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Oh, the Kids Today…
The National Honor Society Induction
On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, the Hauppauge High School chapter of the National Honor Society inducted new members in a beautiful candle lit ceremony in the high school auditorium. The evening was organized by Honor Society faculty advisors Ms. Dawn Lynch and Mr. Harry Shehigian. The officers of the HHS Honor Society are Kaitlyn Connelly, President, Andrew Crecca, Vice President, Kaitlyn Foley, Secretary, Justin Grunthal, Treasurer, Danielle Gerardi, Public Relations and Trenton Burr, Parliamentarian.
Members of the HHS Select Strings directed by Ms. Leah Paese played the processional and the Star Spangled Banner and selected musical interludes.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dennis O’Hara welcomed the audience and congratulated the new inductees. Dr. O’Hara shared a passage from “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, which he hoped would inspire the students to celebrate that they have done very well and charge them to believe that they can do even better.
The officers of the Honor Society each lit a candle in turn and spoke of a trait that exemplifies a member of the National Honor Society. Candles were lit to signify the eternal light of scholarship, leadership, character, and service.
President Kaitlyn Connelly lit the candle for Character saying, “Character is the force within the individual that distinguishes each person from others. It is the force of Character that guides one through life and once developed, grows steadily within. Character is achieved and not received. It is the product of constant thought and action, the daily striving to make the right choices. The problem of Character is the problem of self-control. By demonstrating such qualities as respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring and citizenship, we may hope to prove by example that we value Character.”
Vice President Andrew Crecca lit the candle for Scholarship saying, “Scholarship denotes a commitment to learning. A student is willing to spend hours in reading and study, knowing the lasting benefits of a cultivated mind. Knowledge is one great element in life, which leads to the highest success, and it can be acquired in only one way- through diligence and effort. Learning furnishes the lamp by which we read the past, the torch guiding us to understand the present, and the light that illuminates the future. Candidates have the charge to continually expand their world through opportunities inherent in scholarship.”
Secretary Kaitlyn Foley lit the candle for Leadership saying, “In taking initiative in the classroom and in school activities, the real leader strives to train and aid others to reach their common goals of success. The price of leadership is sacrifice - the willingness to yield one's personal interests for the interests of others. A leader has the self-confidence to go forward when others hesitate. No matter what power and resources may exist in a school, community or the nation, they are ineffectual without the guidance of a wise leader. To lead, is a meaningful and substantive charge to each of our members.”
Treasurer Justin Grunthal lit the candle for Service saying, “Service can be established in the routine of the day's work where many opportunities arise to help others both at school and in the community. A willingness to work for the benefit of those in need, without monetary compensation or public recognition, is the quality we seek in our membership and promote for the entire student body. We are committed to volunteering our time and talents to the creation of a better tomorrow.”
President Kaitlyn Connelly administered the pledge to the new inductees. The 2018 inductees of the National Honor Society from Hauppauge High School are:
Giuliana Abruscato, Kaitlyn Abtey, Samantha Ahearn, Genevieve Arancio, Keith Bauer, Sean Budke, Giovanna Buglione Kayla Bullard, Kathryn Burke, Molly Cain, Isabella Calabrese, Devin Capece, Tabitha Casas, Danielle Cavaliere, Gabriella Cavallaro, Danielle Cipri, Emma Claps, Erin Coiro, Morgan Collins, Grace Daddio, Julianna DelGiudice, Juliana Dennis, Anthony DiBartolo, Madison DiChristina, Ryan DiSilvio, Jeana Donohue, Kira Dove, Makenzie Edgeworth, Amanda Epstein, Sophie Epstein, Joseph Ferris, Kieran Fine, Caroline Fortmeyer, Brett Garvey, Alison Gioia, Brendan Giordano, Danielle Giordano, Devin Giordano, Danielle Grootenboer, Connor Hall, Jenna Hillis, Andrew Iavaroni, Robert Jata, Hailey Johansson, Christopher Kelly, Ryeha Khawaja, Jade Kirdahy, Jessica Krause, Haylee Lanfranco, Giovanni Lugo, Anna Makboulian, Olivia Mancuso, Victoria Manfredi, Marissa Mansi, James Mariani, Christine Master, Ian McAlister, Kelsey McCarthy, Joshua McDonald, Andrew Mendola, Angelina Mercurio, Gina Moccia, Shannon Moleti, Jake Mooney, Sai Mungavalasa, Cydney Munro, Caroline O’Brien, Ava Olivo, Lucas Oppenheim, Daniel Panaro, Alex Patel, David Pennino, Peter Proscia, Rose Rec, Dinie Rhimie, Sydney Robbins, Sean Rorke, Delanie Ross, Joben Floyd, Selwyn Santos, Aidan Sferlazzo, Peter-Joseph Sharak, Catherine Sheridan, Julianna Spadafora, Jessica Spiers, Laura Steinberg, Michael Steinberg, Maxx Struhs, Michael Tyrrell, Lucia Vilchez, Brooke Weisberg, Tyler Xu, and Angelica Zara.
Every year, the students of the Honor Society choose a faculty member whom the students believe embodies the traits of an Honor Society member to award an honorary membership in the National Honor Society. The honorary inductee this year is Hauppauge High School English Teacher Brian Gillen. Mr. Gillen delivered a spirited and inspiring speech prompted by people who ask him about “the kids today,” to which he responds, “the kids today are awe inspiring.”
HHS Principal, Christine O’Connor, closed the program encouraging the students (and all of us) to always continue to strive to do better.