The English Honor Society inducted 50 new members this week. (Darin Reed photo)
The English Honor Society inducted 50 new members this week. (Darin Reed photo)

H-ton English Honor Society Inducts New Members

October 20, 2023

The Post Ellipsis chapter of the National English Honor Society at Huntington High School inducted 50 new members during a Wednesday evening ceremony in the auditorium.

The new members expanded the group’s ranks to 127. The organization is led President Lily Tierney, Vice President Anne Tyrrell, Treasurer Kaylee Splendorio, Secretary Marley Joseph and Public Relations Coordinator Ruby Meidenman. English teachers Aimee Antorino and Helen Guarino serve as the faculty advisors.

To be considered for NEHS membership a student must have a minimum academic grade average of 90, “exhibiting an impressive breadth of academic excellence,” while maintaining an English grade of at least 94.

The new inductees include Ethan Ambrosio, Zain Amin, Ruby Baliber, Alexandra Balm, Jordana Boxer, Emma Boyle, Jupiter Brown, Bridget Callery, Andrew Case, Charlotte Cassatto, Kathleen Cocoman, Isabella Cruz Ponce, Grayson Dunn, Wynne Franciscovich, Oliver Gerberg, Grace Gordon, Kimberly Granados Moreira, Heather Herman, Erika Hernandez Veliz, Mildred Hernandez Veliz, Emely Herrera Rivas, Ruby Hoffman, Mia Kaufman, Shannon Koepele, Spencer Krull, Giovanna Lanfranco and Jessica Lee.

The new members also include Shaina Linker, Naomi Lyons, Jesley Martinez Canales, Kiera McGuire, Cecilena Monge Moreira, Presley Moss, Marin Mullaly, Grace Oliva, Emma Polinsky, Anthony Retamal Vidal, Julia Richards, Dana Saramago, Jaipreet Singh, Louisa Skrobela, Cameron Smith, Josephine Sullivan, Heileen Torres, Sofia Van Arsdale, Sofia Vias, Jolie Weinschreider and Dylan Wong.

A crowd of family members and friends turned out for the induction, along with high school and district officials and members of Huntington’s Board of Education.

Officers called the inductees one-by-one to the stage and presented each of them with a membership certificate. The members are now expected to participate in the society’s many volunteer activities.

Huntington’s Post Ellipsis chapter annually inducts at least one honorary member. This year the organization inducted Huntington High School English teacher Victoria Geier, who sat on the stage with executive board members and the faculty advisors.

The new members formally entered NEHS ranks during a ceremony that saw each of the teenagers light and hold a candle as they stood before the stage in the auditorium.

The inductees were required to recite the following pledge: “As a member of the National English Honor Society, I shall endeavor to advance the study of all areas of English and to foster a spirit of fellowship among students excelling in all facets of the English Language Arts, ever keeping in mind our national motto as our guiding principle: Gelast Sceal Mid Are–duty goes with honor.”

“The motto represents one of the earliest forms of our language; it affirms and celebrates an obligation to use one’s gifts in service to others,” according to the NEHS website. “Service to peers, school, and community are part and parcel of the NEHS mission and, indeed, in the grammatical structure of the Old English phrase, ‘duty’ actually proceeds ‘honor.’”

The Huntington Chamber Choir performed during the ceremony. Dressed in black, the group’s talented vocalists sang a pair of songs, including the national anthem.

A reception was held immediately following the ceremony for students and their parents in the main lobby outside the auditorium.