On April 17th, the Lake National Honor Society passed from the hands of the Class of 2023 to the Class of 2024 as members old and new came together to celebrate their achievements at the Induction Ceremony. As 53 of Lake’s most accomplished seniors laid down the torch, 56 fresh faces stepped forward to take up the mantle.

National Honor Society

One of many vital clubs at Lake Middle High School, the Lake National Honor Society is just one chapter of the nationwide organization. Chapters exist in all 50 states of the U.S., and membership is strong across the nation. The National Honor Society emphasizes four fundamental values, called its four pillars. Student participants must exhibit scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

While the broader organization sets guidelines to be followed by its individual chapters, they are also allowed great freedom to design the particulars of their operations. According to the National Honor Society, chapters must assess scholarship through a chosen cumulative GPA criteria, with a minimum requirement of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. While similar prerequisites apply to service, leadership experience, and good character, each chapter has great liberty to control its assessments and numeric requirements of applicants. Likewise, individual chapters determine the specific expectations and activities mandated to members. The freedom of individual chapters results in remarkable diversity between them.

Where does Lake’s chapter stand within the grander scheme of the National Honor Society? Lake’s minimum requirements for NHS applicants are as follows: a weighted cumulative GPA of 3.495 after the first semester of the year in which the student is applying, 75 hours of combined school and community service, two previous leadership positions, and approval of character through staff evaluation. The application process also includes an essay and interview. At Lake, students apply halfway through either their junior or senior year. Students predominately undergo the application process during their junior year, then serve throughout their senior year, though senior-year applicants are still welcome.

During their time in NHS, Lake students must meet additional obligations, such as further service and ongoing GPA requirements. Determining the specifications of those requirements falls to the current year’s officers, of which there are usually four — a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Like many chapters, Lake’s NHS participates in large-scale service activities, such as hosting the Veteran’s Day Assembly. However, Lake truly goes above and beyond, expecting each member to organize and complete a large-scale individual or group service project. Due to the exceptional service and contribution produced through these efforts, the Lake National Honor Society has always been incredibly proud of its dedication to benefitting and helping the greater Lake community. The group is a shining example of some of the brightest and best students of Lake Middle High School.

Out With the Old

As Lake’s NHS members from the Class of 2023 officially relinquish their duties, marching forward to even bigger and better things as graduation rapidly approaches, they leave an outstanding legacy of service and success. Indeed, the senior members attending the Induction Ceremony commemorated their achievements by presenting their service projects and sharing their bright plans for the future. Led by President Blaire Testa, Vice President Kylie Bailey, Secretary Abbey Constantine, and Treasurer Ian Palinkas, the group completed a multitude of prosperous projects over the 2022-2023 school year. 

Thanks to several hard-working large groups, the community saw the continuation of numerous traditional and valued events, including Trunk-or-Treat and Arts for Hearts. Stand-out fundraisers included the Euchre Tournament of Olivia Bowers and Blaire Testa, which raised over $1,300 for the Evermore Youth Group, and Flapjacks and Firefighters, a community pancake breakfast hosted by Anna Grace Willoughby and Alaina Holmes at the Uniontown Fire Department, which gathered nearly $1,000 to go entirely to the station. Sam Harold’s hosting of the 6th NICU Classic was also an enormous success, bringing home $3,100 for the NICU units at Cleveland Clinic Mercy Medical Center and Akron Children’s Hospital.

Other members diverged from the standard model of raising money for a cause to strike out on alternative ventures, with partners Tessa Knopp and Adrianna Runzo running a highly successful book drive, amassing a grand donation of 450 books for the Reach Out & Read program at Akron Children’s Hospital. Additionally, Abbey Constantine and Madison Lloyd worked alongside Lake Elementary students to paint kindness rocks and spread positivity throughout the community.

Members from the Class of 2023 worked hard to complete a wide range and variety of impressive service projects, benefitting the school, the community, and the world at large. Congratulations to the senior students of NHS for their astounding accomplishments and outstanding service to the community.

In With the New

After completing a rigorous application and interview process, newly accepted students were notified on Tapping Day, March 17th. Applicants waited anxiously in their classrooms at the start of the day, eager to discover if they were selected to join the National Honor Society. The senior members who chose to escort the hopeful students soon greeted them with invitations and (plastic) yellow roses. After walking to the cafeteria, they enjoyed donuts and conversation as the rest of their peers filed in. Then, the principals and Mrs. Wolf each gave inspirational speeches to the group, congratulating them on their selection and encouraging them on the journey ahead. The students also held an election for the new NHS officers. Those vying for a role each gave a short speech and voted with their peers to determine the outcome. The honored victors are newly-crowned President Kennedy Shuman, Vice President Katherine King, Secretary AJ Doane, and Treasurer Nolan Pastore.

The Induction Ceremony took place a month later, celebrating the incoming members. The students — now outfitted with genuine yellow roses — were brought onstage and introduced to the audience by the senior members who Tapped them, then proudly took a stand alongside their peers to pledge themselves to the National Honor Society. After touching speeches from both Mrs. Wolf and Mr. Harold, the students enjoyed desserts in the cafeteria with their families. 

The Induction is an incredible event to welcome each incoming member into NHS. It is exhilarating for the triumphant juniors and an honor for the upperclassmen to present their younger friends to the applauding audience. The selected students can be proud of their accomplishments in being admitted to the National Honor Society and begin considering how they plan to make an impact through the organization. 

Looking to the Future

Also at the Induction Ceremony, the audience was surprised to learn that the event would be Mrs. Wolf’s last as the advisor of NHS, as she begins graduate school this spring. In the numerous years she served this role, Mrs. Wolf’s effective leadership and firm guidance led the group and its members to enormous success. The Lake community is endlessly grateful for her service and contributions as the NHS advisor. As Mrs. Wolf nobly steps down, one question remains unanswered: who will be the next advisor(s) for Lake’s National Honor Society? It is yet to be discovered to whom the leadership will fall. However, while the selected party will have big shoes to fill, the superb quality of all Lake staff leaves no doubt that NHS will be in equally capable hands.

The National Honor Society continues to prove itself a vital and valuable organization at Lake Middle High School. Though the details may be unclear, the future of NHS at Lake is certain. The group and its members will continue to serve the Lake community with endless effort and daring determination, proving beyond a doubt that we are Great at Lake.