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SHF FAQ

About SHF at Your School Scholarships & Contests AATF-Boutique (Graduation Regalia) Annual Report Élan Archive FAQ

SHF Basics 
No worries! There are three basic requirements to starting and maintaining an active SHF chapter.
These steps and requirements are laid out in detail on the "SHF at Your School" page here (which is also linked above in the tab navigation under the same name) - we recommend bookmarking this!
A Webinar was conducted with instructions on the benefits of having an honor society and how to start an SHF Charter. Click HERE to access the recording and presentation.
The Société Honoraire de Français (SHF) is the National French Honor Society for high schoolers. The local high school chapter provides a vehicle to focus activities around French language and Francophone literatures and cultures, and to encourage participation in the annual writing contest and travel grant competition.  In addition, students can acquire leadership skills by serving as officers, directing the initiation ceremony, or leading other chapter events.
The establishment of a chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français offers several benefits to a secondary French program.   It provides an opportunity to recognize outstanding scholarship in the study of French, to place a special seal on the graduate’s diploma, to wear a tri-colored cord or a stole at graduation, and to wear the honor society’s official regalia.
To meet the basic requirements to be eligible to join the SHF, the student must:
  1. Be enrolled in at least their fourth semester of French (e.g.: the second semester of French II or higher).
  2. Be in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade (or a 9th grader who has met criteria 1 above in Jr High School or Middle School).
  3. Have earned at least an A minus (or the equivalent) in French for the previous three consecutive semesters.
  4. Currently have a grade of A minus (or the equivalent) in their current French course at the time of induction.
The National SHF Constitution lays out in further detail who is eligible for membership with the French Honor Society, eligibility in specific circumstances (e.g.: transfer students, students who are home-schooled, etc.), and other SHF policies.
  • The complete text of the SHF National Constitution may be found here.
If you wish to create your own local school-level SHF Constitution, you are encouraged to do so. Please note, local chapter constitutions may exceed the above requirements, but not lower the requirements for SHF membership.
SHF Regalia / Merchandise Orders
In order to ensure that members receive their merchandise in a timely fashion, a third party called the AATF Boutique handles all ordering/invoicing/fulfillment of SHF graduation regalia. 
More information on how to order and where can be found here
The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) is the only national association devoted exclusively to the needs of French teachers at all levels. Our community of French educators at all levels works to promote and defend French programs, create and disseminate useful materials for the classroom, and provide opportunities to recognize professional excellence and student achievement.
The AATF sponsors the National French Contest, Société Honoraire de Français, Jeunes Amis du Français, and National French Week and publish the French Review and the National Bulletin.
The AATF-Boutique is a third party organization (National Awards) who handles all orders and order fulfillment of items found on their site here. The majority of SHF materials (apparel, graduation regalia, etc.) are processed by the AATF-Boutique.
The purchase of any item in the AATF-Boutique is optional.
In 2022, the SHF National Council recognized the need for a better option to support the growing needs of SHF sponsors. It was decided to contract with the AATF-Boutique (run by National Awards) for the fulfillment of SHF merchandise, graduation regalia, and a variety of other products. This allows for a wider selection of items with which to honor the student members of the SHF Charters. The better pricing for these items and the faster turn around time for order fulfillment were also considered to be beneficial to the AATF members.
Unfortunately, because the AATF Boutique is run by a third party, we do not have access to their invoicing/fulfillment system nor do we have access to the back end of the website to reset passwords. 
For specific questions about your order, please call 1-800-748-8663

Adding Students to the SHF / SHF Inductions
Students are inducted into the SHF through the AATF website.
There are three basic requirements to starting and maintaining an active SHF chapter which must be met first, which are laid out in detail on the "SHF at Your School" page here (which is also linked above in the tab navigation under the same name) - we recommend bookmarking this.
Please review requirements 1 & 2 and ensure they are completed, then you will be able to induct students as detailed in the third step.
Due to the high volume of orders during peak SHF Induction times, order processing can take as long as 5 business days.
All orders must be manually processed to ensure compliance with our order guidelines:
  • SHF Charter status confirmed 
  • SHF Sponsor name confirmed
  • Ensure proper recording of student names for AATF/SHF records
  • Any discrepancies addressed and updated
AATF does not share the list of student names who have been previously inducted because of privacy and safety concerns. 
The SHF Secretary is able to confirm membership on specific students as requested by the SHF sponsor.
To ensure proper recording of the student on the records of SHF and grant official SHF membership.
The purchase of a physical certificate is optional. 
The SHF Induction Fee of $4 per student is for official SHF membership. Student names are recorded when orders are processed. A certificate template is emailed to the SHF sponsor upon processing completion of the SHF Induction Fee order. SHF Induction Fee products can be accessed HERE. (Please note users must be logged into their AATF account to view/purchase SHF Induction Fees)
These certificates are available to be personalized and printed, at your school or local print shop, for students whose induction fees were included in this paid order. Certificates look nice when printed in color on a heavier paper like card stock. 
If physical certificates are desired, click HERE for information on the AATF-Boutique.
According to the National SHF Constitution: The fee for student membership in the Société Honoraire de Français is payable at the time of induction. This fee is payable once, and the inductee remains a member of the Société Honoraire de Français as long as he/she is a secondary school student in good standing. 
Some schools elect to have students be re-inducted each year according to their local SHF Constitution. In an effort to support the local SHF Constitutions of different schools, the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th year induction fees are available.

SHF Charters
The following must happen for an SHF Charter to remain active:
  • SHF Sponsors must have current AATF membership
  • SHF Charters must induct at least one (1) student every 2 years
  • The SHF Annual Report must be filled out every year by the SHF sponsor

Not sure if your chapter is active? Check the Active SHF Chapter Directory Here

If there is an inactive charter at the school, an SHF Charter Application must be submitted and a $10 fee needs to be paid to reactivate the charter.

  • SHF Charters Reactiviations can be purchased online using credit card, purchase order, or check:
    • Here via our online store [please note: users must be logged in to the site in order to purchase]
      • If you wish to pay via PO or check, please order through the store and select "invoice" at purchase.
      • The invoice can be used to generate POs or cut a check.
        • Please mail payment to 7333 W Jefferson Ave, Suite 240 Lakewood, CO 8023

Still have additional questions after reviewing the FAQ? We're happy to help! Please contact the Honor Society Secretary.