On Dec. 19, 2024, current and soon-to-be NHS members gathered in Kasdorf auditorium for the 2024 National Honor Society (NHS) induction ceremony. Parents, teachers and administrators gathered to watch the ceremony while the NHS advisors and officers finalized their speeches.
NHS works to uphold these four pillars every day: service, character, leadership and scholarship. The National Honor Society was created in 1921 as a way to create enthusiasm about leadership and volunteering in the community. To be a part of NHS, students must have a GPA of at least 3.5 and submit an essay to be considered for membership.
“I joined because it seemed pretty cool,” said junior NHS inductee Violet Mercadal. “I’m an overachiever, and my parents really wanted me to.”
At Loy Norrix, students apply for NHS at the end of the first trimester of junior year. This year, about 100 students are a part of Norrix’s NHS chapter, with 56 new students joining, and about 50 seniors that will be graduating from NHS.
Currently, history teacher Matthew Porco and economics teacher Ryan Allen advise the society. With them, President Carter Hausman, Vice President Eleanor Cook, Secretary Morgan Hall, and Treasurer William Dominianni coordinate service opportunities and other events.
“As president of NHS, I plan the meetings, do one of the induction speeches and give information and announcements from Mr. Porco and Mr. Allen to the younger students in NHS,” said Hausman.
Carter Hausman joined NHS because it felt like it was the most logical next step in his academic career, and he wanted to improve his role in the community.
One of Hausman’s goals as the president of NHS is increasing the society’s presence in the Kalamazoo community.
“It’s important that we’re out there in the community doing meaningful work that you’re not going to be doing everyday, like cleaning up garbage at a local park or helping with a community event or stuff that people might not be participating in anyway,” Hausman continued. “I think it’s important to have a presence in the community.”
Students in NHS learn many different skills that can help them down the road in life whether or not they decide to go to college. Members in NHS participate in service both inside and outside of the school.
The blanket-making event, as well as the annual food and blood drives are staples in their year. NHS students are also responsible for running the school-wide recycling every Thursday. Through these opportunities, NHS teaches students skills in service, character, leadership and scholarship, which were the main talking points during the 2024-25 NHS induction ceremony.
The leaders of Norrix’s chapter of NHS each wrote their own speeches, which they gave at the induction ceremony to emphasize the importance of each of the four pillars of NHS. Soon after, they each lit a candle that represented the pillar they spoke about. After the speeches, the ceremony began and each new inductee walked on stage to sign their name in the NHS membership book.
NHS students continue to be role models every day by helping the community while inspiring others to do the same.
2024 new inductees:
Seniors:
Brody Adalbert
Lucas Greene
Joselyn Juarez
Mary Locke
Leland Wagner
Juniors:
Dominic Abate
Thomas Andrie
Kalan Ashby-Wade
Felix Bahrou
Lilla Baublis
Simon Beougher
Noelan Boyea
Yamilet Brito-Arevalo
Masha Canfield
Kajalben Chaudhari
Amelie Coutu
Connor Doren
Olivia Doud
Harper Douma
Samuel Gagie
Yareli Garcia-Hernandez
Wyatt Garza
David Grubaugh
Lucianna Hallett
Kaitlyn Hamilton
Rosalie Hill
Sophia James
Robin Jennings
Jackson Lam
Grayson Landau
Gavin Lepley
MaryAnn Loncharte
Lillian Mahar
Raylee Maize-Scaife
Madison McNeil
Violet Mercadal
Katelynn Merritt
Abigail Milliken
Griffin Moore
Samuel Oberlee
Isaac Patrick
Eliot Pavlik
Emily Perez Vazquez
Lauren Rafferty
Savannah Robert
Sage Schrader
Thomas Shockey
Connor Sloan
Alaina Suarez
Kellan Swager
Ashlyn Teal
Alexander Thompson
Miya Timmer
Paisley Wall Emerson
Avalon Yarworth
