On Wednesday, March 26, dozens of students sojourned to the auditorium for a solemn ceremony in which the National Honor Society (NHS) welcomed 129 new members.

NHS is a nationwide organization that recognizes the stellar academic and philanthropic achievements of high school students. In order to qualify, students must be a junior or senior and obtain a minimum weighted GPA of 95, and then fill out a student activity information form detailing his or her leadership and volunteerism to be considered for membership.

Finally, the faculty counsel makes the selections based on criteria set by the national office.

This year’s class marked a record number of inductees for the NHS chapter at HHS. In past years, classes have typically ranged between 70 and 100 members. With 129 new students inducted into the body, this year was certainly one to remember.

The NHS executive board, consisting of President Rupak Stephen, Vice President Meghan Patel, Secretary Hanna Kim, Treasurer Lindsey Baum, and Public Relations Officer Mahitha Vivek, opened up the floors by each delivering a speech regarding the pillars of leadership, character, scholarship, and service.

After speeches, all of the new inductees were introduced by an existing member with a brief fact or character sketch. Some, including junior Max Kim, took a humorous approach to character facts, with Kim sharing that he had over 2,000 skill points in Wii tennis.

Proceedings briefly hit a snag when there was a backup on stage of new members signing their names in the NHS book, resulting in unexpected extra time at the tail end of the ceremony. As a result, President Stephen was tasked with entertaining the crowd until the members were finished signing.

“This year’s induction was definitely not perfect, but all little wrinkles made it a unique experience for me and the other members,” President Stephen said. “I enjoyed watching everyone speak and having fun with the others during the ceremony.”

Following the ceremony, proud parents gathered in the cafeteria with cameras in hand, ready to take pictures and celebrate the accomplishments of their kids.