What is this activity?

ARISTA was founded and operates on four pillars: scholarship, leadership, character, and service. As an honor society, ARISTA upholds these values by volunteering in school-wide events (such as parent-teacher conferences and open houses), partnering with external organizations, and tutoring students both inside and outside of school. ARISTA comprises around 175 junior and senior members and around 20 sophomore members through our Sophomore Program. While junior and senior members are required to fulfill both tutoring and events credit requirements, sophomore members must fulfill events credit requirements only. However, sophomore members can tutor students if desired. Applications for both general membership and the Sophomore Program become available in January for current freshman, sophomore, and junior students, and induction into ARISTA occurs in early September. Prospective applicants are required to maintain a minimum overall grade point average of 92, and ARISTA membership will be determined after a thorough review of grades, extracurricular activities, responses to three open-response questions, and a 20-minute-long interview. In addition, ARISTA has three committees: Events & Service, Web Development, and Operations. Rising sophomore, junior and senior ARISTA members can apply to these committees in June.

On what days does this activity meet?

Thursday, Wednesday, Friday

What is the meeting schedule?

ARISTA holds at least one general meeting per semester, not including the induction ceremony that takes place in either late May or September. The EC and the committees are expected to meet at least biweekly. These meetings will be held either in person or virtually depending on the meeting's agenda.

What does a typical meeting look like?

General member ARISTA meetings consist of learning about the requirements and duties of an ARISTA member. ARISTA committees meet biweekly in person or virtually. The Operations Committee is tasked with managing the ARISTA tutoring department, helping with the logistics of large in-school events, assisting the Web Dev Committee, stepping forward in times of emergencies, and fielding questions from tutees, tutors, parents, faculty, etc. Secondly, The Events Committee is responsible for finding community service events (i.e. contacting and working with event coordinators to establish volunteer opportunities for ARISTA members). Committee members are also responsible for leading the events on the day of, directing the volunteers, and overseeing the crediting of their events. The Web Development Committee is held responsible for the important task of maintaining and updating the website, which is an integral part of ARISTA operations—crediting, event confirmations, and tutoring setup are all conducted online. Lastly, executive council meetings consist of managing the logistics of ARISTA and ensuring that the organization run smoothly.

How does this activity appoint leaders?

The Executive Council (EC) consists of five members: the President, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Events and Service, Vice President of Web Development, and the Faculty Advisor. The EC is the executive branch of ARISTA, responsible for all of its operations and responsibilities not delegated to other entities, such as managing its committees and overseeing its members. All members of the EC serve one year terms, lasting from induction to the next year’s induction. Each member of the EC is selected by the previous EC with the approval of the Faculty Advisor. In order to make a fair and educated decision, the EC application consists of a written application, a teacher or guidance counselor recommendation, and an interview for as many as all or as few as necessary applicants. All members of the EC and the faculty advisor must be present (either physically or virtually) for all interviews. All members of the EC and the faculty advisor must read all applications. Any selection must be approved by a unanimous vote of the EC and the Faculty Advisor. Moreover, an EC member can be removed for due cause (this may include disciplinary actions or inability to perform).

What makes this activity unique?

As Stuyvesant’s official Honor Society, serving as a role model for an organization that is an integral part of both Stuyvesant and New York City is a unique opportunity and privilege. ARISTA allows its members to explore a wide variety of tutoring and service initiatives that extend far beyond the borders of Stuyvesant. ARISTA open the doors to making a tangible impact in the community, whether it is teaching Living Environment to an 8th grade class, speaking to senior citizens as part of the Phone Angels program, or tutoring a student from a high school in a different borough. ARISTA strives to make volunteering services accessible, meaningful, and rewarding. Furthermore, ARISTA supports Stuyvesant students through tutoring services and AIS sessions that can be held both virtually and in person. There are also study guides made available for courses by ARISTA members. ARISTA members also help facilitate Stuyvesant open-house sessions both in the fall and spring.