National Technical Honor Society

National Technical Honor Society
NTHS
Founded	1984; 41 years ago (1984) H. B. Swofford Area Vocational Center
Type	Honor
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active
Emphasis	Vocational education
Scope	International
Pillars	Career Development, Leadership Development, Service, and Recognition
Colors	Purple,   Silver, and   White
Chapters	5,200+
Members	100,000+ active 1,200,000+ lifetime
Former name	National Vocational-Technical Honor Society
Headquarters	1011 Airport Road P.O. Box 1336 Flat Rock, North Carolina 28731 United States
Website	nths.org

The National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) is an international honor society for outstanding career and technical students of workforce vocational education institutions. It was established in 1984. It initiates addend secondary and post-secondary schools.

History

C. Allen Powell and Jon H. Poteat founded the nonprofit National Vocational-Technical Honor Society at H. B. Swofford Area Vocational Center (now H. B. Swofford Career Center) in Inman, South Carolina in 1984.[1] Its purpose was to reward high school students for their accomplishments, to encourage students to excel, to promote the talents of students to U.S. industries, and to help members understand the U.S. economy.[2] Its executive director was Powell, head of the vocational center.[2] Poteat was a guidance counselor at the school.[1]

The society inducted its first members on March 21, 1985, at the Swoffard Center.[1] That year, the society expanded to all of the vocational schools in Spartenburg County.[2]

In 1997, NTHS began its first scholarship fund, named in honor of co-founder Poteat.[1]

In 2003, the NTHS board of directors unanimously agreed to change the name of the organization to the National Technical Honor Society.[1]

As of 2024, it has more than 100,000 active members and 1.2 million initiates.[3][1] Its initiates addend secondary and post-secondary schools.[1] Some 65,000 students are initiated annually.[1]

Symbols

The society's colors are purple, silver, and white. Its core objectives or pillars are career development, leadership development, service, and recognition.[1]  

Activities

NTHS partners with seven career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) to offer scholarships to CTSO members:[4][5]

• Business Professionals of America (BPA)
• DECA, formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
• HOSA, formerly Health Occupations Students of America
• SkillsUSA
• Technology Student Association (TSA)

Chapters

As of July 2024^[update], NTHS serves over 5,200 member schools, both secondary and post-secondary, and has chapters in all fifty states, with chapters expanding into the Bahamas, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and Guam.[6]

Notable members

Name	Chapter	Notability	References
Max Hechtman	Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center	Filmmaker

See also

• Honor society
• Professional fraternities and sororities

References

1. "About NTHS". National Technical Honor Society. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
2. "Honor Society Formed for vocational students". Newspapers.com. The Greenville News. January 4, 1985. p. 4. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
3. "Home". National Technical Honor Society. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
4. "NTHS Partners & Sponsors". National Technical Honor Society. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
5. "Scholarships". National Technical Honor Society. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
6. "Chapter Directory". National Technical Honor Society. Retrieved July 23, 2024.

External links

• Official website