Cardinal O’Hara inducts 25 into NHS

Cardinal O’Hara High School inducted 25 new members of the National Honor Society on March 4. Gathered after the event are, from left, Janene Scanio who was presented with an honorary induction, new inductees Emily Hanes and Sean Nemeth and Michael Norwood, moderator of the NHS. Photo courtesy of Cardinal O’Hara High School.

TONAWANDA — Cardinal O’Hara High School hosted its annual National Honor Society induction ceremony on Thursday, March 4 with a slightly different approach. 

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, the event took place virtually from the school gym, with the student body watching on SmartBoards in their classrooms and parents from their homes.

Jill Monaco, assistant principal, welcomed everyone and noting that, for students, “It is about what you do in school and out of school. It’s making good choices when people are watching and when nobody is watching.”

She noted that being in NHS is a commitment to making their world a better place.

Parents of the inductees each wrote heart-warming memories of their child that were read by officers of the National Honor Society. The memories carried central themes of pride, giving of oneself, caring and loving.

The 2021 National Honor Society inductees are: seniors Aaliyah Parker and Brianna Sauve.

Junior class inductees are Jacqueline Appenheimer, Brigid Benson, Daija Brewer, Madeleine Cook, Ariel Coronado, Isabella Costa, Mateo Curtis, Kira Faulhaber, Elizabeth Gerwitz-Dunn, Emily Hanes, Janasia Hayward, Jacob Kanowski, Jacen Kolb, Marissa Lakeman, Alexis Majka, Rhys Mandaville, Courtney McClaney, Emily Meidel, Abbie Morehouse, Sean Nemeth, Jade Rutledge, Hannah Siegel and Evan Swierczek.

To be eligible, students submitted an application accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a teacher, an essay and a biography of activities, community service, and academic scores. The Cardinal O’Hara Faculty Council votes on each candidate, deciding those who meet the qualifications of NHS.

Honorary induction into NHS was presented to Janene Scanio, a mathematics teacher who has been at Cardinal O’Hara since 2009. Jillian Phillips, NHS vice president, read Scanio’ss introduction written by her husband.

Other officers who took part in the ceremony are Sydney Mountain, president; Alyssa Gundell, secretary and Meghan Male, treasurer,

Michael Norwood, moderator of the NHS, coordinated the program. 

The National Honor Society was established in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and has been the nation’s most respected organization associated with recognizing outstanding high school students. Cardinal O’Hara’s chapter of the NHS is named after its first principal, Rev. Henry M. Senft, OFM Conv. NHS members give back to the community through projects including Adopt-a-Family, outreach and after school tutoring.