspiration to contribute positively to the world through one’s own knowledge, skills, and experiences.

 
Service

Service represents the choice of stepping outside oneself to meet the needs of others, fueled by an unwavering passion for a cause, heartfelt empathy for others, or driven by personal circumstances. It’s about performing selfless acts that transcend the ordinary, engendering transformative changes that resonate through our schools, ripple across our communities, and reverberate on a global scale. In the noble act of service, we sculpt a better world with our hands, our hearts, and our humanity.

 
Leadership

Leadership is more than a position or title; it means embodying the spirit of initiative, innovation, and influence. It’s about inspiring peers through actions, nurturing a collaborative environment, and championing positive change. Student leaders embrace the responsibility of shaping their academic community, all while fostering personal growth and development. It’s an interplay of intellect, empathy, and resilience, guiding others while continually learning and evolving.

 
Character

Character is the essence of who we are. It is about valuing diversity, building relationships grounded in empathy, and exhibiting qualities like perseverance, respect, integrity, and honesty. Character lies not in public acts of virtue or visible mistakes, but in the consistent commitment to ethical and compassionate decision-making that positively affects both oneself and others.

National Junior Honor Society

Everyday Scholarship is a commitment to learning and growing on an educational path. It means making the most of the educational opportunities provided and seeking out learning, not only in school or similar settings, but also personally. Everyday Scholarship doesn’t require a minimum GPA—but it does require effort. More importantly, it stems from a desire to contribute to this world in a positive way by building on one’s own knowledge, skills, and talent through different experiences.

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Everyday Service is seeking out and engaging in meaningful service. It calls for a service mindset, the desire to seek opportunities to help others as well as acts of service. As Honor Society students, many young teens and young adults at local chapters are required to meet minimum service participation requirements for service. Although hours are important, Everyday Service is seeing a need and fulfilling it voluntarily. Sometimes it’s driven by a passion for a specific cause or people in need. Other times, it’s driven by personal or family need, like taking care of siblings or other family members, or maybe even working part-time to help with family finances.

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Everyday Leadership builds on Everyday Service. Service and leadership oftentimes look very similar. Everyday Leadership is carrying oneself with dignity and taking ownership and responsibility for one’s own actions and participation. Being a public speaker, playing quarterback, or having an official title is not required for Everyday Leadership. Everyday Leadership means being an agent—someone who takes action and responsibility—of your own pathway.

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Everyday Character is valuing diverse cultures and building relationships that reflect love of self but also concern for others. There are endless attributes to good character: perseverance, respect, integrity, honesty, sacrifice—the list goes on. Good and noble character is a high calling. Oftentimes we don’t “see” character unless there is a public display of self-sacrifice, or more often, a very public mistake. Everyday Character is not about praiseworthy or blameworthy behavior but the personal commitment to ethical and compassionate decision making that affects oneself and others.

 

Everyday Citizenship is accepting one’s place and role in the community and seeking to understand the concerns and strengths of that community. Community includes but is not limited to neighborhoods, tribes, and local and regional districts. For young people in particular, Everyday Citizenship is an opportunity to be educated about and to demonstrate care for the issues that impact those who are citizens in their shared community. At NASSP, we also believe that “global citizenship” is something that binds all of us together—adults, young people, and people from different nations across borders and boundaries.

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