On the evening of November 11, this year’s National Honor Society Induction Ceremony was held virtually via a Youtube video that was linked on the homepage of West Morris Central High School’s website. Since an in-person ceremony would be inappropriate for the current conditions of the pandemic, this format allowed inductees, friends, and family members to view the celebration safely.

The ceremony generally followed the normal order of events with introductions from advisors Mrs. Donlon and Mr. Cinotti, the keynote speaker, and speeches and candle lighting by the elected NHS board members. The video itself was put together by Basil Iacampo.

Mr. Coiro was the keynote speaker this year, and his speech emphasized the value of a real education, no matter how you get to the end of it. He used an anecdote about a teacher bringing out coffee to students, except every cup was of varying quality. The students all reached for the nicest mugs they could get their hands on, but in the end, it was all the same quality of coffee. He told inductees that even during all the frustrating events going on in the world right now, to remember that “[a]ll [you] need is the coffee.” He also emphasized that “strength comes in numbers”. Having compassion and understanding for others and displaying this through even the smallest acts of kindness especially during these trying times of the pandemic could make a world of difference for other people who may need it.

The board this year consists of President Vincent Jiang, Vice President Kai Koop, Treasurer Justin Lee, and Secretary Isabella Dilizia. Each was assigned one of the Four Pillars of the National Honor Society to speak about and light the candle of, which were Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service, respectively.

Normally, the procession on to the stage is one of the most significant parts of the ceremony. Inductees are escorted by a teacher of their choice as they take the stage for the evening. Towards the end of the video, all inductees were named and a picture of them was shown on the presentation screen, but this could not replace the special recognition of the escort process. In order to recreate this experience virtually and to individually recognize each student, the teacher that would have escorted the inductee on stage recorded a separate “Virtual Escort Video Introduction”, about a minute long, that was linked in a document for all inductees to view. These videos included verification of the inductees’ qualifications for this honor and other kind and encouraging words.

In addition to the ceremony, NHS meetings will also be held virtually this year. The first meeting of this school year was held via Google Meet in October, where members voted on the board and made final preparations for the induction ceremony.

The club is planning to continue with their projects and plans for the year to the best of their ability through virtual communication and meetings.

Congratulations to all of this year’s inductees!