On Wednesday, October 27, the National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony took place in the GW auditorium. It was at 6:00 PM and families were invited to attend. Formal attire was required and only two guests were permitted for each inductee. The ceremony started off with Mr. Leonard and Mr. Smilon addressing the audience. Then, the names of all of the members were announced and they were given a certificate. 

National Junior Honor Society is an organization that was founded in 1929. Its purpose is to encourage leadership in students and improve the community. In order to be eligible to apply for NJHS, you needed to have a GPA (grade point average) of over 3.75. If you were told you could apply, you had to accept the terms and conditions, answer 4 essay questions, and get a recommendation from someone in the community, like an extracurricular teacher. 

To stay a member of NJHS, you need to complete at least ten hours of community service by the end of May. You can help out around the school or do something in the community like volunteer. Basically, National Junior Honor Society’s purpose is to help students by bettering communication and leadership skills so that they can give back to the community. 

One member of NJHS, Katelyn Kahn, (8th Grade) is excited to be a member, but is also a little worried. She answered some questions regarding her expectations for NJHS.

How do you feel knowing that you’re an inducted member of NJHS?

Pretty cool. Honestly, it’s surprising, but I’m proud of myself for getting accepted.

Are you worried about being able to complete the required 10 hours of community service?
Kind of. I don’t really know many places to volunteer at the moment but I think I’ll be able to meet the requirements by May.

Do you think you’ll improve as a person after being in NJHS?

I hope so. I think I will learn and grow as a person throughout the year. 

Many students were told that they were eligible to apply, but not all of them chose to. Here’s what Adrian Niser (8th Grade) had to say about his decision to not go through with the application.

I still stand by my decision to not apply. I am happy knowing that I met the requirements though. I feel like I am a busy person and I probably don’t have time to do community service hours and attend meetings. Also, I cannot commit to many things at the moment. I hope that other 8th grade students who chose to apply have a good time being a part of NJHS. 

It’s safe to say that being in National Junior Honor Society isn’t for everyone. Good news though: Even if you aren’t in NJHS right now, you can still get into National Honor Society (NHS) in high school. NJHS will surely encourage people to get involved in the community and help out. It will help students be more responsible and active. Congrats to all of the members!