National Honor Society for Dance Arts


Founded in 2005, the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) is one of the most exciting benefits that NDEO offers Institutional Members. All Institutional Members, whether a private or public middle or high school, dance studio/academy, performing arts center or community center, are eligible to establish a chapter of the NHSDA for the benefit of their students.

Establishing a National Honor Society for Dance Arts in your school is one very important way that you can help advance the field of dance education. Celebrating the artistic and academic achievements of exceptional dance students helps to create honor and prestige within our field and improve our image to those outside the field.

 

NHSDA’s Goals

1. To promote and honor outstanding artistic achievement in dance students 11-18 years of age.

2. To encourage young dance artists to be leaders in their communities.

3. To identify honor students of junior and senior high school age for nomination to the NDEO Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award, one of the highest honors programs for dance in the United States.

 

For more information about NHSDA, click here.

Want to Start an NHSDA Chapter? If so, then your school must become an Institutional Member of NDEO. To join NDEO, click here.  For questions, contact the NDEO office at 301-585-2880.

 

How to Start an NHSDA Chapter:

 

Apply

  1. Join NDEO as an Institutional Member. The first step in starting an NHSDA chapter at your school is to ensure that your school is an Institutional Member of NDEO. The cost is $150 a year. You will need your Membership ID # in order to complete an application. To join NDEO as an Institutional Member, click here.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the Eligibility & National Point System. This page on the NDEO website provides a quick summary of how eligibility is determined and gives an overview of the national point system. You will need to decide whether your NHSDA will exist solely to induct students who have met the criteria or whether it will be a student organization with elected student officers with the chapter sponsor acting as a faculty advisor who engages in other activities such as performances, fundraising, field trips and/or service projects.
  3. Fill out Chapter Application online and email (or print out and mail) to your State Affiliate Representative: Barbara Walshe, 12646 164th Ave SE, Renton, WA 98059 or info@deawa.org.  You will need Adobe Reader software on your computer to fill out form online. This software can be downloaded for free if you don't have it at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/.

Implement

  1. Familiarize yourself with the Chapter Sponsor Resources section on the NDEO website. Please note, that you will not be able to access this section until you have become an NDEO member. Within this page, you will have access to the Chapter Sponsor Handbook, which provides sample forms and reviews in-depth procedures for establishing and managing a chapter, tracking and awarding points, implementing induction ceremonies, and ensuring student inductions are included in transcripts. On this page, you will also find information on the NDEO Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award and news from other NHSDA Chapters.
  2. Inform students of NHSDA. Ensure that students understand the benefits of the NHSDA and what is involved in earning points and being inducted. In addition, your supporting State Affiliate or host organization will send letters of notification to school district administrators (e.g. district superintendent, school principal) when your chapter is formed.
  3. Monitor students as they earn points and keep track of their records. A sample form (log) for keeping track of student points is included in the Chapter Sponsor Handbook.
  4. Fill out Student Induction Application and mail to your State Affiliate. Once students have earned enough points to be inducted into the NHSDA, you will need to mail in the Student Induction Application form to your State Affiliate or host organization along with a $5 fee per student (form available in Chapter Sponsor Handbook).
  5. Conduct Induction Ceremony. For details on how to do this, please consult the Chapter Sponsor Handbook.
  6. Nominate top 11th or 12th grade students for NDEO Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award. This is the highest student dance award in the nation. Details and application forms for this award can be found in the Chapter Sponsor Resources section of the NDEO website.
  7. Order Honor Cords and Gold Honor Pins. For students who have been inducted and are getting ready to graduate, ensure they get the recognition they deserve by ordering honor cords and gold honor pins.

 

If you have questions at any time during the application process, please do not hesitate to contact the NDEO office at 301-585-2880.