“It’s a very great honor being the first induction class,” Cable said. “But now you are the standard-bearers for Verity. You will be showing other students what it takes to be a member of the National Junior Honor Society.”
The students honored included seventh-graders David Barragan, Nathaniel Biddle, Taylor Burgess, Josh Chasteen, Kara Dennis, Annamae Morris, Logan O’Leary and Svannah Porter, plus eighth-graders Chelsea Adams, Tayler Bryant and Freda Undzis.
A total of 68 students met the preliminary requirements to be inducted into the NJHS. Those standards included earning at least a 3.5 GPA for three consecutive quarters through the 2009-10 school year’s second quarter.
From there, students were required to get three letters of recommendation, document community service hours and complete a one-page essay on why they should be included in Verity’s first honor society class.
“It is a difficult process for these students, and those here today showed the commitment to see it all the way through,” Cable said.
A candlelight ceremony was the highlight of the formal ceremony, where each of the students pledged an oath to live up to the expectations of the honor society through their words and actions. The society focuses on scholarship, service, leadership, citizenship and character.
Freda, 15, said an honor society should recognize students beyond academic success because “anyone can get good grades, but not everyone is involved in the community.”
She said being part of the honor society was important to her because it was a challenge: She has dyslexia, and she has to work extra hard to reach her academic goals.
“This means a lot to me because I had to work hard,” she said. “You can never give up, because it doesn’t matter who you are or what you have. You can do positive things.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.
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