A Tradition that Continues to Be Cherished

The SHS Inducts Its New Members to the Societies

Alaa El Damaty

The elegant tradition of selecting the new members to the Schutz Honor Societies in an Induction Ceremony continues to be an event that the Schutz family deeply cherishes. This year, the ceremony was held on Monday, May 25th. The event proved to be successful, as noted by parents and staff who attended. Nikhil Krishnan, Tias Paul, Nada Abou-Gad, Jomana Abdelkader, Raya Mukherjee, and Assem Heiba were inducted as members of the Societies in a candle-lit ceremony.

The ceremony began with an introduction speech by Ankita Ray, this year’s NHS President. The next part of the ceremony was a solemn one, when the current members lighted candles representing the five characteristics that govern the Schutz Honor Societies. Scholarship, citizenship, character, service, and leadership candles were lit. Citizenship was an extra characteristic for the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) only. For each candle, a brief speech elaborating on how each trait fits with the National and National Junior Honor Societies ideals was read.

The students became officially recognized as members when they repeated after Ankita the pledge of allegiance to the societies. The next part of the ceremony was a memorable one, where the inductees each chose a characteristic that they believe best represents their potential positive contribution to the Schutz Honor Societies. Nada Abou-Gad said, "I chose leadership because I feel that behind every great people is a great leader, who paved their way to success."
The family ambiance was further highlighted as the parents attached the SHS pins to their children. Next, the audience congratulated the newly inducted members.

After the ceremony ended, everyone went outside for refreshments and Seham’s annual, delicious cake.

Overall, the experience was a remarkable one; parents, students, and staff all commented on how memorable the event was. "I’m proud of the great job that the current members did organizing the ceremony, and I am looking forward to working with the new inductees in the coming school year," stated Kelly Sullivan.