Blue and white balloons bobbed about the aisles of the auditorium as National Honor Society (NHS) inductees and graduates, as well as their loved ones, gathered in the auditorium for the annual NHS Induction Ceremony. Held this year on May 8 at 7:00 p.m., the ceremony recognized 89 inductees and 68 graduates.
“This year was a roller coaster ride and I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.”
Each year, the NHS Induction Ceremony serves the purposes of welcoming incoming members and wishing outgoing members farewell. The ceremony also provided an opportunity to celebrate the year’s successes, acknowledging their completion of 17 projects throughout the year including a robotics day with elementary school students, a supply drive for those affected by Hurricane Irma in Puerto Rico and weekly tutoring sessions held in the library.
“This year was a roller coaster ride and I wouldn’t have changed it for anything,” president-elect Alex Katsotis said.
Along with Katsotis, a whole new officer board will be stepping up to the challenge of leading NHS next year. The candlelight oath, a tradition in which the outgoing and incoming officers light candles and take an oath of loyalty to NHS, symbolizes the passing of the torch.
In addition to the annual shift in membership, this year NHS said goodbye to long-time sponsor and history teacher Dwayne Dixon, who announced that while he is “moving on to other opportunities,” he remains sad to part with the club. As a surprise, historian Gabby Carbone created an emotional video of interviews with students who feel that Dixon has had a positive impact on them throughout their NHS experience.
“Service isn’t about getting hours for graduation. It’s about recognizing a need and benefiting those people.”
“[Dixon] has shown me what I want others to think of me when I grow up,” vice president Kristina Smith said in the video.
Spanish teacher Lindsay Roberts will be taking over for Dixon next year, and has been in the process of transitioning into the role over the past few months. As the new sponsor, Roberts has decided that all members of NHS must be active participants in the club, and should not just satisfied with showing up and putting the activity on their college applications.
“Service isn’t about getting hours for graduation,” Roberts said. “It’s about recognizing a need and benefiting those people.”
Those who displayed a dedication to service over the past year received special recognition from the NHS. The senior member of the year title was awarded to Bruce Glasserman for his creation of the mock discussion, John Lystad for his tutoring sessions for history students and Dashiel Heidt for participation in every project that the club had to offer. Junior Shaddi Abdala was awarded project of the year for her robotics day event, and seniors Tamarah Wallace and Sabrine Brismeur were recognized as officers of the year.
At the closing of the ceremony, the inductees were each called up on stage to receive a rose and a certificate of their official induction. Finally, NHS seniors walked across the stage to receive their graduation cords, signifying the end of their journey within the club.
Photo courtesy of Yuval Lerman
