Finley Honor Society Embraces New Members

J. Taylor Finley Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society chapter welcomed 65 new members during the organization’s Tuesday night induction ceremony before a crowd of parents and district officials.

Faculty advisor Amanda Shaffer along with this year’s executive board was excited to bring dozens of new scholars into the group’s ranks. The incoming members are enthusiastic about joining an organization that has celebrated exceptional academic success at the school for 60 years. Principal Traci Roethel smiled throughout the ceremony.

The new members have all compiled outstanding academic records through elementary school and seventh grade. They will complete their community service, leadership and citizenship requirements as eighth graders.

All of the new members have an academic average of at least 94 through the first three marking periods of seventh grade, wrote an essay about character and citizenship and received the endorsement of Finley’s faculty. The newly minted members received certificates commemorating their achievement.

Finley Principal Traci Roethel offered warm words of congratulations to the exceptional seventh graders, welcoming them into the ranks of the school’s top scholars.

The new members include Nicolas Akerman, Eva Alfaro, Thomas Andree, Julianna Araujo Hernandez, Milan Archie, Jacob Arelt, Kinzey Bierbauer, Logan Boccard, Charli Bond, Stella Butkovich, Valentina Careccia-Johnson, Penelope Carey, Rose Carrillo, Isabella Castillo, Nicolas Chan Camargo, Stefania Chanes-Flores, Jayden Clark, Phoebe Cohn, Jackson Cone, Melvin Cordero Rivas, Selimah Dease, Tillie England, Thomas Evernham, Theodore Fischer, Maeve Frintzilas, Marco Garcia, Luca Giambrone, Kimberly Gonzalez, Aneka Goutevenier, Samanthan Graber, Madeline Harris, Gregory Hinton III and Emily Hiscox.

This week’s induction ceremony also included Alex Holley, Weston Howell, Elissey Joseph, Dylan Jurow, Angela Kekatos, Nathaniel Kelly, Madeline Kyle, Lucy Lain, Spencer Lapp, Matthew Marsala, Madison Martin, Brigitta Mayer, Taylor Merrell, Benjamin Mitek, Aliana Moalawi, Efrain Molina-Baptista, Autumn Moskowitz, Monica Ng, Lindsay Oh, Yicksely Orellana Pineda, Landon Pacifico-Czerniecki, Liliana Prada, Juliette Prior, Lindsay Rodriguez, Piper Savatta, Olivia Sheridan, Daniel Soviero, Kaylyn Sutherland, Sydney Tuccillo, Emilie Yang-Hernandez, Christian Yoda and Layla Zivkovic.

Highlights of the evening included a performance of Finley’s Ukulele club; Montserrat Mani-Munoz led the crowd with the pledge of allegiance; Sutter Flynn and Luna Ramirez sang the national anthem. NJHS President Jason Bencivenga presided over the ceremony.

Behan England, Emma Leiter, Cecilia O’Toole, Isabella Correa and Olivia Ng led the candle lighting portion of the induction. Ethan Martin, Conor Kuhn, Allison Aguilar and Ava Bond took the lead for the tapping ceremony.

The five pillars of Finley’s National Junior Honor Society chapter include:

Scholarship: A cumulative academic average of at least a 94 through the first three marking periods of seventh grade.

Service: This involves voluntary contributions made by a student to the school or community, done without compensation.

Leadership: Student leaders are those who are resourceful, good problem solvers, and idea contributors. Leadership experiences can be drawn from school or community activities while working with or for others.

Character: The student of good character is cooperative; demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability; shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others; and generally maintains a clean disciplinary record.

Citizenship: The student who demonstrates citizenship understands the importance of civic engagement; has a high regard for freedom and justice; respects democracy; respects the law for all citizens at the local, state, and federal levels; and demonstrates mature participation and responsibility in activities such as scouting, community organizations or school clubs.