CHS Holds National Honor Society Induction Ceremony
Nearly 60 students were inducted into Chillicothe High School's National Honor Society on Friday.
According to the NHS website, membership is based on the following criteria: the four pillars of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
High school science teacher Ms. Dawn Carter is the NHS adviser. She led the group's annual ceremony, inducting 11 seniors and 48 juniors, in the CHS/CMS auditorium.
(Inductee Julian Villarreal is joined by Max Griesheimer in the lighting ceremony. Jaymie Grim/CAVS News)
Mr. Joshua Queen, a CHS physics teacher, delivered the Keynote Address. He said that he was inducted into Southeastern's NHS organization when he was in high school, and its four pillars helped shape who he is today.
"I feel like it changed my life because it gave me confidence I didn't have before," said Queen.
Queen tied this to one of his space camp stories. He said that his parents sent him to space camp as a gift after high school, and, before he went, he thought about how he could incorporate the four pillars into his experience to make the most of it.
Then, when he turned 21, he got a letter saying he should apply to work at space camp, and he was hired a year-and-a-half later.
Once he returned to camp, Mr. Queen said he spotted his former counselor and approached him, thinking he wouldn't remember him.
"He stopped and called me by name, and even though it had been four years, he still remembered me," said Mr. Queen. "He told me about how I had been such a leader and I knew so much about space; yes, I've always been a nerd."
What Mr. Queen didn't know up until that point was, during his time as a camper, he had impressed his counselor, who then put his name in a special file for outstanding campers and eventually recommended him as a prospective employee.
"Without his recommendation, I wouldn't have made it there," said Mr. Queen, "and it wouldn't have made me want to be a teacher and be here now."
Mr. Queen called on the National Honor Society members to consider the four pillars as they move through life, while also holding onto a code to live by.
"We need our next generation of leaders to not lose their way," he said. "This town and world need you now more than ever."
The 59 newly inducted members add to the current 35 in NHS including: President Barry Warfield, Vice President Noah Blum, Secretary Calvin King, and Treasurer Clark Coulter.
Jaymie Grim contributed to this article.