Each waiting to be called up to the stage, the students sat in rows. Their names were called as the Game of Thrones theme song blared in the background,  and they signed the book, shook Dr. Sabatini’s hand, and accepted the honor of being inducted to The National Honor Society (NHS), which added 84 new members this year.

Each year, The National Honors Society chooses new inductees through two rounds of selection. The students they deem as ‘qualified’ maintain a grade-point average of 3.75, and also show commitment to the school and its community. Those chosen received a letter in the mail around the end of November and had until winter break to fill out the application. This included an activities sheet and an essay requirement where they explain why they are deserving of one of this year’s positions. The finalized group met on Tuesday, March 19 for their official induction.

The faculty advisor of the club, Mr. Thomas Quinn, is in charge of the “selection process for both juniors and seniors.” When he goes through students searching for the inductees for the following year, Quinn looks out for those who “have character, volunteer outside of school and within the school.” However, there is no “quota” for how many people make it every year, as this year has more inductees than in previous years. “They take over once the AP testing starts in early May because that’s when the seniors are gone,” he stated.

Junior Kristen Brown, one of this year’s inductees, stated how it was a “really happy moment” when she received her letter in the mail. “Because I tried really hard in school, it’s nice to know that work actually pays off.”

A few previous inductees have since gained the title as an officer for the society. These current seniors include President Ashley Chung; Vice Presidents Ryan Jordan and Jillian O’Keeffe; and Directors Grace Choi, Allison Hargrove, and Alexis Arnold. Each had a different role when it came to presenting Chung recited the ‘president’s message’ and O’Keeffe, Choi, Hargrove, and Arnold later gave speeches regarding the four pillars of the society: scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Arnold’s first responsibility of being the director is “helping out with the tutoring throughout the year”, but her role in the ceremony was announcing and defining one of the four main categories of NHS. “We got a script that explained what those four things mean and how the new inductees should follow them.” Arnold, who presented about character, said it is important because “the NHS is not just about grades, but rather about students that both maintain good grades while showing leadership within extracurriculars.”

These 84 students, officially members, have committed themselves to make NVOT a better place for the upcoming year.