All eyes are on the mother candle, the symbol of upper class students passing the torch or “flame” to underclassmen and continuing their studies on the culture and language of their respective societies.
“We are all part of the same clubs, even if we are not in school at the same time, we still have a connection to each other,” French Honor Society secretary Lauren Bliss said. “I love seeing students follow in our footsteps and be interested beyond the classroom.”
All four language honor societies participated in the 18th annual language induction held on April 11 at the auditorium. Inductees arrived at 5:30 p.m. to organize seating arrangements and go over the general ceremony. Students were scheduled to practice on Monday April 8, but due to the solar eclipse, the practice was canceled and rescheduled prior to the ceremony. However, a lack of time resulted in a change of plans.
“[The ceremony] could have gone a little smoother if we did have a practice Monday, but that’s the way life is, you continue with what you have,” French Honor Society sponsor Pamela Lynch said.
The language induction began at 6:30 p.m., with the Color Guard starting the ceremony by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The first society to be inducted was National Spanish Honor Society. The sponsor, Yvette Rhode, started off by introducing the goal of their society, motto and designated flower. After Rhode finished her speech, president Kaitlyn Zraick took over and called the names of each inductee. Students were given a candle to light with the mother candle, sign their society’s book and given a certificate. Led by Zraick, inductees recited their society’s oath and stepped off the stage.
“I decided to join the society because I felt it would be a great accomplishment for myself,”sophomore Juliana Alvarez said. “When I walked on stage, I felt proud of myself, my hard work, and dedication,”
National French Honor Society went next, where Lynch recited her speech in French and handed the mic to Bliss, who named every inductee as they came on stage. After all students finished receiving their certificates, they recited their oath in French. National Chinese Honor Society went next, following the same procedure and receiving purple cords to mark their entry into the society. National American Sign Language Honor Society was last, so while they could not receive a candle, they signed and recreated the action of blowing out their candles with their hands.
The ceremony ended with Rhode congratulating all inductees and thanking assistant principal Reggie Miller for his support of the programs. The students, officers, and their families celebrated their new induction in the lobby of the auditorium with cake and refreshments after the ceremony’s end.
