Woburn High School Holds National Honor Society Induction Ceremony

by Jackie Kelley

The Woburn Memorial High School held its National Honor Society induction ceremony on November 7.  As proud family members and friends looked on, fifty-nine students were inducted for exhibiting qualities of scholarship, character, leadership and service.  Students are selected to become members in the fall of their senior year for maintaining a GPA of at least 5.5 on a weighted scale and completing a community service project of forty hours or more. 

The ceremony was held in the high school’s Flaherty Auditorium and began with a brief introduction by Advisor Catina Hayden.  The program was then handed over to Master of Ceremonies, Scott Parker who directed the remainder of the event.     

The ceremony featured guest speaker John Donovan, chair of the foreign language department, who delivered an intelligent and inspiring speech.  He was not the only one that had wise words for the audience, however; this year’s officers of the National Honor Society also presented impressive speeches. 

Secretary Valerie Fernandez spoke about scholarship while Vice President Abigail Bose emphasized the importance of service in her address.  The speeches were then rounded out by President Andrew Madanjian who highlighted the significance of leadership. 

The National Honor Society induction is a truly prestigious event where Woburn High School’s best of the best celebrate their accomplishments and are recognized for their hard work and dedication over the course of their high school careers.  Seeing students rewarded after all of their determination is what makes this program so enjoyable.   

“My favorite part was getting to see all my friends and classmates come up to receive their awards and congratulating them,” said Bose. 

Although this event was a celebration of the students’ accomplishments, many inductees felt that the adults involved in the event made it truly unforgettable.  

“The most memorable part was listening to Mr. Donovan’s speech because it was really insightful and it had a lot of interesting ideas.  I think that everybody in the audience was able to learn something from his speech,” said Fernandez.

Donovan’s speech was not the only thing that made the night unique, however; the presentation of a special gift to the program’s advisor by President Andrew Madanjian also enhanced the evening. 

“For me, the best part of the ceremony was when I told Mrs. Hayden that we had raised money to support the Hurricane Sandy relief effort in her honor.  She was so insistent that the entire night be about us, so it was nice for all of us to show our appreciation for everything she has done.  This is going to be her last year teaching, so I was glad we had the chance to do something special to say thanks.  I could tell it meant a lot to her,” said Madanjian. 

Master of Ceremonies Scott Parker also believed that revealing the group’s donation was the best part of the night. 

“I enjoyed the speech Mr. Donovan made, but I also enjoyed presenting that gift to Mrs. Hayden because she is retiring and she had to hold back tears when we told her.  It was a nice moment,” said Parker. 

It is truly amazing that the students used their night of recognition to acknowledge their beloved advisor and teacher.  Their act of kindness emphasized their character and dedication to service, showing exactly why they were inducted as members of the National Honor Society.