National Junior Honor Society

North Marion students inducted into NJHS

Justin Much

North Marion Middle School celebrated the induction of 20 students into the Principal Tami Badinger Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

The celebration was a double treat as the North Marion High School culinary class catered the ceremony under the direction of class advisor and chef Erick Schlosser.

The induction marked the second for the school’s NJHS, which was facilitated through school counselor and club advisor Renee Hanson.

Hanson, who previously worked in at Keizer’s Whiteaker Middle School where she cultivated similar endeavors, stressed a strong advocacy for NJHS during her job interview with NMSD in May 2022.

“As a student advocate, and lover of learning, I see so much value in continuing to provide this academic and leadership opportunity to our students,” Hanson said. “The kids deserve it, and the community needs it. This year we are inducting 20 new members, with an average 3.6 GPA.”

Hanson reached out to Schlosser who said was more than happy to collaborate with NJHS at middle school on the event. In fact, he was grateful for the opportunity to showcase what the students in his culinary program are doing and can continue to do.

North Marion sources underscored that the 20 students who were inducted have collectively completed more than 500 hours of community service over the past 2 years of middle school. Seventy-five percent of these students were involved in sports over the same period.

Additionally, the vast majority of these students have been involved in community activities or school programs at least once in each of the past three years.

“This is a huge achievement for these students, who are prioritizing their academics and service over other activities,” Hanson noted.

She elaborated by explaining that acceptance into NJHS requires 8th grade students to demonstrate and maintain 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA

All 20 students completed a candidate application and received teacher recommendation. Hanson said these students are also committed to completing a minimum of 10 hours of community service this school year.

“They are looking forward to support school-wide programing, like the ‘Hands and Words Project,’ food drive and starting a mentoring program,” she said.

In addition, Hanson shared that students will have multiple opportunities to contribute to projects going on in the surrounding communities of Aurora, Donald and Hubbard.

“It was a lovely event, and it is an honor and a privilege to showcase the hard work and dedication of these students,” Hanson said. “It’s pure magic seeing the delight and joy spread across the room onto their families’ faces.”

Inductees

The following were inducted into North Marion’s NJHS on Oct. 24: Tyrell Apulu, Akacia Bannick, Dylan Bomar, Marisol Bonser, Benjamin Boswell, Javier Campos Vasquez Jr., Meyli Gutierrez Barajas, Raef Hammack, Elliott Kiesel, Alexis Lingmann, Jacqueline Lomeli Marin, Kelly Machorro, Daniel Miranda Licona, Williams Ramos Martinez, Madison Sturm, Shea Anne Thornton, Ezra Workman, Kenzee Workman, Colton Younce and Pricila Zurita Martinez.