By Corey Park
Presque Isle High School
National Honor Society President
As National Honor Society students, we live lives where balance is key. In the course of a week, our lives can be thrown in 14 different directions. Some members get some volunteering in; others participate in athletics, while all work to maintain exemplary academics and character.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
Newly inducted members into Presque Isle High School’s National Honor Society are, front row, from left: Marila Marecos, Cassie Rodgers, Allison Young, Dusty Graham, Amelia Scott and Katelynn Hartt. Middle row: Caroline Thibodeau, Jordan Francke, Anne Elish, Melissa Morrison, Keely Sawyer and Sara Appleby. Back row: Andrew Abovian, Melissa McGary, Matt Talbot, Bennett Cassidy, Matt Flora, Mimi Smith, Layla Legassie, Jake Buob, Sarah Porter and Lucas Mathers.
The NHS State Convention was held March 13-14. This was when NHS members from chapters around the state gathered to celebrate the values associated with the National Honor Society. The members were also honored for their accomplishment in upholding the four pillars of scholarship, service, leadership and character with a banquet dinner followed by a dance party. Distinguished Maine citizens, such as former Gov. Angus King and writer Cathy Pelletier, came to reminisce about past experiences and shared advice for the future.
State convention is only one highlight on our busy calendars. Our chapter hosts a Red Cross blood drive the first Friday in December of every year. Members and advisers work tirelessly at this event. This year, between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 110 units of blood were donated, many of them by first-time student donors.
In the future, we look forward to hosting the Special Olympics. Every spring, our chapter helps coordinate the event in cooperation with the Special Olympics Committee. Other NHS chapters from Aroostook County volunteer at this event. Last year, volunteering at Special Olympics was an unforgettable and humbling experience for everyone.
These are only the big events. Aside from these, there are a limitless amount of activities that each member takes part in individually. We pay back our community by participating in countless hours of volunteering. These range from tutoring to helping out at the soup kitchen, and many points in between. We willingly give of our time in the midst of our busy schedules.
We are also considered leaders among our classmates. This pertains to more than academics. Being part of the National Honor Society means resisting the pressures of alcohol and drug use. We are expected to be true to ourselves, which means being true to our personal moral code. Simultaneously, we are guides for our classmates who may need assistance.
These aspects and activities are all part of our balance. Left off this balance so far are family, friends, and religion. They are the parts of the balance and our lives that make each of us individuals, that make us unique, that guide us in developing our outstanding character. How we balance our lives varies, even though we are all part of the same group with the same code. We do not live our lives in concordance with the pillars of NHS. No … in fact, the opposite of this is true. The pillars of NHS exist in concordance with our lives.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
Presque Isle High School seniors in the National Honor Society include, front row, from left: Carmen Allen, Shantelle Cyr, Ben Schneider, Gerard Desjardins and Nicole Jimenez. Middle row: Brittany Perry, Darryl Ann Girardin, Erika McKay and Erin Thomas. Back row: Caroline Freeman, Tiffany Belanger, Corey Park, Joel Whitaker, Nick Gallant, Nick Shaw and Nick Norton. Absent when the photo was taken were Parker Hovey, Michael Yu and Allisen Donovan.
