On Tuesday, November 12, the June Rynolds Chapter of National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 61 students, including 23 seniors and 38 juniors.

In a ceremony in Gym A at 8 p.m., sponsors Kayla Brown and Cheryl Shepherd-Adams welcomed the new members, and Fort Hays State University instructor Jayme Goetz gave a speech to the students.

“The point of this group is to bring together students with many different talents and gifts, but they all have a strong focus on being academically driven, involved in giving back to the community and upholding high moral character,” Brown, who has co-sponsored the organization for nine years, said. “It allows many students to come together to make our community and school a better place that might not normally run in the same circle or friend group. Most people think of it only on the academic side, but it is really so much more than that.”

Also at the ceremony, the newly voted officers presented each inducted student and had a candle lighting ceremony at the beginning of the night. President senior Kiera Dealy, vice president senior Caleb King, secretary senior Emmaline Leuschner and treasurer senior LeRoy Goodspeed all have been in NHS for a year and were voted by other NHS members to represent the organization.

Students in NHS are expected to complete five community service hours, and they are not limited to Hays High events. People in the community will reach out to look for student volunteers, and sponsors are able to pass those opportunities to members.

“Our major community service project occurs between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Breaks; NHS adopts 10 families that have children that attend Hays High,” Brown said. “We provide groceries for winter break as well as Christmas gifts for each member of the family. This is accomplished through member donation of groceries and time. Monetary donations are also collected from staff for purchasing of gifts.”

25kwillemsen@usd489.com