John F. Kennedy Memorial High School auditorium hosts the prestigious National English Honor Society (NEHS) induction ceremony on the evening of April 29, 2024. At 6:30 PM, the event commences, marking a significant milestone for the newly selected members who are welcomed into the esteemed society.
Event Details
The induction ceremony serves as a celebration of academic excellence and literary achievement, honoring the students who demonstrate exceptional dedication to the English subject. The ceremony commences with speeches from the current officers: Katelyn Figueiredo, Nishka Shah, Chinmay Sagar, Shyam Iyer and Pareen Jadav, reflecting on their own journey within the society and imparting words of wisdom to the incoming members.
JFKMHS principal, Dr. Parry; the English department head, Mr. DiPalma; NEHS advisor, Ms. Lesniak, also took the stage to express their satisfaction with the NEHS members’ achievements.
Following the heartfelt speeches, the highlight of the evening unfolds as the new inductees are presented with their certificates, officially inducting them into the NEHS. As per tradition, the ceremony ends with the symbolic signing of the NEHS inductee book with pens received during tapping.
The Selection Process
Selection into NEHS is determined through an application process, with the primary requirement being an essay.
This year’s essay prompt challenges students to conceptualize a major using a typographical error that alters, adds, or substitutes a letter. Ms. Lesniak, an NEHS advisor, reminisces about her favorite essay, titled “Visual Tarts”, a play on the major visual arts. In this essay, the author seamlessly blends their passion for baking and artistry. Ms. Lesniak describes it to be, “…really, really, clever and creative and he comes up with all these different courses, and even references fine cuisine from around the world,” Ms. Lesniak explains.
The NEHS application requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0 from all English classes and a list of extracurriculars detailed with one’s contributions and leadership positions.
AI for Essays?
However, not all essays are constructed with original thought. There are reports of various students resorting to artificial intelligence (AI) to compose their NEHS essays. Ms. Lesniak expressed hesitancy when asked about her stance on this matter and whether she envisions NEHS accepting AI in the future.
“I’m not a big fan, but understand that it does have its space and it does have value as long as the student is doing their own work first and using AI responsibly as a way to check up on themselves, like using Grammarly or Spell Check…then I am more inclined to be accepting of it,” Ms. Lesniak explains. “I would hate to think that I am so old and rigid that this is going to change the way we work, so maybe in the future we can run workshops on how to responsibly use AI.”
Despite the conflicts, NEHS foresees a productive year. Ms. Lesniak outlines her plans for integrating the new inductees into the NEHS community, expressing her aspirations to enhance the school’s mobile library, currently in its infancy, and to expand community involvement by engaging with middle schools and elementary schools to foster literacy at a younger age.
