By being a member of the National Honor Society, one is required to choose and participate in an Individual Service Project (ISP) each year as stated in Article IX, Section 4 of the Chapter Bylaws:
Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in an individual service project which reflects his or her particular talents and interests and is approved by the chapter advisor. This is in addition to the chapter project to which all members contribute.
This project can be any service that benefits one's parish, city, or school community. When deciding on a project, one should consider a service that exemplifies the National Honor Society's four pillars of leadership, character, service, and community. It is also better to avoid service projects that primarily or directly benefit one's own family. A link to a list of ISP ideas can be found here.
The minimum number of required service hours for one's ISP is ten hours, not counting planning time. It is important to note that an hour is added to the minimum number of hours each week one's proposal or final report for their ISP is late. With this in mind, it is best for you and for the Chapter Officers that you submit your proposal and final report on time.
Once one has decided on his ISP, the next step for him is to fill out the proposal form given to him by the Chapter Officers. The deadline for submitting one's ISP proposal is usually at or near the end of October. The official deadline will be specified by the Chapter Officers. Once submitted, the member's proposal will be reviewed by the President and Vice President of the chapter for approval. If the member's proposal is not approved, the President or Vice President will give concrete advice on how the proposal is lacking as well as suggestions on how to improve the project.
Upon receiving approval for their proposal, one is now free to start their ISP. It will be the member's responsibility to track his hours, to complete his project, and to submit his final ISP report to the Chapter Officers. The deadline for submitting the final ISP report will be sometime in the spring and will be specified by the Chapter Officers.
Congratulations! You just completed your Individual Service Project! If you have any questions regarding the ISP, any Chapter Officer or member holding a leadership role would be more than happy to help!