Photo by Paolena Avalos, Cypress Park HSEducation
CFISD NHS chapters unite to establish year-long volunteering contest
A High School Journalism Network collaboration By Toluwalase Odewenwa, Cypress Park HS
On a campus, service can sometimes feel like something students do individually, one volunteer opportunity, one event and one hour at a time. Across CFISD, National Honor Society (NHS) members are discovering that service can also bring an entire district together.
For the first time, 11 of 12 CFISD National Honor Society chapters are participating in the NHS Olympics, a district-wide initiative designed to encourage service and give students an opportunity to connect with NHS members beyond their own campuses. Each month, chapters report their total in-school and out-of-school volunteer hours from the previous month. Given that chapters vary in size, the competition calculates average volunteer hours per member, creating a way for schools to participate regardless of how many students belong to their organization.
Yet the numbers are only one part of the story.
The NHS Olympics was designed to be more than a competition for service hours. In addition to recognizing the top three schools, the event will celebrate other forms of participation, including school spirit, and will also recognize two students each semester for their individual commitment to volunteering. More importantly, the event gives NHS members a chance to build relationships with students who share the same commitment to serving their communities. The NHS Olympics were created by Cypress Park NHS President Camila Araujo to bring all schools together, not only through volunteer hours but also through competition and community building.
“We want to build stronger connections with other NHS chapters across the district, create new memories, and give our members an opportunity to come together outside of our usual service activities,” said Leslie Reyes, NHS president at Cypress Creek High School. “We hope this event reminds our members that NHS is not only about academics and service, but also about community, teamwork and making a positive impact together.”
For some chapters, that sense of connection has already opened the door to new possibilities. At Cypress Springs High School, finding volunteer opportunities has historically been a challenge. NHS President Louise Campo said the chapter’s difficulty often stemmed from not knowing what opportunities were available and from relying on events to reach students through word of mouth. Rather than allowing that challenge to define the chapter, Campo sees the NHS Olympics as a starting point for changing the way her organization approaches service.
“I hope not to flip this narrative, but to use it as a ladder to climb up and lead the rest of my organization towards the numerous windows of service this competition opens for us,” Campo said.
The competition is also giving newer schools an opportunity to create traditions of their own. The Cypress Park NHS chapter sees the Olympics as a chance for students to build school pride while establishing traditions that can continue long after this year’s members graduate and extend beyond college application prowess.
“I hope that Cy Park gains a sense of pride out of this event,” Araujo said. “Being one of the newer schools in the district, we are still working towards creating new traditions, customs and making a name for ourselves. I don’t want NHS to be something that people only do in order to be able to put it on their college application. I want people to truly have a drive to help the community.”
That idea reflects a larger purpose behind the NHS Olympics. While service hours provide a measurable way to participate, the event asks students to look beyond a number and consider the reason behind the service in the first place. For NHS members, volunteering can be a way to strengthen their communities, discover causes they care about and encourage others to become involved.
For the student leaders organizing and representing their chapters, the event also carries a sense of legacy. With graduation approaching, Reyes hopes her time as president leaves behind an NHS that is more connected, welcoming and willing to take initiative.
“As NHS President, I hope to leave behind a legacy of leadership, service and community,” Reyes said. “I want to encourage our members to be more involved, take initiative and understand that their impact extends beyond the classroom.”
For Bridgeland, Cy-Fair, Cypress Creek, Cypress Falls, Cypress Park, Cypress Ranch, Cypress Ridge, Cypress Springs, Cypress Woods, Jersey Village and Langham Creek, the NHS Olympics represents a beginning. What starts with a competition between schools has the potential to become an annual tradition—one that students look forward to, build upon and eventually pass down to the next group of NHS members.
Source: CFISD
