CARIBOU, Maine — Members of the Caribou National Honor Society have been busy this year, with students hosting and planning a number of events impacting their city and beyond.
When 27 students were inducted last year, bringing the total number to 43, they hit the ground running and began planning several large events for the remainder of the school year.
The “End Hunger” food drive was the organization’s first big event of the year. NHS members set a high bar, planning to pack 27,200 meals to be distributed to schools across The County and also to Catholic Charities’ food banks. By Feb. 5, enough donations had come in that the group ultimately packed 31,000 meals.
The honor society’s next big event, the Alumni Hall of Fame, is coming up in a matter of weeks. The Hall of Fame began in 2016, and occurs biannually, and focuses on honoring noteworthy Caribou High School graduates by holding a formal dinner, honoring them at a ceremony, and displaying large photos of inductees on a wall in the high school.
Throughout the year, members of the Caribou community and beyond are able to submit suggested candidates to the Alumni Hall of Fame online. Then, a formal committee consisting of leaders, faculty, and community members, selects five or six individuals to be inducted. Those selected for this year’s hall of fame, which is set for April 29 at the Caribou Performing Arts Center, are: Dr. Christopher Lowrey, Carl Soderberg, Saundra Pelletier, Ryan T. Genz, and Brett McCormack.
NHS interim adviser Shannon Sleeper, who took over after former adviser Kenneth Atcheson retired due to illness, said the group began work immediately after the late 2017 induction.
“We immediately started with operation End Hunger,” Sleeper said. “From there, we packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child in November (of 2017) and then donated food to the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen in December.”
Students juggled these events with preparation for the big End Hunger event simultaneously, and even sold carnations for a fundraiser on Valentine’s Day about a week afterward.
NHS members also worked at a Title 1 event for RSU 39 in which they chaperoned young children at the Caribou recreation center. In March, they hosted a Muscular Dystrophy drive and attended the NHS state convention in Orono.
Sleeper said she and students are looking forward to the April 29 Hall of Fame, and this month the NHS also will host a schoolwide show of appreciation for teachers.
Work isn’t over in April, however, as students will host a Special Olympics event on May 11, which Sleeper said “is one of our last big events.”
For several years, Atcheson advised the NHS, and his health has improved since last November. He also maintains regular communication with Sleeper and members of the group, in addition to attending as many of their events as possible.
Sleeper has, for all intents and purposes, taken over as adviser, but said she is “actually just a substitute,” and that she is unsure what the future holds for a more permanent adviser.
“I”m just taking his place and rounding out the rest of the year,” she said. “I’ve always been the official assistant.”
Atcheson commended Sleeper’s ability to lead students earlier this year during the End Hunger event.
“Mrs. Sleeper is doing an outstanding job,” he said in early February. “I cannot be more happy to have retired knowing that Mrs. Shannon Sleeper was in charge of the NHS. I have no worries knowing that she is in charge.”
Likewise, Sleeper commended Atcheson for the work he has done with NHSl.
“Through his many years of experience, he really has it set up as a well oiled machine,” Sleeper said. “There are a lot of different moving parts. It’s an impactful society in our school and our community as well.”
Through Atcheson’s notes and regular communication, Sleeper said seemingly daunting events were made into something that was “absolutely manageable.”
Sleeper said she hopes to see NHS and its members succeed long into the future.
“We want to do well,” she said, “and carry on that school pride.”
