HFIS students were celebrated last week
“To be inducted into the National Junior Honor Society you had to demonstrate excellence in service, leadership, character and citizenship. Think of what more you have already achieved, but also think about what more you want to achieve.”
Those were the words of O’Neill High School Social Studies teacher Nicole Glennon last week as she spoke to the newest inductees into the Highland Falls Intermediate School’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Twelve HFIS students were inducted.
NJHS President Kate Feldman welcomed all to the ceremony, including NJHS Advisor Stephanie Clendenin and spoke about the role the NJHS has played in the community this past school year — donating to and volunteering at area food pantries, donating money to the Highland Falls Library, cleaning up local parks, and helping pack food backpacks for other students.
Several other NJHS students spoke during the ceremony too, giving definitions and examples of what the core values of NJHS are — scholarship (Emma VanZetta), service (Patrick Flynn), leadership (Haylee Adams and Amelia Pushlar), citizenship (Grace Trubenbach) and character (Feldman).
In her remarks, Glennon congratulated the students who were already in the NJHS and the new inductees. She gave four examples of internationally-known youngsters who have made a difference in the world — Malala Yousafzai (girls’ and women’s rights), Greta Thunberg (climate change), Jack Andraka (cancer detection) and Emma Gonzalez (gun control).
“These are people who have taken the same path that you are embarking on,” Glennon said. “Some of these teenagers were motivated by transformative events in their lives while others were motivated by the simple belief that they need to make the world better. You may or may not be the next Nobel Prize winner, but you are all capable of making change.”
Also speaking was HFIS Psychologist Dr. Ash Puttaswamy, who told the students she commends them for their drive to live up to the NJHS characteristics.
“Congratulations to all of the inductees,” Puttaswamy said. “Keep up the beneficial work and words.”
The new inductees are: Aymee Almonte, Seth Armstrong, Scott Barr, Joey Dambra, Isabelle DiSpirito, Aspasia Fatsis, Haley Feldman, Andrew Irizarry, Quinn Manning, Michael Mizqhuiri, Ashley Moran and Lilia Surowka.
The current NJHS officers are: Feldman – president, Emma VanZetta – vice president and treasurer, and Patrick Flynn – recording secretary.
Other members in good standing in the NJHS are: Haylee Adams, Sophia Farina, Lauren Farrier, John Flynn, Shawn Konyak, Brynn Marks, Ella O’Connell, Amelia Pushlar, Jocelyn Shuman, Jeremy Stoll, Grace Trubenbach, Riley VanPelt, Sofia VanZetta and Timeron Leary.