The ceremony has traditionally been held in the fall of each school year. It is moving to a spring induction giving members more opportunities to complete the required number of service hours.
High School Principal Tony Petersen welcomed the family and friends to the event. “These students have Set themselves apart from their classmates in the areas of character, service leadership and scholarship - which are the four pillars of the National Honor Society,” said Petersen.
He congratulated the new inductees. “I’m proud of each of you and the hard work, dedication, leadership, service and impeccable character each of you have displayed and I look forward to seeing the incredible legacy you continue to build as members of the national honor society.”
Superintendent Craig McCarthy also acknowledged the students’ accomplishments. He said he spoke at the fall ceremony about the four pillars of the NHS and how he has applied them to his life and congratulated the inductees for having overcome many obstacles.
“In addition to the normal academic rigor of earning a place in the NHS, over the past two years you have been asked to wear masks, you were quarantined, and you learned virtually. You have displayed a very high level of tenacity and grit as you worked through all these hurdles to achieve the academic success that you have.”
He encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities at TK for AP classes and dual enrollment as a way of gaining valuable college credits and giving them a head start on their chosen careers.
“When you complete your education here TK and move on to college or trade school and eventually to the world of work. Know that you can do anything you put your mind to. You have already exhibited the skills necessary to be successful. You have tenacity, persistence determination, and perseverance. You have grit, the courage, resolve and strength of character to reach your goals. Take these traits with you as you move into the future,” said McCarthy.
NHS President Jacqueline Aguiar spoke about the new members as well. “These individuals have excelled at what it means to be a member of the National Honor Society. They have shown acts of leadership by taking action to enforce the means of responsibility, honorability by representing our school with great vigor and strong work ethic pushing themselves to go above and beyond in all aspects of their lives. These attributes make them the perfect choice for this year’s chapter.”
“You all have a gift within you and I’m excited to see your accomplishments,” said Aguiar to the new inductees.
Four NHS members spoke at the ceremony about the four pillars of the NHS - scholarship, leadership, service and character.
“In the NHS it is expected you have a passion for learning and that school is among your higher priorities. NHS is meant to challenge you,” said Jocelynn Moore speaking on scholarship. “Learning is not always easy….Keep those test scores high and your heads held higher.”
Amanda Bond spoke about leadership as part of the NHS. “You will become a leader in many different aspects. You will be a role model to underclassmen, have responsibility to keep your grades high and you will donate your time to the community,” she said. In doing so, she said, the new members will grow as leaders for the future.
Keanna Dudik spoke about character. “Having character is a combination of many things put together such as integrity, honesty, responsibility and caring for others around you. Character is doing what’s right when no one is watching. It's how you treat others with respect, appreciating our differences and being a trustworthy classmate. All these traits together are what it means to be a member of the National Honor Society.”
Matthew Middleton spoke about the fourth pillar of the NHS - service. He said service can mean a multitude of things. He acknowledged many parents have demonstrated service when they helped out in classrooms, worked as volunteer coaches or organized a club.
“These acts of serving others and your community can go a long way in helping others. Our community helps support our school in many ways….Community service is a way we, as students, can pay back our community for all they have done for us.”
Lee Repins, secretary of the NHS, and Maycie Rainer, vice president, read the roll of the new inductees as each received a certificate and congratulations from NHS and school leaders.
The spring inductees are:
Juniors
Dillyn Bowers, Matthew Lozada, Peyton Pratt, Journie Scheltema
Sophomores
Ethan Bonnema, Bayleigh Bruce, Holly Carpenter, Hayden Chatman, Kendra Coe, Katelyn Comeau, Landon Conroy, Joselyn DeBoer, Jessie Drenten, Hailey Dudik, Abraham Figuereo, Emily Fliearman, Tyler Gavette, Marian Gielincki, Justin Goggins, Mallory Hagemann, Kaden Hamming, Kyan Haywood, Cade Hicswa, Laine Hinton, Isaac Kimbel, Nathan Koester, Benjamin Koster, Emilie Landry, Dylan Lawrence, Kenzie Linderman, Sophia Marcukaitis, Elizabeth Middleton, Grant Middleton, Hannah Middleton, Mollie Moore, Isabelle Mosley, Ava Myers, Charlotte Nelson, Noah Newland, Ainsley Parsons, Lilly Pease, Katherine Powers, Alivia Raak, Brooke Reurink, Emilia Rickert, Sydney Robertson, Shelby Robinett, Whitney Ruger, Emma Schut, Brianna Sharp, Braden Sharrar, Elizabeth Shrontz, Madison Shattuck, Noelle Smith, Logan Snelling, Drake Snyder, Samuel Trudell, Lucas Van Meter, Lucy VanDuine, Kenna VanElst, Kyle VanHaitsma, Holly Velting, Cailin Wodrich