On Tuesday, April 11, in the auditorium, 23 students (four eighth graders and 19 seventh graders) were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. After the ceremony everyone gathered in the lobby for cake and punch, celebrating this new accomplishment. Every student that I asked was very proud of themselves to be accepted into the National Junior Honor Society. 

NJHS is a program provided by our school for students with a 3.75-grade average or higher. Once you are invited you fill out the paperwork and a selection of teachers will pick who is qualified to be inducted. New students are selected each year to go through the selection process. NJHS holds annual meetings each month with its members. 

If any students that are now accepted and are new members of NJHS face suspension, expulsion, etc. then they will be asked to leave NJHS. 

All students who were invited to NJHS have to have a grade point average of 3.75 or higher. They will also be asked to leave NJHS if their grades drop below a 3.75-grade point average.

Since Dr. Ryan Smith is no longer our principal, Mrs. Heidi Orrico, NJHS adviser, invited him as a keynote speaker. He talked about how proud he was of all the students being accepted and how hard it was for him to leave Freedom since he had been here so long. Mr. William Deal also gave a speech as our new interim principal. 

Mrs. Orrico welcomed all of the students up to the stage, one by one, where they accepted their certificates, shook Mr. Deal’s hand, and signed their names on the charter. Then they were officially members of the NJHS. 

The NJHS will be selecting new officers this coming May. Mrs. Heidi Orrico is hopeful the new officers will have some motivating and helpful ideas to reach out to our community.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity in the future and helping me to get into the NJHS in the future, and I’m hoping it will help me get into NHS in high school,” said Cameron Stumpf.

“For the 2023-2024 school year, I am excited to develop new service projects in the community and do successful fundraising events,” said Mrs. Orrico. She also said, “My biggest hope for the new NJHS members is for each one of them to have an excitement for the honor society along with participating in as much as possible,”.

“NJHS allows those selected and [who] participate to develop lifelong skills of organization, working with others, sharing ideas, and collaborating. NJHS also provides to its members a chance to become involved in one’s community and school while setting an example for others in the school”.