@thingamajig I grew up on the East Coast and attended what were called “country day schools”. The Boy Scouts were considered “militaristic” and so many parents did not want their kids to join. It was only years later that I realised what was going on. It was just after the Vietnam War, so emotions were still raw.
On the topic of high school honors, I actually interviewed someone who told me about being in National Honor Society. He was 24 or 25. I felt sorry for him.