On Wednesday, Jan. 21, 102 students at the high school were welcomed into the Manheim Township chapter of the National Honor Society. Of these students, 13 were seniors and 89 were juniors. These students earned the honor of being inducted through demonstrating skills crucial to the four main pillars that represent the values of NHS.
The new members went through a lengthy process to apply for NHS including various requirements that show the inductees’ dedication to each aspect of the society. For scholarship, students are required to have a minimum cumulative GPA of 93% alongside being enrolled in at least one higher level course. As for service, members must have at least five to 10 hours of community service. Involvement in the community is also demanded of through extracurricular activities. Within these activities, members are also expected to have at least one leadership role held during high school. Finally, the character of the student is evaluated through the amount of faculty recommendations they receive.
“The NHS application process is similar across the board,” said Ms. Weller, advisor for NHS. “But Township has set its own criteria. To compare, the national minimum standard for scholarship is a cumulative scholastic average of at least 85%, and Township sets it at 92.5%.”
The evening began with a welcome from the NHS president Elaine Warfel. Then, three senior speakers: Madeline Newman, who spoke about scholarship and service, Ella Suydam, who talked about leadership and Vinaya Doshi, who explained character. Each speaker lit candles representing each of the four pillars and explained them briefly.
While these are the textbook definitions, the true meaning of them vary depending on each school section and more specifically, each student.
“Character to me is the most important aspect to me because it defines you as a person,” said junior Ace Davis. “I try my best to improve my own character in hopes that I can inspire others around me.”
For the event, assistant principal Fennimore served as the keynote speaker and delivered a speech discussing the growth that teenagers have before, during and after high school. Accompanied by two photos of children’s drawings on the presentation, he empathized with the ambition of teenagers and connected his own experiences as a young adult to the people in attendance.
The main section of the evening then commenced with vice president Riley McGahren and secretary Esha Patel announcing the names of the new inductees to receive their certificate, pin and candle from the stage from Warfel.
When the names and introductions of the new members concluded, principal Rilatt provided final remarks and congratulated them on their accomplishments.
Of the initial four candles lit, the flame was passed through the new inductees to each individual candle holder until each one was lit, signaling the official induction of each member.
The evening concluded with Warfel leading the NHS pledge for the members to repeat alongside her.
