West Essex High School English Honor Society Inducts New Members

The West Essex High School National English Honor Society inducted 17 new members at its recent ceremony April 24 in the High School Library. As the society officers called the name of each of the new members, the inductee was asked to accept a certificate of membership and presented with a white carnation (a symbol of distinction and truth. The flowers  were wrapped in blue and white ribbon, the colors of the society.)  For a list of students, please visit the District website at www.westex.org.

“'Duty goes with power,’ is the motto of the society,” President Marco Glinbizzi told the new members. “What lies ahead of you are endless opportunities to advance the beauties of literature and language, and we will pass our torch with the hope that you will outdo us.... “

The following students were inducted as new members of the society:

Amanda Alhout

Jessica Chmielewski        

Vittoria Contuzzi

Bryan Daowdat      

Molly Dickman

Zoe Elfenbein

Benjamin Gersten

Samantha Gilbert

Griffin Glenn

Zuleyha Karacay

Brennan Lee

Kathryn Minden

Sarah Pasternak

Alex Peckman

Hannah Ritter

Gabrielle Roth

Nicholas Soriano

At the ceremony, West Essex National Honor Society President Marco Glinbizzi said: "Only persons of high scholarship in English are admitted to our fellowship.  We join with others from across the country in celebration of all the fields of English and in acknowledging that a life in which literature and good writing are a significant part, is a life worth living."

Here is the text of Marco's Passing the Torch speech:

"The English National Honor Society's motto is simple, but powerful. Duty goes with honor. As members of the Society, my classmates and I have tried, with a great degree of success, to spread the beauty and power of literature, writing and language both inside the walls of our schools and beyond. Over the past year and a half since our induction, our chapter has been heavily involved with the school library, fostering a great relationship that will recap many rewards in the future. All the members of the chapter are dedicated to exercising their creativity and talent, and our greatest accomplishments are personal ones- there certainly is no better way to spread the joy of literature than to be a part of it. We are extremely proud of the hard work that led to our close relationship with Paterson School No. 7, where we visited this March to reward elementary and middle school aged students who participated in our poetry competition. Hearing the incredible poetry the students at School No. 7 wrote was touching in ways that are beyond description, and getting to meet, interact and befriend them inspired each and every one of us. In today's society that is truly a beautiful thing. A smile crossed all of our faces when the students told us that reading makes them smile- is there anything cooler than that?  

Most importantly, we worked to lay the groundwork for this year's inductees. What lies ahead of you are endless opportunities to advance the beauties of literature and language, and we will pass our torch to you with the hope that you will outdo us, and that you will achieve things that even we could not. The honor you are receiving today is not merely one of ability and scholarship. With this honor you will be charged with a duty that will bring you a wondrous pride."

Marco also introduced the new West Essex English Honor Society Executive Committee for the 2012-2013 school year.

Treasurer: Alex Peckman

 Historian: Jessica Chmielewski           

Secretary: Nicholas Soriano

Public Relations: Molly Dickman

Vice President: Zuleyha Karacay

President: Sarah Pasternak