World Language Honor Societies including German, Latin, French, Italian and Chinese welcomed the new junior and senior members during the induction ceremony October 29, in the auditorium. Since their society is so large, the Spanish Honor Society, their own induction ceremony the day before.
The World Language Induction Ceremony is an event where the honor societies of each language welcome their new members with open arms. Every language teacher, alongside their president and officers, speak about their interest in their languages. The teachers talk about why they became so committed to teaching it, while the president and officers explain why they were committed to learning it.
At the end of the speeches, every student nominee rises from their seats and heads toward the auditorium stage. In their language, they recite a short devotion to their honor society while their candles are lit by the language officers. After finishing their devotion, they blow out their candles, and have officially joined their language’s honor society.
This year, 191 students joined the five language honor societies, and interviews with society members reveal how students feel about learning their languages. “Chinese was just really different and cooler than other languages, and XuXu is such a nice teacher,” said Steven Blanco, President of the Chinese Honor Society.
“Latin is fun, unique, and something you don’t hear commonly,” Latin Honor Society member Pranet Godavarty added.
Teachers have noticed that students remain interested in studying world languages and joining the honor societies. “The students have been and still are very interested in Italian,” Italian teacher Oneida Encarnacion May said.
The language induction ceremony helps spread not only cultural appreciation in HHS, but also outside the school as well. Language classes in New Jersey have helped many people communicate with others. And sometimes, language classes help inspire people to pursue language as a career. District Supervisor of World Languages and EST, Robert Fugo talked about why he pursued the world language supervisor role. “My family was my main inspiration,” Fugo states, “being able to communicate with them in different languages really stuck out.”
“Having access to different cultures is just something that fascinates me,” Fugo said.
Throughout the year, the various world language honor societies spread awareness about different cultures to students, staff and the community. The groups participate in cultural events, fundraisers and end the year with a talent showcase this spring.
