Honor society formed for career techs

“Success favors the prepared mind” is the motto for a new organization at Bob Jones High School.

Bob Jones now has a chapter of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS). Equivalent to National Honor Society, NTHS is designed for career tech students, sponsor Jeremy Raper said.

Raper said the NTHS slogan summarizes the group’s initiative: “Excellence in America’s workforce begins with excellence in workforce education.”

“As founder of the Engineering for Tomorrow (E4T) Academy, I never considered that group’s need for an honor society,” Raper said. “But again … I felt engineering students should have that same opportunity. I like to think the engineering students are ‘all that’ and more — but I may be a bit biased.”

NTHS president and senior Nathan McWhirter joined as a “great opportunity to gain engineering skills/experience.” McWhirter will attend Auburn University and major in mechanical engineering.

With his family support, senior Michael Delp is pursuing his interest in engineering. At the University of Alabama, Delp will major in mechanical design. With NTHS, senior Michael Gryder is learning valuable skills for help in the engineering field. At UA, he will study aerospace engineering.

NTHS members hold a minimum 3.25 GPA overall, with 3.5 or higher in career tech core courses. A career tech teacher must recommend the student. Prospects must be “concentrators” (completed two classes minimum in a career tech academy) or “completers” (completed all core classes in an academy).

Teachers responsible for NTHS are Raper and Jessye Gaines in engineering, Melinda Lawson for biomedical and Carolyn Scroggins in health services.

Currently, 75 students belong to NTHS. Raper believes several hundred students are eligible.

Meetings focus on college-prep or workforce-prep topics. Sponsors encourage students to attend career-based training, like Sci-Quest workshops. “NTHS students will be in hospitals, health clinics and engineering companies regularly to learn what it means to be a part of the workforce in America,” Raper said.

NTHS membership opens new opportunities for scholarships. For more information, visit nths.org.