All new Members shall be inducted at an induction ceremony held during the academic year. The substance of such a ceremony shall be determined by the Chapter Leadership.
Induction & Graduation Ceremonies: The induction and graduation ceremonies for the National STEM Honor Society™ are significant events for the students, Chapters, and schools. Depending on the school, the induction and graduation ceremonies can be conducted simultaneously or separately, and are a great way to highlight the Chapter’s objectives. The National STEM Honor Society™ recognizes outstanding achievement in STEM fields, and the induction and graduation ceremonies should reflect this.
Organizing the Ceremony: The most common procedure is for the induction and graduation ceremonies to be performed by Chapter Leadership. Although the structure of each Chapter’s induction and graduation programs will differ due to local practices and procedures, each Chapter’s script should include a focus on NSTEM’s™ standards. An induction and graduation ceremony must be held by each Chapter, and prospective members are not yet members until they have been properly inducted.
Tokens of Membership: Chapter Leadership may hand out “tokens of membership” to the new members, such as pins, cards, induction and graduation certificates, etc. (see the NSTEM™ Store for more information). The goal of the tokens would be to unite the NSTEM™ Chapter as a community while protecting the trademarks on the NSTEM™ logo.
Provisional Membership: Remember that if students have the necessary academic achievement (GPA or equivalent) from the prior year, but do not have the minimum necessary hours of STEM courses or enrichment activities from the prior year, then they can be admitted as provisional members. If at the end of the current academic year they have completed all of the eligibility requirements, they can be admitted as full members.
Task Checklist: To assist you with the ceremony, we have come up with a checklist of tasks to be completed to have a successful induction/graduation.
- Determine if Induction and Graduation ceremonies will be held together or separately
- Request and/or create the necessary NSTEM™ tokens as well as certificates at least 1 month in advance
- Determine the location of the ceremony, i.e. schools auditorium, an advisors classroom, or outside
- Determine the dress code beforehand and communicate this with everyone attending
- Send out invitations and make a program for the event .
- Set up the room: organize chairs, tables, stage preparation, etc
- Pre-ceremony entertainment: music (5-10 minutes prior to the program)
Ceremony Agenda:
The typical induction ceremony should contain the following key features:
- Processional/entrance (often cued from the stage or with music) .
- Call to order: by the Chapter Director or Advisor
- Invocation and/or welcome message: “With observation came awareness, as we began to study the world around us and how we can protect it for future generations. Science, and its essential fields of technology, engineering, and mathematics, are the pursuits that truly define what it means to be human. The raw curiosity every young mind has is an unbridled force that NSTEM™ hopes to harness for the prosperity of future generations.”
- Introduction of guest speaker and guest speaker speaks
- Thank you to the guest speaker and introduce the new member’s ceremony
- New member introduction, certificate or pin presentation (a roll call of new members; methods of recognition will vary), at the introduction, emphasize the goal of NSTEM™: “Foster my passion for discovery, learning, and development in STEM from K to CAREER™. Inspire me and others through the pursuit of academic scholarship in STEM-related subjects. As I call your name please come forward and receive your certificate/ membership.”
- Old member introduction, certificates, and cords presentation (a roll call of old members), again pointed to NSTEM™ leadership and Chapter goals along with the graduation
- Special awards or recognition: Chapters often thank the faculty council, award memberships, and recognize outgoing officers. “Next, we wish to recognize some of our outstanding faculty members, Chapter members and officers.”
- Closing remarks (often done by the principal or the Chapter Leadership)
- Post Ceremony/recessional music or entertainment “Thank you for attending today’s ceremony, and please enjoy some beverages and dessert on your way out.”
