Forty-seven students were inducted into De Soto High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Although the annual induction ceremony was postponed to second semester due to COVID-19, students and parents were grateful for the opportunity to have had an in-person induction. 

“I was just happy we were able to have a ceremony,” junior Reed Richards said. 

Lauren Bradley, a junior at DHS, was also appreciative of the chance to attend the induction ceremony. 

“It was really nice to see everyone,” Bradley said. “It was cool to have an event where we were all dressed up and a good change of pace from online learning.” 

Despite the induction being held in-person, COVID-19 precautions and restrictions made the ceremony drastically different from those in the past. 

“Because of COVID, we had to do a different location than in past years,” NHS sponsor Lindsay O’Neil said. “We had to make sure we could social distance and limit participants. Existing members couldn’t attend.” 

Junior Caleb Woleben also spoke on the ceremony’s COVID-19 precautions.  

“We were more socially distanced,” Woleben said. “The crowd was limited and you had to get tickets to attend.” 

For the students inducted, their membership was a representation of their numerous accomplishments at DHS thus far. In order to achieve membership in NHS, students were judged using a variety of criteria.     

“To be invited to apply, you have to be a junior or senior with a GPA of 3.4 or higher,” O’Neil said. “Judges look to see if applicants reflect the four NHS pillars, which are scholarship, leadership, service and character.” 

Due to this year’s restrictions, the proceedings at the induction ceremony were fairly short. Richards mentioned the event’s quickness. 

“The ceremony was short and sweet, to the point,” Richards said. “The NHS president and vice president led the induction.” 

Bradley echoed Richards statement about the brief nature of the induction.

“Mr. Ruff gave a short but sweet message to the honorees and everyone received NHS pins,” Bradley said. 

Induction provides students with numerous benefits. Students can include their membership on college and scholarship applications, as NHS is highly regarded by schools from around the country. 

“The main thing I think about is college resumes,” Richards said when asked about the positives of being in NHS. “It shows you care about academics and value having a good public image.” 

Woleben had a similar perspective regarding the rewards of inclusion in NHS. 

“When I got the email that I met the criteria, I thought it would be a good thing for college applications because it looks really good on those,” Woleben said. 

While NHS membership is often an asset for high school students to put on applications, the greatest benefit is the recognition of students’ accomplishments. With altered learning environments and various COVID-19 restrictions, the accomplishments of the recent NHS inductees should not go unnoticed.