Three Alberton students selected for National Honor Society

Monte Turner, Clark Fork Valley Press & Mineral Independent, Plains, Mont.
·3 min read

Oct. 4—Three students from Alberton High School on Sept. 25 were inducted into the National Honor Society.

Lacey Zimmerman is a senior and will graduate this spring. Anna Dao and Raeleen Czerp-Davis are juniors, graduating in 2025.

A ceremony was held for the official induction, which was organized and championed by Kara Morgan, TK-12 School Counselor for Alberton School with many students, teachers and administration in the audience.

Becoming a member of NHS requires effort and Alberton School Principal, Chris Whiteman, explains the process.

"Kara (Morgan) oversees our chapter of the National Honor Society, and she sends the criteria out where qualifying students that care to apply must submit an application and an essay and have community volunteer time documented. Then a committee of high school teachers and high school administrators get together to review and discuss the information and select the successful candidates. And this year, we selected three."

Whiteman explained that the community service hours are a big part and in order to attain them, it's usually juniors and seniors who meet the minimum amount required. National requirements also include a minimum GPA of 3.0 or a cumulative grade of 85%. Then leadership standards and evidence of good character are taken into play which are discussed among the committee for final selection.

"They are now part of a larger National Honor Society and there are scholarship opportunities through them but just having this award opens doors to more scholarships as they initiate the college application process," Whiteman said.

Through the effective demonstration of the four qualities that serve as the standards for admittance into the NHS, members of the school staff read them to the audience.

Nathan Morris summarized "Scholarship," which denotes a commitment to learning. "Leadership" should exert a wholesome influence on the school, was Whiteman's translated reading. Math teacher Jake Sedahl paraphrased that "service" was a willingness to work for the benefit of those in need, without monetary compensation or public recognition. And "character" was recited by Rachael Clevenger.

"Character is the force within the individual that distinguishes each person from others. It creates for each of us our individuality, our goodness."

Following the ceremony, the recipients were happy and modestly proud.

Raeleen Czerp-Davis said, "I submitted an essay about 'Why you deserve to be in the National Honor Society' and if you met their standards. It was pretty rigorous to get in so it means a lot to be considered worthy to be in the National Honor Society."

Anna Dao said, "It means a lot considering they (school counselor, teachers and administration) pursued us to apply and then going through the application process was challenging. So, it means a lot considering we fit the characteristics of the NHS."

Lacey Zimmerman said, "I've worked super hard through high school and it shows that I've accomplished those things to get into the society."

The ceremony happened to be during homecoming week and Monday was pajama day where everyone was encouraged to wear their sleeping wear, if appropriate. Wednesday was twins-day where students were to dress up at their teachers or other classmates. Every grade level was to wear their own color Thursday, so all seniors were in blue, etc. And then Friday was Panther Pride Day so everyone wore maroon and black.

The NHS recognizes high schoolers who meet high academic standards. It emphasizes leadership and service and operates through chapters in local schools. The organization was founded in 1921 and today, over 1 million students participate in NHS with chapters around the world.

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