By: Miralhi Taylor-Martin
Students dressed in semi-formal attire and walked across the stage one-by-one during the ceremony. There are more than 50 students joining this year, and the new editions to the QV Chapter of the NHS will work to exhibit the pillars of the program: scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
The National Honors Society is a group of students that are required to have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, exhibit strong leadership and character, and have to be an active member in their community. Every year, the students who are accepted into the program are pinned by members from the previous year. Last year, the ceremony took place online due to COVID-19 complications. This year the pinning took place as it did in previous years: on the QV stage.
Ms. Kayla Marasia, the sponsor of the chapter says, “the largest impact [of COVID-19] on the NHS membership experience is the lack of service opportunities, but the new NHS officers are working to provide safe options for members.” Marasia also noted that there will be a “lack of a cookie reception after the ceremony.” Both of these changes to the program are to assist with COVID-19 precautions.
Marasia also detailed that the trickiest part of the planning and execution process is the logistics of the event. “Inductees need to be paired with a current member to be pinned, so we need to organize students into two perfect lines so they can 'cross paths' on stage. That's why I asked students to be 45 minutes early!” she explained.