Memorial’s National Honor Society

The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the largest and most respected student organizations in the nation, and at Memorial High School it holds a special place in the Mustang community. The society is rooted in four core pillars: scholarship, service, leadership, and character, which the Memorial Mustangs embody through their meaningful community service and involvement. Notably, Memorial’s NHS annually participates in the Memorial Villages Police Department ‘s (MVPD) Trunk-or-Treat Festival.

For many children living in Houston, trick-or-treating can be difficult or unsafe due to isolated, unconventional, or dangerous living situations. To provide a safe and festive alternative to families, the MVPD hosts their Trunk-or-Treat each year, transforming their parking lot into an alternate Halloween universe. Kids go car to car collecting candy from festively decorated car trunks, play games, enjoy treats, and even explore the haunted house, if brave enough. All of this is done within the borders of the MVPD parking lot to ensure a safe stress-free environment.

The success and fun of this event relies on the volunteers working behind the scenes, Memorial NHS students. Members are required to contribute to the event in some way. Many students banned together to decorate their cars to a certain theme, even dressing up in costumes to bring the idea to life. Others acted in the haunted house or donated bags of candy, which resulted in a surplus of hundreds of donations to go around. Together, these students helped create a magical Halloween experience for the younger kids in the neighborhood, giving back to the community that once did the same for them.

Senior NHS member Austin Le participated with his friends, decorating a car in a Jurassic Park dinosaur theme, and even dressed up as a character. Le comments that “it was super fun to give such a special experience to the younger kids. Seeing their faces light up with joy when we interacted with them was a truly humbling experience.” Fellow senior Kelsy Donovan added “this is just one way that NHS serves the Memorial community. As seniors, we find so much joy giving back to the community who raised us to where we are today.”

The Trunk-or-Treat festival is more than just a Halloween tradition, it is a reflection of Memorial’s community, and NHS’ commitment to service and leadership using compassion. There is a cycle of gratitude that flows through the generations raised at Memorial, which keeps students eager to serve and give back.