Outstanding Achievement

  Twenty  six  Newark  High  School  students  were  inducted  into  the  NHS  chapter  of  the  National  Honor  Society  October  30th  at  an  evening  ceremony  in  the  auditorium.   New  inductees  and  their  grade  levels  are  juniors:  Natalie  Acquista,  Abigail  Belliveau,  Jasmine  Bueso,  Nichelle  Camp,  Liam  Childs,  Emma  Correia,  Anabel  Darling,  Madison  Dillon,  Jacqueline  Furfaro,  Hannah  Herman,  Timothy  “Jake”  Huber,  Elizabeth  Lang,  Joseph  Malach,  Bailey  McCormick,  Katherine  Paddock,  Connor  Robbins,  Anisha  Stallworth,  William  VanDusen,  Alexandra  Ventura,  Mallory  Williams  and  Dylan  Wong.   Seniors  inducted  included  Hannah  Bates,  Emily  Burgess  Logan  Moynihan,  Nathaniel  Payag  and  Lilie  Tang.

  As  each  student’s  name  was  called  by  NHS  Spanish  teacher  Ariel  Denny,  advisor  of  the  NHS  Chapter  of  the  National  Honor  Society,  he  or  she  came  forward,  and  shook  hands  with  NHS  Principal  Tom  Roote.    The  new  inductees  were  selected  by  a  faculty  council  on  the  basis  of  scholarship,  character,  leadership  and  service.   “All  candidates  must  have  a  scholastic  average  of  at  least  88  to  be  accepted  by  the  National  Council,’’  Denney  explained.  “In  addition  to  the  scholastic  average,  the  local  application  process  includes  a  resume,  essay,  teacher  sponsorship  from  5  high  school  teachers  and  a  character  questionnaire.    This,  along  with  leadership  in  the  classroom,  the  ability  to  place  service  above  self,  demonstration  of  high  standards  toward  honesty,  reliability,  fairness  and  tolerance  constitute  the  criteria  which  has  led  to  each  one’s  selection.

“Your  achievements  in  these  areas-­-­Scholarship,  Leadership,  Service,  and  Character  are  being  honored  tonight  by  your  induction,”  Denny  continued.    “This  is  a  wonderful  way  for  the  school  and  community  to  recognize  and  celebrate  the  choices,  and  sometimes  the  sacriKices  you  have  made.”   Denny  also  said  acceptance  of  new  Honor  Society  members  “should  be  considered  the  beginning  of  an  obligation,  not  merely  the  culmination  of  an  effort  to  achieve  recognition  and  honor.”     Once  inducted,  new  members  will  assist  the  chapter  by  helping  to:   •  Create  enthusiasm  for  scholarship                       •  Stimulate  a  desire  to  render  service     •  Promote  worthy  leadership   •  Encourage  the  development  of  character  in  all  NHS  students   “You  have  worked  hard  to  earn  this  and  tonight  is  an  opportunity  to  reKlect  on  your  successes,  and  feel  proud  of  yourselves  and  your  accomplishments,”  Denny  said.

Then  the  four  National  Honor  Society  ofWicers  _  NHS  seniors  Grace  Kreuser  (president),    Michael  Hutteman  (vice-­‐president)  Emma  Semmler  (secretary)  and  Megan  Rodriguez  (treasurer)  further  explained  the  criteria  for  membership.      

  Next,  Roote  spoke  to  the  inductees.   “Welcome  guests,  congratulations  inductees  and  thank  you  for  this  opportunity  to  speak,”  he  said.  “My  process  for  preparing  a  few  words  for  tonight  started  with  me  typing  into  the  search  bar  on  my  computer:  “nhs  speech  2016.”   “Immediately  after  hitting  enter  I  realized  my  search  was  not  going  to  pull  up  last  year’s  speech  for  I  had  searched  everywhere  and  not  just  my  computer.  As  a  result,  the  search  engine  produced  a  series  of  essays  submitted  by  National  Honor  Society  candidates  across  the  country.  I  think  the  website  was  called  MegaEssays.com.   “This  leads  me  to  ask  the  question,  “Do  you  feel  like  you  need  to  write  a  lot  of  essays  

to  be  considered  competent?”  On  behalf  of  all  the  past,  present  and  future  essay  prompts  you  will  respond  to,  I  am  going  to  apologize!  Rest  assured,  your  essay-­writing  requirements  will  slow  as  you  get  older  for  I  have  not  written  an  essay  in  years.  Sorry  for  that  digression.”   Roote  then  shared  some  passages  from  the  essays  that  caught  his  attention.    ·  I  hope  to  prove  myself  to  be  a  good  example  and  mentor  for  those  who  seek  help.  My  leadership  in  my  temple  played  a  large  role  in  my  life.   ·  As  a  tradition  since  I  was  little,  every  year  my  family  and  I  take  a  trip  to  various  hospitals  around  the  county  during  holidays,  leaving  patients  with  Klowers,  gifts,  and  just  spending  quality  time.   ·  In  order  for  this  to  happen  I  would  have  to  get  

distinguished  honors  four  out  of  Kive  of  the  years  to  come.  It  was  a  lot  of  sleepless  nights,  staying  up  to  study  to  ace  the  test  in  the  morning.   ·  Even  though  I  may  not  be  the  most  outspoken  person,  I  believed  that  I  have  helped,  and  led  in  some  cases,  my  basketball  and  volleyball  teams  to  many  of  the  victories  we  were  notorious  for.

  As  he  read  through  the  essays,  Roote  said  he  felt  he  wasn’t  getting  to  know  the  writer  because  each  story  was  stopping  just  short  of  sharing  that  key  detail  that  would  inform  the  reader  that:  “I  am  unique,  I  am  my  own  person  and  I  am  proud  of  that.”   “While  my  approach  here,  highlighting  each  essay,  is  meant  to  be  a  bit  tongue  in  cheek,  I  will  share  that  I  am  absolutely  serious  when  I  say  that  you  need  to  sharedetails,  provide  a  meaty  response,”  he  continued.  “We  want  to  get  to  know  your  unique  qualiKications.  Be  humble,  but  also  remember  to  engage  your  audience,  give  them  a  reason  to  read  more,  hear  more,  etc.   Dr.  Stephen  Covey,  who  is  the  inspiration  behind  much  of  our  Wednesday  SELF  work,  encourages  us  to  consider  our  paradigm.  A  paradigm  is  the  way  we  see  something,  our  point  of  view,  frame  of  reference  or  belief.  Sometimes  paradigms  can  be  accurate,  incomplete,  wrong  or  completely  off  the  mark.  For  example,  consider  these  quotes  that  highlight  some  off  the  mark  paradigms:   Here  are  a  few:   •  “Airplanes  are  interesting  toys,  but  of  no  military  value.”    _  Marshal  Ferdinand  Foch,  a  French  military  strategist  and  future  World  War  1  Commander  in  1911.   •  “Television  won’t  be  able  to  hold  on  to  any  market  it  captures  after  the  Kirst  six  months.  People  will  soon  get  tired  of  staring  at  a  plywood  box  every  night.”    _  Darryl  F.  Zanuck,  head  of  20th  Century  Fox  in  1947.    •  “We  don’t  like  their  sound.  Groups  of  guitars  are  on  the  way  out.”    Decca  Records  rejecting  The  Beatles  in  1962.    •  “For  the  majority  of  people,  the  use  of  tobacco  has  a  beneKicial  effect.”  _  Dr.  Ian  G.  MacDonald,  Los  Angeles  surgeon  as  quoted  in  “Newsweek”,  November  18,  1969.   “.  .  .  I  asked  you  to  consider  how  you  are  unique  and  I  encouraged  you  to  celebrate  your  uniqueness  by  spending  time  recognized  for  all  that  it  is,”  Roote  continued.  “Your  uniqueness  is  one  principal  that  shapes  your  paradigm.  Here  are  some  other  principals  that  can  shape  your  paradigm:   •  The  next  time  you  look  in  the  mirror,  say  something  positive  about  yourself.   •  Show  appreciation  for  someone’s  point  of  view  today.  Say  something  like,  “Hey,  that’s  a  cool  idea.”   •  Think  of  a  limiting  paradigm  you  might  have  of  yourself,  such  as  “I’m  not  outgoing.”  Now,  do  something  today  that  totally  contradicts  that  paradigm.   •  Listen  carefully  to  the  lyrics  of  the  music  you  listen  to  most  frequently.  Evaluate  if  they  are  in  harmony  with  the  principles  you  believe.    •  The  Golden  Rule  rules.  Begin  today  to  treat  others  as  you  would  want  them  to  treat  you.  Don’t  be  impatient,  complain  about  leftovers  or  bad-­mouth  someone  unless  you  want  the  same  treatment.   •  The  next  time  you’re  in  a  tough  situation  and  don’t  know  what  to  do,  ask  yourself,  “What  principle  should  I  apply  _  honesty,  love  loyalty,  hard  work,  patience?  Now,  follow  the  principle  and  don’t  look  back.”   “I  will  leave  you  with  this  thought,”  Roote  said.  “It  is  never  too  late  to  recognize  that  you  can  shift  your  paradigm.  You  can  always  cut  a  new  pathway  through  the  jungle  of  life  ahead  of  you.  Go  forth  and  make  your  dreams  come  true.  Be  inspired,  be  creative,  be  an  original  thinker!”

After  the  ceremony,  a  reception  was  held  in  the  school  foyer  for  new  inductees  and  their  guests.