The first part of being in Beta is getting an invitation to apply to be in the club. In order to get an application, students must have at least a 3.3 unweighted GPA. After getting the application, students will be asked questions about what they can contribute to the club as well as why they want to be in Beta. With the four pillars of the club being achievement, character, leadership, and service, Betas often have strong moral character and a commitment to serving others. Emphasizing these pillars, they are preparing students for success in life.
“A Beta should be responsible and caring,” Bailee Nichols (10), a member of the ZHS Beta Club, says. “The point of Beta is to help our community so caring about the community is important.”
Being in Beta gives students the opportunity to collaborate with others while sharing ideas on different topics. One-
way students can collaborate their ideas at Beta Convention offered at the state and national level. Nichols enjoys the Beta Convention because she “likes spending time with friends and meeting new people.”
State conventions are annual academic and talent competitions that take place across 18 states, including Louisiana. These conventions celebrate students’ achievement, leadership, and service while also serving as the qualifying events for the National Convention. They have many different competition categories including academics, accessorized design, apparel design, book battle, club trading pin, and many more. The National Convention is the annual summer culminating event for the National Beta Club members who have qualified through state-level competitions.
Another big part of Beta is community service. Students in Beta at Zachary High School must complete 20 hours of unpaid community service per semester, totaling 40 hours for the year. The service can vary from helping your local food pantry, tutoring younger students, cleaning up local parks, or hosting a sock drive for a homeless shelter. Requiring a certain hour of community service teaches members to take initiative and plan projects to help the community. It also helps them learn to build skills such as teamwork and organizational skills.
Being in the Zachary High School Beta Club is an honor and the emphasis on developing skills needed for life as well as serving the community is a wonderful thing to be a part of. With their club motto being “Let us Lead by Serving Others” members get a chance to be recognized for their high achievement in academics and improve the community with their peers.