HOULTON, Maine — Sixteen new members were welcomed into Houlton Middle-High School’s National Honor Society May 22 during an academic awards ceremony at the school.
Tessa Solomon, president of the Houlton Chapter of the National Honor Society, welcomed the audience and commented on the accomplishments of the incoming members.
“Tonight we induct 16 juniors into the Houlton High School Chapter of the National Honor Society,” Solomon said. “These students have not only achieved a 90 or better average, but have also demonstrated the four pillars of the National Honor Society.”
Those four pillars are scholarship, service, leadership and good character.
“Scholarship means a commitment to learning,” Solomon said. “A student who is willing to spend hours studying will reap the benefits of a cultivated mind. Knowledge is an instrumental element in life, which can ultimately lead to success.”
Success can only be accomplished through diligence and effort, she continued. “Candidates have the charge to continually expand their world through the opportunities inherent in scholarship.”
Service, she said, is described in many ways. “In the routine of a day’s work, many opportunities arise to help each other,” she said. “Willingness to work for the benefit of those in need without monetary compensation or without recognition is the quality we seek in our membership. We are committed to the idea of volunteering our time and abilities to the creation of a better tomorrow.”
Leadership, she said, should exert a positive influence on the school.
“Those who take the initiative in class and school activities strive to push and influence other classmates,” Solomon said. “The price of leadership is sacrifice and the willingness to yield one’s personal interests for the interests of others. A leader has self-confidence and will go forward when others hesitate.”
Character, she said, is this force inside each individual that distinguishes a person from others. “Character is achieved and not received,” she said. “It is a product of making the right choice daily, and maintaining self-control. By demonstrating such qualities as respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, kindness and citizenship we may hope to prove by example that we value character.”
New inductees for 2019 are Morgan Barrows, Samantha Condon, Jason Collett, Lexi Crouse, Nate Delucca, Paige Ford, Keegan Gentle, Maddie Grant, Sierra Hoops, Sara Howland, Amelia Ivey, Nolan Jacobs, Grace Johnson, Sydney Lorom, Elizabeth Phillips and Abigail Worthley.
The outgoing seniors of the NHS are Jamie Brown, Elizabeth Dunn, Benjamin Grant, Gabriella Guiod, Jillian Haggerty, Nolan Porter, Kelsey Sewell, Sydney Sides, Tessa Solomon, Rhetta Vega and Alexander Wilde.
