At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the National Honor Society held its annual induction ceremony on Monday, April 15, in the auditorium. The ceremony welcomed new students into NHS and made them official members of the program.

The event started with a speech from every staff member of NHS, each welcoming inductees and parents, stating the core values of NHS, describing what NHS does for the community, and defining leadership among peers. Afterwards, each inductee had their name called and came up to the stage. They signed their name pledging to NHS, and then shook hands with Principal Michelle Kefford and NHS Advisor Lisa Hitchcock.

After all the names were called, all inductees were placed in four rows down the isles and handed a candle. After a short oration, the inductees at the front of the rows lit their candles, passed on the flames to the person behind them, and the cycle continued until every inductees’ candle was lit, the start of the torches representing all the inductees officially becoming members of NHS.

MSD’s NHS chapter already has held multiple different events to bring the community together. The organization describes themselves as a service organization of scholars, who are committed to upholding a strong character, being leaders on campus, and trying to make the community a better place.

“You should care about the NHS because the NHS cares about you,” MSD NHS President Abigail Melamed said. “We care about every single member of the community. We donate to the underprivileged, we make veteran appreciation cards, we just really want to connect with every person possible, and we love doing it. We want to reach out, and we want to help people.”

The ceremony was attended by hundreds of parents, NHS members, teachers, and in the end, MSD NHS was able to bring in over 200 new inductees into the organization, making it their biggest turnout of all time.

“It feels like an absolute privilege to be accepted into the program,” sophomore Robert Meis said. “I’m excited for all the projects and events I could participate in with NHS, whether it be help in the garden or just simple tutoring, I’m excited to help out in any way I can.”

At the end of the ceremony, a final speech was given by Hitchcock, announcing that she would be retiring from her position in NHS and at MSD this year. In the speech, she thanked her fellow NHS faculty members, as well as everyone a part of NHS for giving her the opportunity to make an impact on the community. Hitchcock ended the speech by announcing that AP Human Geography teacher Lauren Saccomanno would take her place as the NHS advisor.

“I’m very emotional to leave,” Hitchcock said. “It’s been a great honor to work with these wonderful students, but I feel the program will be in good hands. This is always a very special ceremony for me, as I was inducted into NHS as a student myself, and I always enjoy seeing the parents and family members take joy in the hard work of their students come into fruition by being a member of NHS.”

New inductees hope to have a positive effect on their communit and help those in need.