Some volunteer at Feed My Starving Children, putting together packs of food for poor families in other countries. Others help at the concessions at school for no pay, baking cookies and selling candy. Still others volunteer on their own, whether it’s at their church or at another organization, like the Humane Society. Some of these things will stay the same for National Honor Society, with a few changes. The biggest change, however, is the new face who heads the organization.

Last year, Joann Erickson, an English teacher at Albert Lea High School, took up the prestigious organization for the first time as the head of National Honor Society (NHS). Now, the extracurricular activity is changing hands again to Gina Klennert, first-year Albert Lea High School gym teacher.

“She’ll be fine,” Erickson said. “She’s very bright.”

Erickson decided to resign from leading NHS because she is going back to graduate school and can’t fit the organization’s schedule into her own.

“Someone with a little more time would probably be able to do a better job than me,” Erickson said humbly.

And Klennert has some time, since she isn’t coaching a sport in the winter. She is already getting started. With the arrival of Klennert as the NHS head comes a few changes for the organization. One of those changes includes working together as a group, instead of doing volunteer work as an individual.

“Doing stuff together adds that value to National Honor Society,” Klennert said.

NHS is a school organization geared toward students with academic success who want to make a difference in other people’s lives through service projects. NHS members need to fill up a certain number of volunteer hours to remain a part of the organization.

In the past, students have mostly done their volunteer work by themselves, but Klennert wants to change that. She plans on putting together group projects to do in the community and elsewhere, like taking a trip to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester to help the families staying there.

“You’re taking a step out of your comfort zone,” said Preston Smith, ALHS senior and NHS president.

As a first-year teacher, Klennert also had to step out of her comfort zone to head NHS. Klennert was an NHS member when she was in high school, and she has to get used to the changes of working with a different NHS. She said the NHS organization at ALHS has more prestige, but the criteria to be a member isn’t as strict as her high school. Because of the differences, Klennert is using this year as a transition year to work through all the details and get NHS up and running smoothly.

Another thing she’s thinking about changing are the grades that can be in NHS. She said that, in a few years’ time, sophomores may be eligible for NHS.

“It’s something we’re kind of kicking around,” she said.

Adding another year into NHS gives students more opportunity to serve in their community and elsewhere. Also, if a student wasn’t accepted the first or second year he or she applied, that person could try again the next year.

And the more, the merrier. With the new NHS inductees, the organization has nearly doubled since last year. That means more people to help with

service projects and more willing volunteers to help in the community.

While the members are there, they can learn a thing or two as well.

“[NHS] builds that strong value of service, giving back to the community,” Klennert said.

And that’s something that will stay with them throughout their entire lives.