The Bartlesville High School National Honor Society inducted several new members during a special ceremony Sept. 9 in the Fine Arts Center auditorium on the BHS campus.
NHS officers Shianne Fouts, Caly Johnson and Alex Rivera – all BHS seniors – presided over the event while state representative Earl Sears, the former Central Middle School principal, was the guest speaker.
Bartlesville High School's latest NHS class is comprised of 23 students, 20 of whom were able to attend the ceremony. Each of the new inductees present walked across the Fine Arts Center stage, where they received a special NHS membership card and were greeted by Bartlesville Public School District officials Dr. Gary W. Quinn, superintendent, and Janet Vernon, executive director of secondary education operations, as well as interim BHS principal Teri Brant and Sears.
“I was so proud of those kids,” said Keri Bostwick, who coordinated the event along with fellow BHS English instructor Stephanie Plant. “I was very proud of our officers as well.
“What a great honor for everyone involved.”
The new inductees include seniors Scott Hull, Magan Hughes, Alex Madayag, Michael Mueller and Daniela Romo, and juniors John Allen, Katrina Butcher, Bionca Chambers, Leah Clark, Joshua Fields, Alexys Gonzales, Kimberly Gray, Emily Jean, Kevin Knight, Tessa Long, Jesse Maltby, Dawn Parrett, Christina Ramirez, Paul Schaettle, Victoria Steinhart, Kelsey Tilyard, Landon Trotter and JoBeth Wasicek.
In order to be eligible for National Honor Society status, students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.51 from grades nine through 12. They must display good leadership skills and good character as well. Also, they must be involved in some sort of community service.
Candidates must apply for NHS status.
“It must be something they truly desire to do,” says Bostwick, who teaches advanced placement English literature for seniors.
“They have to do 10 hours of community service each semester. They have to be leaders, whether it's in their church, school or some other area.”
The four cornerstones of the National Honor Society are service, scholarship, leadership and character. Thus, NHS students can be found assisting at places which help the needy such as the Mary Martha Outreach and the Agape Mission. They often tutor fellow and younger students and might even help keep time during a school swimming event.
“We expect those four NHS cornerstones to be evidenced in their lives,” says Bostwick. “It's a pretty active group.”
Fouts, Johnson and Rivera led most of the proceedings and lit the symbolic “Service Candle,” which was prominently displayed on stage. They led the pledge reading by the new inductees and jointly read a speech which touched on quotes by three great U.S. presidents – George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
In his remarks, Sears drove home the need for NHS students to be not just scholars, but active, positive and productive citizens as well.
“Continue to give back to your community, your state and this great nation,” he said.
“Continue to excel in what you are doing.”
The guest speaker at the Bartlesville High School National Honor Society Fall 2008 Induction Ceremony, state representative Earl Sears congratulates new member Dawn Parrett Sept. 9 in the Fine Arts Center auditorium on the BHS campus.