It is an honor to meet you! 73 new members were inducted into Long Reach’s National Honor Society (NHS) chapter on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. This year, French teacher Mrs. Miller took over as sponsor of the society. 

NHS is considered to be one of the highest forms of accomplishment at the high school level. There are NHS chapters all around the country, totaling more than a million students. 

“NHS is such a huge honor and being accepted into something like that kind of validates all the hard work I’ve put in throughout my high school career,” Junior Leslie Deiss said. 

The event began in the auditorium at 7pm and later moved to the atrium for food brought in by current NHS members. 

“Honestly, I came in without a high expectation,” Senior inductee Nikesh Chhetri said. “But,” he continued, “it was fun [performing the ceremony] in the auditorium, and it felt professional.”

The whole ceremony commenced with piano music from Senior Cierra Hudson. To this music, the inductees walked into the auditorium in a line and found their seats. After a call to order, National Anthem, invocation, and song by the Madrigals, the ceremony began.

Each NHS senior in charge of the four pillars, Jeffery Sims (scholarship), Samuel Levine (leadership), Ji Young Park (service), and Sui Len Par (character), came up one by one to light the candles that signify each pillar.

The service pillar means that each of these students goes out of their way to provide service to others and must turn in hours to show this. 

“I like that in NHS you do service hours to give back to the community and school, but also you get to help others, which I also enjoy doing,” Senior inductee Aliyah Smith-Bradley said.

Deiss agrees with Smith-Bradely as she said that “all the other activities I do are for myself, but NHS gives me the chance to do more for others.” 

Character means that each of these students possesses a multitude of positive traits such as empathy and honesty. 

The scholarship pillar ensures that each student maintains high grades, at least a 3.4, all year round, without any D’s or E’s. 

Finally, leadership is the ability for each of the members to use their status to influence a group of people for the greater good. “I chose to apply to NHS because I felt I needed to do more for the school and community and wanted an opportunity to grow my leadership skills,” Smith-Bradley added.

The inductees then walked across the stage after each of these candles were lit and received their certificates, signed the book of students, and took a picture. Next, each individual inductee turned on a battery operated candle, one by one, to signify their new membership in NHS.

To be a member of NHS, prospective members must pick up an application at the beginning of the school year, write a few essays, and obtain teacher recommendations. 

“I hope I will be a contribution in this honor society, but also spark the interest that all current and new members have by being a part of a team by being in NHS,” Smith-Bradely concluded.

2019 NHS Inductees