Honor society facts for kids
An honor society is a special group that celebrates people who are really good at something. This could be in school, like getting great grades, or in other areas like leadership or special talents. These groups recognize excellence among students and others. For example, the Order of the Arrow is an honor society for the Boy Scouts of America. While many honor societies are for students who do well in school, they can also be for other achievements.
Contents
How Honor Societies Started
The idea of honor societies in the United States began a long time ago. The very first one, Phi Beta Kappa, was formed in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. It started as a club where people debated ideas. Back then, you didn't need a certain grade average to join.
Many honor societies today invite students to join based on their grades or how well they rank in their class. For example, they might invite the top 10% of students. Sometimes, if grades aren't the right way to measure, other achievements are used. Most honor societies also look at a student's good character. Usually, you get an invitation to join an honor society. Being a member can be special, and sometimes you can only join one honor society for a specific field.
Honor societies exist at different school levels:
- High school
- University
- Postgraduate (after college)
- Professional (for people in certain jobs)
University honor societies are the most common. After Phi Beta Kappa, other important honor societies were created. These include Tau Beta Pi for engineering (1885), Sigma Xi for science (1886), and Phi Kappa Phi for all subjects (1897). Mortar Board was founded in 1918 and was the first national honor society just for senior college women.
In the early 1900s, as honor societies grew, they often supported changes that helped fight against racism, classism, and sexism. As more students from different backgrounds and genders joined colleges, honor societies also became more diverse. While some groups were slower to change, many honor societies were leaders in making things fairer. For example, some groups that used to be only for Christian students joined with or took in Jewish-only organizations. Also, a law called Title IX made most single-sex societies allow both men and women, though many had already decided to do this. Any rules that kept out people based on race were removed.
After World War II, many more students went to college. This led to more changes in honor societies. In 2005, Yale University and Howard University started the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. This society focuses on recognizing diverse scholars. Instead of just picking the top students, it allows students to nominate themselves. To join, you usually need to be working on or already have a Ph.D. Modern honor societies are now more focused on creating welcoming places that help all students grow, especially those from groups that haven't always been fully included. This shows how colleges are working to recognize excellence in a more fair way.
What Members Wear
When students graduate, they often wear special clothes called academic robes and regalia. These robes show what degree they earned and what school they attended. Honor society members can also wear special items to show they belong to their group. These items can be:
- Stoles (long scarves)
- Cords (braided ropes)
- Tassels (on their graduation caps)
- Medallions
Cords and tassels are the most common ways to show honor society membership. Most schools allow students to wear these items. Stoles are less common. Almost all honor societies have chosen special colors for their items and often sell them to members.
Groups for Honor Societies
There are groups that help set standards for honor societies. The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) was formed in 1925 to make sure honor societies meet good standards. Another group, the Honor Society Caucus, was started by some of the original ACHS members. They felt that ACHS had lost its main goal. If an honor society is a member of ACHS, it means it meets certain quality standards. However, not all good honor societies choose to join ACHS.
Types of College Honor Societies
Colleges have many different honor societies. They can be for general academic success or for specific subjects.
General and Leadership Societies
These societies are open to students from all academic subjects. They might also have other requirements. Leadership societies recognize students who show strong leadership skills, along with good grades.
Some examples include:
- Alpha Lambda Delta: For first-year students with high grades.
- Golden Key International Honour Society: A large general honor society.
- Mortar Board: For college seniors who show leadership and scholarship.
- Phi Beta Kappa: One of the oldest and most well-known honor societies for arts and sciences.
- Phi Kappa Phi: Recognizes excellence in all academic fields.
Humanities Societies
These groups are for students studying subjects like literature, history, languages, and arts. They might be specific to a certain department.
Examples include:
- Alpha Mu Gamma: For students studying foreign languages.
- Alpha Psi Omega: For students involved in theatre.
- Eta Sigma Phi: For students studying classics (ancient Greek and Roman culture).
- Kappa Kappa Psi: For students in college bands.
- Sigma Tau Delta: For students studying English.
Social Sciences Societies
These societies are for students in fields like psychology, economics, sociology, and business.
Examples include:
- Alpha Kappa Delta: For students studying sociology.
- Beta Gamma Sigma: For students in business programs.
- Kappa Delta Pi: For students studying education.
- Phi Alpha Theta: For students studying history.
- Psi Chi: For students studying psychology.
STEM Societies
These groups are for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This also includes health-related fields like medicine and nursing.
Examples include:
- Alpha Epsilon Delta: For students planning to go to medical school.
- Beta Beta Beta: For students studying biology.
- Eta Kappa Nu: For electrical and computer engineering students.
- Sigma Xi: For students doing scientific research.
- Tau Beta Pi: For engineering students.
Local College Honor Societies
Some universities have their own honor societies that are not part of national groups. These local societies usually recognize students who do well in school, no matter what they are studying.
Examples include:
- Florida Blue Key at the University of Florida
- Friar Society at the University of Texas at Austin
- Iron Arrow Honor Society at the University of Miami
- Skull and Bones at Pennsylvania State University
Honor Societies for Community Colleges and Vocational Schools
These honor societies are for students attending two-year colleges, community colleges, or vocational schools.
Examples include:
- Alpha Beta Kappa: For students in private vocational and trade schools.
- Phi Theta Kappa: A large honor society for community and junior college students.
- Psi Beta: For psychology students at two-year colleges.
High School Honor Societies
Many high schools also have honor societies to recognize student achievements. Some middle schools have them too.
Examples include:
- National Honor Society: A very well-known general honor society for high school students.
- National Junior Honor Society: For middle school students.
- Mu Alpha Theta: For students who excel in mathematics.
- National English Honor Society: For students who do well in English.
- Science National Honor Society: For students who excel in science.
Community-Based Honor Societies
Some honor societies are not tied to a specific school but are part of community organizations.
Examples include:
- Order of the Arrow: The national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America.
See also
In Spanish: Sociedad de honor para niños
- Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS)
- Honor Society Caucus
- Honor Cords
