Honor Societies

Honors Societies at Gwynedd

Tri-M Music Honor Society

Tri-M Music Honor Society is an international program dedicated to the recognition of exceptional music students in grades 6-12 that meet specific music, academic, leadership, and character criteria. The three M initials of Tri-M stand for Modern Music Masters. There are both junior chapters (grades 6-8) and senior chapters (grades 9-12).

The Tri-M Music Honor Society provides a means of recognizing the efforts and achievements of music students who volunteer their time and share their musical talents with others. Since 1952, over 4,500 Tri-M chapters have been chartered in the United States and abroad, and current membership exceeds 38,000. The goal of the society is to foster greater interest in band, orchestra, and choral performance and to provide more opportunities for personal musical expression. Students are selected for membership in the honor society on the basis of musicianship, scholarship, character, leadership, and service to their school and community.

In 1983, the Tri-M Music Honor Society became a program of NAfME (The National Association for Music Education.) NAfME, with more than 114,000 members, is the world’s largest arts education organization and is dedicated to the advancement of music education at the national and local levels. NAfME's activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession and the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum.

Click Tri-M and NAfME, or call the NAfME office at 800-336-3768.

Tri-M at Gwynedd

Spanish National Honor Society

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica

Capítulo: Las Diplomáticas

Chapter: The Diplomats

The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica is an honor society for high school students enrolled in Spanish and/or Portuguese, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP).

The mission of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica is to recognize high school achievement in Spanish and Portuguese and to promote interest in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian studies.

Any secondary school student who has maintained an honor average in the study of Spanish or Portuguese for a minimum of three semesters and is in the 10th grade or higher [beginning with Spanish III or higher] is eligible to be a member of the SHH. The definition of "honor grade” is left to the discretion of each chapter. It should be remembered that the SHH is an honor society for those students of high academic achievement (“About the SHH,” 2018, paras. 1, 3 & 6).

Article II, section 1 of the Bylaws and Constitution of “El capítulo de las diplomáticas” at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School states the following regarding the criteria to qualify for membership:

Article II. Qualifications for Membership

Section 1. To be eligible for membership in the SHH, students must meet the following criteria:

a) Student must be actively enrolled in an upper level Spanish class (Spanish III or higher).

b) Student must have completed at least three consecutive semesters of Spanish.

c) Transfer students must have spent one full semester in the program at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School before eligibility and meet the requirements.

d) Student must have an overall GPA of 85% or higher.

e) Student must have a cumulative Spanish average of 93 (for honors courses) and 95 (for non-honors courses) for the 3 consecutive semesters prior to induction.

f) Student must never have failed a class due to attendance.

g) Student must have a good behavior record and no discipline issues on record.

A copy of the Bylaws and Constitution are available upon request.

National Honor Society

National Honor Society

Membership in the McAuley Chapter of the National Honor Society is based on four criteria: Scholarship, Character, Leadership, and Service. To be eligible for selection to membership in this chapter, the candidate must have been in attendance for a period of one semester at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School. Any student transferring to GMAHS who already is a member of the National Honor Society becomes a member of our Chapter immediately. Any student who by the end of the first semester of her junior year has maintained a cumulative grade point average of 93 is eligible to apply for membership. Beginning with the class of 2024, a cumulative grade point average of 94 will be required. This change is to align with the updated grading scale that was put into place during the 2023-2024 school year.

Students who are eligible scholastically must submit an application to substantiate their own character, leadership, and service. This application does not guarantee membership but provides basic information for the Faculty Council.

To be selected for the National Honor Society, a student must manifest explicit and generous leadership and service in and for her school. Community leadership and service are laudable and acceptable but do not replace service and leadership roles at GMAHS. The NHS members are responsible for specific activities that benefit the school, including the tutoring program.

The following are the service hour minimums to be eligible for NHS selection and must be demonstrated in the candidate application.

-10 hours of service during sophomore year and 10 hours of service during the first semester of junior year to meet the service pillar required for membership selection.

French National Honor Society

Société Honoraire de Français

Sponsored nationally by the American Association of Teachers of French, the French National Honor Society provides an opportunity to recognize outstanding scholarship in the study of French language through selection for membership. Membership is based on scholarship in general and scholarship in French in particular.

The local chapter here at GMAHS, established in 1994, invites students in the spring, with a 93 average in the second semester of their second year of study and also an average of 93 in their work from the previous year, to become a member. Candidates must have maintained an 85 average or higher in all other school subjects prior to the semester of selection. Students will maintain membership each year if they continue to study the language and are able to meet the criteria. Induction of new members takes place during World Language Week.