Several Wilmington Middle School students were recognized Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, during the school board meeting for their inclusion in the National Junior Honor Society (NHJS).
Richard Foltz | News Journal photo
WILMINGTON, Ohio — Students of the Wilmington Middle School were recognized for their hard work at this week’s school board meeting, having met the standards required for inclusion in the National Junior Honor Society (NHJS).
The following Wilmington Middle School students were honored at Monday’s school board meeting, shaking hands with members of the board before receiving a certificate and a group photo opportunity:
Reagan Angelica, Mia Barr, Jaqueline Barringer, Olivia Burns, Clara Coates, Natalie Connor, Heavenly Czaszar, Alexis Donaldson, Maezie Furnas, Hope Goins, Gracie Goodwin, Bailey Huff, Joy Ledford, Ava Lohrey, Justin Maerean, Andrea Manzo, Maranda Merriman, Annalise Miller, Kaylin Murnane, Kiley Murnane, Harper Patterson, Isabella Perez, Abigail Puckett, Brady Roe, Elizabeth Rogers, Bristyl Ruddle, Kella Smith, Caleb Sweetman, Tempie Taylor, Avery Treisch, Breslin Washington, Alauna Williams, Jackson Wisecup, Griffin Zeigler, and Jillian Zeigler.
Among the steep standards required for entry into the prestigious organization, all students must have a 3.5 GPA or higher. Students were also required to acquire letters of recommendation from school staff, write an essay on their character and what it means to be a leader, and have several service hours just to apply.
Middle school assistant principal Kirby Seeger introduced the honorees, giving the students a chance to meet board members and shake their hands before receiving a certificate of their inclusion into the NHJS.
“The core standards for the National Junior Honor Society are service, scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and character,” said Seeger. “So all of the students you see are excellent and are exemplars in all five of those categories.”
Seeger also mentioned that students fulfilled their required service hours by helping out at Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) events, doing after-school peer tutoring, working with “Your Father’s Kitchen,” which offers hot food and groceries to people in need, and helping incoming sixth graders by giving tours and passing out school schedules, among various other services for their community.
“We are so proud of our students’ dedication to education and service to their community,” said Seeger. “This is an incredible task and they’ve shown great poise in handling it.”
Founded in 1929, the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is a student organization with chapters in middle schools in all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and around the world. The organization serves over one million students, and according to its website, each chapter produces 650 hours of school/community service, $1,000 in charitable donations, 375 pints of blood, and 500 pounds of food for local, state, and national causes.
An NJHS chapter allows students access to LEAD Conferences, designed to provide students with national-level leadership training; an NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award, which awards 500 exceptional NJHS members with a $500 college savings account; and College and access to their Career Readiness Series, which are live webinars that help students and parents with the college admission process.
In total, 35 students were honored at Monday’s board meeting, and received a round of applause from those in attendance for their commitment and dedication.
