This Wednesday, September 18, was the National Honor Society ceremony for the new members who entered the club. Approximately ten new members were selected based on the four pillars: Leadership, Character, Service, and Scholarship.
The ceremony began as Mr. B. took the stage to deliver the opening note. “We are gathered here today to celebrate your excellence. Because after all, you’re about to become a part of, a member of one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious student programs in the world.” This statement really represents the effort of the students who were honored today and how much Mr. B. appreciates and values the club. He concluded by expressing his hope that the new members find themselves through their new chapter on the National Honor Society.
Next, NHS's current president, Laís Taranto, took the stage. She delivered an inspiring speech about building upon and highlighted the values represented by the pillars, for which the new members were selected. Laís then introduced Vitor Szuster, the NHS treasurer. He spoke about one of the pillars, Scholarship, “It gives us the ability to think critically, to approach problems with curiosity and excitement, and to confront complexity with reason and empathy.”
Following Vitor, it was Sakura’s turn to share her pillar, Service. Her speech deepened the importance of challenging yourself with new experiences. She shared her personal experience of participating in the “Papai Noel Correio” project with little kids from a daycare. Although she didn’t know Portuguese which made it hard to communicate, through engaging in activities with the kids, she soon felt more involved and became excited to visit the daycare.
The stage was then handed over to Julia Ribeiro, the historian, who spoke about leadership. She emphasized that leadership is not just about holding a position of authority, and reflected on how she watched and always thought that captains, and presidents in clubs, were true leaders. Therefore, she understood that everyone can be a leader, by example and by doing the right thing even when no one is watching. She quoted Donal Macgahan: “Leadership is not a position or a title, it’s action and example”.
Last but not least, Mariana Zica, the vice president, confidently approached the stage to speak about character. In her first year, she was very curious about one of the pillars: character. As she didn’t see it as something that could be measured. But after a year in the society, she is she developed her own definition: “To have character is to be someone that has integrity and empathy in taking actions and decisions. It’s being consistent with your values and behaving according to them with resilience and honesty while facing challenges.”
After each speech, the officers approached the table and lit their respective “pillar” candle. Once all speeches were taken, the new members were called to the stage to receive their certificates and sign a book, continuing the tradition as a way to leave their mark behind. Mr. Jamie, our principal, concluded the ceremony by talking about the two different pillars he led throughout his life, which were compassion and agency.
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