National English Honor Society recently held their induction ceremony and welcomed six new members into the club.

The inductees included Felicity Bieker, Marion Hermitanio, Kelly Hogan, Zach Janssen, Carli Wendricks and Sarah Zarvan.

NEHS, as it is often abbreviated, is the high school division of Sigma Tau Delta, the college-level International English Honor Society.

“Our goal,” said staff moderator, NDA English teacher Ms. Stefanie Jochman, “is to promote and celebrate literacy and love of language.”

The inductees followed a fairly simple application process. Students wrote a paragraph about why they were interested in the club and obtained an English teacher’s recommendation. They also had to meet the GPA requirements.

“Our induction ceremony is fairly simple but very special,” explained Jochman. “We have a short ceremony that comes from the national organization, and we end with everybody reading a favorite quote from literature.”

“We just really enjoy listening to everyone share their lines. I feel like you get a little snapshot of who everybody is in that moment, and it’s just neat to hear all those great words floating around,” she added.

Afterwards, the group celebrated with a snack potluck.

The club’s activities are driven by student interest, according to Jochman, and have recently centered around Shakespeare’s birthday.

“It’s a really great moment that can unify a lot of different groups,” the English teacher said of the poet’s birthday.  

In years past, NEHS organized a poster campaign. This year, they currently have an “exciting activity” in the works that cannot yet be revealed.

The members of the club also partake in various service projects. Along with members  of National Honor Society, the members of NEHS volunteer their time tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club.

“In the future, we’re trying to get a bit of a writing center off the ground,” said Jochman. She hopes to train the NEHS members to be writing tutors. “We’re going to try and get that off the ground this spring and then definitely continue it in the fall.”

For those who are interested but did not apply soon enough, Jochman says that students can attend English Club meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 a.m. Then, all future sophomores, juniors and seniors are welcome to apply next year.

Officers of the club include Kari Healy, president; Elise Witmer, vice president; Barrett Collard, secretary; Rachael Brady and Maureen Schick, historians and publicist.