Schools

40 Inducted into Brien McMahon Honor Society

This coming year's 40 members are a smaller group than the 57 in the Class of 2011.

The 40 new members of Brien McMahon High School's National Honor Society were asked to do quite a few things—but that's how they got selected in the first place.

At the induction ceremony held Monday evening at the high school, speakers urged the 40 new members to balance hard work with other goals, to give back to the community, and, their school principal said, to remember that middle word in their organization's name.

Schools Superintendent Susan Marks told the students that she'd recently seen a movie called "Race to Nowhere," which is largely about students overworking themselves. She reminded the students that they need well-balanced lives and urged parents and family members to help them stay well-rounded.

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"Do good work," Marks said. "That is the most important thing you can do. And good work means really giving back—giving back to young people, to younger people, by being a good model to your city and also to your country."

How to get in: Part 1

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Suzane Brown Koroshetz, principal of the school, thanked the parents of honor society students for impressing on their children the importance of studying and doing well. That laid the foundation for any success that teachers have at the high school, she said.

"You're our students' first teachers," Koroshetz said. "You're the ones who told them long before they entered the doors of Brien McMahon High School as ninth graders that school was important, that studying was important, that anything that has their name on it represents not only themselves but represents the family—so be sure that whatever is underneath your name is of the highest quality and you're proud of it, too."

Koroshetz said the honor society's spring induction is "one of my favorite events." Her own son and daughter were members of the Brien McMahon National Honor Society, and her son, Rob, was president of the group.

She thanked Stephen Hofheimer, the group's faculty adviser, and faculty assistant Ellen Gaber for their help in steering the society's activities and selection process. The principal also said that members of the organization should strive to uphold "honor" in their lives (see accompanying video).

After several short speeches, the students stood up, took the National Honor Society pledge and were called to the stage to sign their names into the official book and accept pins, a card and a certificate. The pledge states:

"I pledge myself to uphold the high purposes of the National Honor Society to which I have been elected. I will be true to the principles for which it stands, striving in every way by word and deed to make its high standards of scholarship, service, leadership and character the ideals of my school and of my life."

Mary Michailidis, a Brien McMahon Housemaster, asked the new members to help her with a tutoring program in the school library over the summer. Each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., students help underclassmen struggling with math, she said, and this year the program was expanding to help students with English.

She added that the students could mention their service on their college applications.

How to get in: Part 2

To qualify as a member of the society, a student's grade point average is the starting point, said Gina Kaputo, secretary of the society in the Class of 2011. Those grade point averages of 3.0 or higher in their first three years of high school are asked to fill out applications for a selection committee made up of teachers.

The committee looks at students' character, leadership skills and level of service to the school community in clubs and organizations. Members of the society meet a couple of times a year and also participate in a tutoring program in the school guidance office or serve the school in other ways.

At the end of the ceremony, Michael Louie, the 2010-2011 president of the school's honor society and master of ceremonies for the evening was about to thank everyone for showing up and invite them to refreshments in the back of the room when Mayor Richard A. Moccia suddenly called a halt to Louie's efforts.

Moccia, who had also previously spoken at the event, got up, and, putting an arm around Louie, asked the audience to thank the young man for his own service to the organization.

He got a big round of applause and only then was allowed to wrap up the proceedings.

Editor's note: See also ""


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