On Tuesday, May 3, the National Honor Society (NHS) held its annual induction ceremony at Old Rochester Regional, where 54 new members were inducted into the NHS.
The ceremony was named in the memory of Dana Dourdeville, an Old Rochester alumnus who graduated in 2011 and began college at Brown University. He passed away in 2013, and the ceremony was held in his honor because he embodied the ideals of the National Honor Society.
The ceremony began when the inductees walked in and took their seats, with a piano accompaniment from fellow inductee, Maxxon Wolski. After taking their seats, NHS president Michaelah Nunes welcomed the inductees and their supportive friends and families in the audience.
In a short speech, Nunes highlighted what it means to be a part of the NHS, and then handed the mic off to Principal Michael Devoll, who sent well wishes and good luck to the up-and-coming NHS members.
Once Devoll’s congratulatory speech had come to a conclusion, guest speaker Dr. Erich Carroll, a history teacher at Old Rochester, was invited to the podium. His speech focused around the perseverance required to be successful.
The next part of the ceremony was the recognition of the National Honor Society qualities, with each quality being represented by a candle. Five current members of the NHS were invited to light each one of the five candles: Knowledge, Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Traditionally, the Old Rochester chapter of the NHS invites one current member to perform at the ceremony. This year, Isabella King sang a cover of the song “Youth” by Daughter.
After the song had come to a close, the inductees raised their right hands to repeat the oath of the National Honor Society, which was followed by the procession of each individual inductee standing up to receive their pin and a lit candle.
After each member was successfully inducted, NHS president Nunes said a closing statement, and friends and families lingered for refreshments and photographs.
How were the future members of the National Honor Society selected? It was required for them to reach a certain academic criteria, and if achieved, letters were sent out to invite possible inductees to apply to the NHS. The application process included detailing experience with community service, and getting signatures from teachers, community members, and Vice Principal Michael Parker to attest to the character of the possible inductees. The applications were then sent to a board that reviewed the applications, looking to ensure the students selected proved “…that they are strong leaders, are of good character, and that they have either a service oriented background and if not, that they are interested in getting involved in service programs,” explained NHS Supervisor and ORR English teacher Sarabeth Morrell.
For the inductees, community service means a lot. As Diana LaRock said, “Community Service allows you to better your community while learning the value of hard work and selflessness.”
But it’s about more than just working hard towards a better self.
“Community service is a way for you to say thank you to the community you live in for everything it gives you, like a place to live, and a good school,” said inductee Erin Costa. “We take for granted little things like these, so community service is a great way to tell your community that you acknowledge all the good things you get from them.”
Allie Nicolosi, whose main platform of community service is through Faith Formation (catechist) at Saint Anthony’s Parish in Mattapoisett, explained that for her, it is important to make the children in Faith Formation learn the importance of service to the community through scripture.
“When I look at my busy schedule, I ask myself why I bother spending my free time teaching the kids,” said Nicolosi. “My main reason for helping is because I can honestly say that I rarely enjoyed the hour a week of sitting and reading scripture and then having a quiz on the information learned. As a teacher, I’ve realized that I have the opportunity to make the class less of a nuisance, and hope to help the kids realize the importance of reading and understanding the scriptures of the Bible.”
Once inducted, the members of the NHS are required to perform a minimum of 20 hours of community service each semester, and many go above and beyond that minimum. Although individual service is an important part of the NHS, the Society has put on many fundraisers this year, including a Thanksgiving Food Drive, a Sock Drive for veterans in Southeastern Massachusetts, and a Coin Drive for Lymphoma.
Many members of the NHS form small volunteer groups and perform service together, including a group that tutors math at ORRJHS after school and another that reads to students in the Tri-Town elementary schools.
A small group of NHS members also took a trip to Sippican Health Center to interview the seniors and write memoirs for them.
As for upcoming events, the NHS plans to assist with the Rochester Memorial School fundraiser Miles for Memorial, as well as the school’s traditional Field Day.
By Sienna Wurl