National Honor Society welcomes 95 new members at 10th annual induction ceremony
November 1, 2019
A collection of a 3.5 or higher GPA, a student’s areas of service and a student’s character places this year’s juniors and seniors in the running for a chance to be inducted into the National Honor Society.
Over 100 students were eligible to be inducted into NHS this year. More than 90 students were selected to join this honor society. These 90 students were “tapped in,” or surprised in class and honored by the officers by placing a medal around their necks Oct. 17. Each student was then requested by the officers to wear the medal all day and the next Thursday to show their accomplishment.
Go forth my fabulous kiddos and fail! Fail forward to success. — Samantha Smith, guest speaker
“I was very proud of myself for working this hard and earning this honor,” junior Katie Borchetta said. “I was also a little embarrassed in front of my class, but still proud.”
NHS hosts service events around the school and the district, including the blood drive and Winter Wonderland dance. These events give students opportunities to serve and use their leadership to give back to the community.
“My favorite service event is the Winter Wonderland Dance that NHS hosts every year for special needs students in our district,” NHS president Angela Lamarche said. “It’s so much fun to prepare for the dance, and it’s a blast.”
Each year, NHS also hosts an induction ceremony for the new members. Additionally, each year at each new induction ceremony, a guest speaker gives an inspiring speech to the students and the audience.
This year, “retired” teacher Samantha Smith, who left education to sell real estate full time, spoke about the dangerous, but helpful four-letter F word: Fail, Oct. 30.
“Let’s start to think of fail not as a bad four-letter word, but as our favorite four-letter word,” Smith said.
She continued to speak about her own college experiences, more specifically almost failing out of school with a low GPA.
“Who has two Workable Thumbs and was about to fail out of college by point two points? Yup, ME!” Smith said.
The end of her speech ended on a positive note. She informed each student, and parent, how it’s perfectly okay to fail.
“Now stop being fearful of the F word & embrace it,” Smith said. “Go forth my fabulous kiddos and fail! Fail forward to success.”
Afterward, each officer lit a candle and explained each pillar of NHS.
“The pillars are a constant reminder of what each NHS member needs to demonstrate,” historian Lauren Vasquez said.
The new inductees were then called up to the stage, given an induction certificate, signed their name into the register, and took a picture with their honored guest.
“My honored guest was Mr. Cravens,” new member Audrey Wentz said. “He’s always been an important figure in my life.”
Finally, the night ended with a reception in the cafeteria with refreshments for the new members. This reception acted as another congratulation for their accomplishments. The students could also take pictures with their friends and honored guests to share their new honor.
“I feel privileged to be a part of a prestigious organization like NHS knowing that group is dedicated to serving the school and community,” new member Esteban Figueroa said. “I feel like it’s fitting for me as a person who always tries to change lives and be a servant leader for anyone.”
