Pahrump Valley High school students receive acclaim

More than three dozen Pahrump Valley High School students recently earned a prestigious honor, as they were named to the National Honor Society.

In October, faculty members hosted a luncheon for the scholars at the school where each was recognized for their respective academic achievements, as noted by government and world history instructor Tricia Martin, who also serves as the National Honor Society adviser.

The process

Martin said the students must complete an application in order to qualify for the honor.

“Every year we ask students who have the qualifying grade point average, to fill out the application, about not only their grades but their service, their leadership, their integrity and character,” she said. “It’s a multi-page application and they have to detail all of the things they’ve done.”

Martin also said the students who qualify are sophomores, juniors and seniors.

“We have to get a grade point average from their freshman year, so it has to be a high school grade point average, so the freshman year is the easiest,” she noted. “To come in as a sophomore, you had to have accomplished a 3.75-grade point average or higher, but as a junior or senior, you just have to keep a 3.5 GPA or higher because those are the national bylaws for the National Honor Society.”

Room for more

Martin, who is in her first year at the school, said the number of students dramatically increased when compared to 2018.

She credited the upsurge to an increase in support by way of the school’s administration.

“Last year we had a total of 28, and this year we have 43 National Honor Society students,” she said. “Along with the luncheon, each student received a National Honor Society certificate, an ID card and a pin. I’m not sure how long we’ve had a National Honor Society here at Pahrump Valley High School, but it started in America in 1921.”

Going National

Additionally, Martin said students have expressed interest in applying to the National Honor Society’s national competition for community projects.

“That will be assessed through the month of November and December,” she said. “This year’s officers sent in that application regarding the work done for Trojan Park. The students will also undertake another community service project akin to Trojan Park, which was completed in May of this year.”

Located near Starbucks and Carl’s Jr., Trojan Park is a nine-hole, disc golf park with a one-mile walking path along Wilson Road.

To her credit, Martin herself was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Nevada Teacher of the Year award.

She was the first teacher from the Nye County School District ever to be selected as a finalist.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes