National Art Honor Society: Part Two
WOW! A very exciting event has recently occurred! On May 24, 2011 at 7 p.m., the North Carolina Virtual Public Schools (NCVPS) sponsored the first virtual National Honor Society induction ceremony! As part of the NCVPS Art Department, students were nominated to be a part of the newly formed NAHS chapter. Debra Pylypiw (NAEA SE Region V.P.) and I are co-sponsors of the NCVPS NAHS chapter and we have worked together to recruit students into the program, create bylaws that are specific to our school, and register our chapter with the NAEA. We’ve held virtual meetings with the students (our students live across the state of North Carolina), collected dues, worked with students to find ways for them to complete service hours in the visual arts through their school or school community, and organized the virtual induction ceremony!
Through the computer and using the Wimba software, we invited students, friends, and families to attend the induction. As part of our ceremony, we had virtual streamers, balloons, cake, and fireworks! All of the inductees were introduced through an uploaded presentation and our guest speaker was Deborah B. Reeve, Executive Director of the NAEA. The newly inducted students were very proud to be a part of the first virtual NAHS chapter and each family was thrilled with the ceremony. Students can now add the NCVPS NAHS chapter to their college resumes and we look forward to our next induction to be held in the fall.
The NAHS provides many wonderful opportunities for students and for sponsors too! There are awards, scholarships, opportunities for publication and more! If you are unfamiliar with the NAEA website page for the NAHS, I would encourage you to check it out at: http://www.arteducators.org/nahs. Further, there is a .Ning group that serves as a support system for NAHS sponsors. This is where all sponsors can go to ask questions, get ideas, and share best practices! If you are a secondary teacher and not yet a part of the NAEA Secondary Division .Ning group, I would encourage you to check us out at: http://naea-secondary-teachers.ning.com/groups/index/?xg_source=msg_appr_group. Once registered, you can join the NAHS group.
Finally, if you haven’t met Na'Denna Colbert, NAHS Coordinator, at 703-889-1297 or NAHS@arteducators.org, I would encourage you to call or e-mail with questions or help in starting your NAHS chapter! Na’Denna is a wealth of information and an invaluable resource to all NAEA sponsors.
-Rebecca Stone-Danahy
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