On Thursday, May 29, at 6:30 in the evening, 90 juniors gathered in the LGI to line up in alphabetical order and prepare for the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. NHS is a nationwide organization, started in 1921, that honors high school students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These four qualities comprise the pillars of the organization. In all fifty states, Washington D.C., Canada, and elsewhere, there are more than one million students involved in the National Honor Society. Harriton has had a chapter of the National Honor Society for over 35 years. Led by Mrs. Ranson and five student officers, NHS offers tutoring to Harriton students and organizes an annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.

This year’s application process began when juniors received letters in the mail, inviting them to apply for membership to the National Honor Society. These letters were sent to juniors who qualified with regard to the first pillar of NHS, scholarship. These students maintained a certain GPA and were on honor roll for the majority of their high school marking periods.

Since all invited juniors were academically qualified, the application process focused on the organization’s three remaining pillars—service, leadership, and character. The application required students to list their extracurricular activities, discuss their leadership positions, and write essays describing their character. About two weeks ago, students received notice of their acceptance into NHS in the mail.

At 7:00 PM on Thursday, the induction ceremony began with the procession of new inductees into the auditorium Ms. Marcuson welcomed everybody to the ceremony, and NHS Secretary Andrew Frederick called the meeting to order and led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The induction commenced when the 2013-2014 NHS officers briefly spoke about the four the pillars of NHS. They lit four large candles to represent the four pillars. Ms. Marcuson then read the names of the inductees, as they received candles and lined up around the auditorium. A flame was passed down the line of students until everybody had a lit candle. When asked about the ceremony, inductee Maddie Feldman said, “It didn’t really hit me until I looked around the beautifully dark room, illuminated by candles, with all my friends and family there to support me – I realized what a true honor it was to be a member.”

Once everyone’s candles had been lit, Treasurer Brandon Lapensohn led the inductees in the NHS pledge. President Victoria Marks then spoke about what NHS has meant to her this past year. Mr. Eveslage ended the ceremony with a few closing remarks, and the inductees and their families enjoyed refreshments in the lobby. Inductee Charlie Akerblom summed up the ceremony, commenting, “Everyone was looking classy. Nobody was being sassy, except for my girl Vicky Marks. Just kidding, her class tops the charts.”

Congratulations to the new members of the National Honor Society!