Alum tells NHS inductees to focus on pillars

MELROSE – Four local teenagers were inducted into the National Honor Society at Austin Preparatory School in Reading on Monday, April 11.

Inductees were welcomed into the NHS by current members during the ceremony in the Chapel of St. Augustine, which culminated with a lighting of candles. After, the students and their families celebrated their accomplishment at a reception at the school.

The guest speaker for the evening was alumnus Louis DiRupo of Wilmington, a member of the class of 1980. He is a managing director in the Asset Servicing division of Bank of New York Mellon.

DiRupo was a member of NHS while at Austin Prep and he said the society’s four pillars - scholarship, leadership, service and character - play an important role after high school. Character, he said, is the hardest to measure, but it is probably the most important.

“In our personal life, character is the glue that bonds solid and meaningful relationships,” he said. “In the work world, strong moral character builds trust, strengthens respect, promotes loyalty, and translates to solid reputations. To be a successful leader for the long-term, you must have good character.”

Congratulations to the following: sophomores Cara Bancroft, Bridget Kelley, and Caroline Russell and junior Timothy Cray