Rho Gamma Chapter
Eta Sigma Alpha
National Home School
 Honor Society

Welcome to the South Carolina state-wide chapter of the National Home School Honor Society.

Membership in Rho Gamma is open to all SC students, grades 10~12 who are being educated under options 1, 2, or 3 of the state home school law.

“The purpose of Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society shall be to recognize and encourage scholarship among home school students…[and] provide opportunities for the development of leadership and service.” — from the mission statement of Eta Sigma Alpha.

Members Receive:

  • Certificate of membership
  • Membership pin
  • Membership card
  • Letter of Acceptance

Membership Requirements:

  1. Be a current student in grades 10-12, receiving instruction under Option 1, 2 or 3.
  2. Hold a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for all high school years.
  3. Have successfully completed a minimum of four high school units of core (required) work each year, beginning with 9th grade.
  4. Must meet one of the following requirements: A test score of 88 (CLT), 1800 (Old SAT), or 1200 (New SAT), 26 (ACT), 1200 (PSAT) 1200 (PSAT 10), 1200 (PSAT 8/9), 90% composite score on the Iowa, or 90% on the total battery on the Stanford nationally normed standardized achievement tests. [Please note: The test score must come from one test. Section scores from different tests may not be combined to achieve the required test score for membership. Although some college scholarship applications accept super-scoring, we do not. Test scores should not be more than 1 year old.]
  5. Complete at least 20 hours of volunteer community service, documented via a letter from the supervisor. [Parents may certify service where a letter is impractical.] Service hours must be performed outside the home and be for the benefit of non-family members (e.g., library volunteer, church nursery worker, tutoring, etc.).

How to apply for membership in the Rho Gamma Chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha:

  1. Complete the Rho Gamma membership application- Rho Gamma Application
  2. Gather supporting documents:
    • Transcript or report card that includes cumulative weighted GPA. (must reflect a minimum of four core credits per year)
    • Photocopy of a test score: must include student’s name, date of test and score
    • Verification letter from service supervisor
  3. Mail application, fee and supporting documents to Palmetto Family Council, PO Box 11953, Columbia, SC 29211 between Oct 1st and Nov 15th.
  4. Send an email to homeschool@palmettofamily.org as follows:
    • Subject line: Rho Gamma Application for [student’s name]
    • Body of email: state student’s name as it should appear on the certificate, current grade in school, and the date application package was mailed.

Details:

  • Members will receive a certificate and pin when they initially join. Letters will be sent to new and renewing members. [Additional pins are available for $5, plus postage.]
  • Applications are accepted between October 1st and November 15th.
  • Renewal applications will not need to include new test results if the student previously joined using SAT or ACT scores. [Those who submitted grade-level test scores, such as Stanford or Iowa, or PSAT will still need to resubmit scores annually.]
  • Academic records (e.g., report card, transcript) must reflect ALL academic work, not just high school credit classes. If a student is taking a mix of credit and non-credit courses, a report card may be preferred to a transcript that reflects only the credit courses.
  • Service hours record should be in a letter format from the supervisor of the service activity. This letter may serve as a substitute for a log sheet. Applicants need not include ALL service activities, as they need only 20 hours to qualify for membership.
  • Click here for the Rho Gamma Application

 

Contact Us for More Information

Email: homeschool@palmettofamily.org
Phone: (803) 733-5600