The National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 106 new members on Jan. 9 to recognize their achievements in and out of school.

 NHS is based on four pillars: service, scholarship, character and leadership. Upperclassmen with a GPA above 4.0 are eligible to apply to possibly be inducted in the society. 

The ceremony was hosted by the NHS officers, seniors Zach Lin, Elizabeth Shaw, Haley Michel Ashna Jain and member Lizzie Meschisen as well as the advisers Christina Smith and Angela Moll. The officers each spoke about what NHS means, discussing the significance of the four pillars.  

“I was in tears listening to the quotes and their speeches,” Smith said.

The officers awarded Gina Johnston with honorary NHS membership for her service work at Algonquin such as advising Operation Tomahawk, the creation of the Algonquin Breakfast Club and volunteering at a veterans’ shelter.

While the officers were speaking, the microphone stopped working for a few minutes, but senior Paul Probst fixed the situation with a backup microphone.

“I think [the induction] went smoothly besides the crackling microphone which was nobody’s fault besides technology,” Smith said. “The officers and [senior] Lizzie [Meschisen], an NHS member, did a great job running it.”

This year’s induction took place much earlier than the previous year’s when inductees were welcomed to the society in March.

“Last year we were inducted a lot later in the year, and I think it’s really great that we inducted members earlier this year, so we can continue our legacy and guide where NHS will go in the future,” Shaw said.

Prior to induction, the organization, which conducts large service projects, had 83 members.

“We are grateful to have so many new members that are excited to give back to the community,” Michel said.

“We’re doubling our membership, which will lead to a lot more involvement in service projects and our community,” Shaw said.

The chapter looks forward to continuing to give back to the community with its new members.

“We’re working on having a spring service—every year we do two big service projects—we’re hoping in February to get our spring service project together as a chapter,” Smith said.

The new members of NHS are ready to join the organization after the long application process.

“I’m excited about the new people that I’ll meet and the service opportunities I’ll get,” junior David Gillingham said.