The basis to which this organization was founded upon and the characteristics that each member strives to emulate in their everyday lives, are defined by members of Mill Valley High School's chapter.

Leadership means the influence you have on people to do something extraordinary. A leader is someone that is not afraid to stand by their decision even if no one else is standing by them. They have a drive to change the world into something better. A leader is that person everyone looks to for advice, confidence and a smile. They're someone who overcomes obstacles each day, not for themselves, but to better the lives of those around them. A leader is made up of the other four pillars of National Honor Society: service, character, scholarship and citizenship. Being a leader is having an innate belief that the sky is never the limit.

Scholarship is not about being the most skilled or intellectual person. It is about having an intellectual curiosity that drives one to not only enjoy learning new things, but to also have the persistence and integrity to apply oneself to understanding difficult concepts. Through hard work, you strive to become a more educated individual that is better suited to initiating positive changes in society.

Character means having the qualities of honesty, courage, integrity or similar traits. Honesty requires you to display fairness in all activities and situations, even when it means losing or experiencing a negative outcome. Courage involves showing honesty with confidence and resolve, even in the face of opposition. Integrity is having the courage to stand by your morals despite peer pressure and competing interests. Character is not something that can be taught, but rather something that must be modeled through example.

Service is to help another by performing an action or work for someone else, according to Meriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Community service is an essential part of the National Honor Society. Each member of NHS strives to provide service to the surrounding communities in order to benefit those around them, a necessity in society today. Service is not just to satisfy a requirement set by NHS, or for college applications, but to help another through reaching out to them, a value that can never afford to be lost within society.