In a year full of indecisiveness, hardships, and challenges, the congregations of the National Honor Society and Tri-M still were able to carry on the age-old tradition of an induction ceremony for its new members. 

The night was kicked off by an introduction from the National Honor Society (NHS) President Ashleigh Chiang, in which she welcomed the inductees and guests to the ceremony and spoke of the significance associated with the society and its members. It was soon followed by Tri-M President Jason Caputo’s welcoming of the musical inductees. 

Additionally, a speech was given by Dr. Yurchak, who reminisced on his own time and involvement in his own National Honor Society, as well as the integrity and responsibility expected from its members. Mr. Bott echoed these sentiments as well, speaking of the long-standing traditions of the NHS in North Arlington dating back decades in the school’s history.

It is a tradition for the members of Tri-M to perform before they are inducted into the Honor Society. Amanda Anzaldo opened up the evening with a masterful performance of Air from Suite 3 by Bach, which was soon followed by an emotional performance by Anna Lasek, who sang All I Want by Kodaline. New inductee Leyanna Cheng performed an electrifying rendition of Electric Love by Borns, and Kayla FitzSimons performed the classic Super Mario Bros. Theme on flute. Then, Ashleigh Chiang performed Easily by Bruno Mars, fittingly making it look easy in the process. Finally, Victoria Vargas performed No me queda mas by Selena Quintanilla.

However, one of the defining moments outside of the event itself was that the induction ceremony marked the first large-scale event held during the school year. Attendants were all masked up, in addition to observing social distance guidelines, and were able to enjoy the (surprisingly cold) May weather with their guests.

Members of the student body also felt similarly regarding the event, as NHS Parliamentarian Umair Khan comments, “It was great that we finally got to do an in-person school event! Although it was very late in the year, I think the inductees appreciated the opportunity to be honored in person. I know I found it fun to be in the company of the inductees, seeing friends that I had not seen in a while, and I’m sure everyone else enjoyed this momentous part of their high school experience.” 

NHS President Ashleigh Chiang reflects, “As president, I thought the event ran so smoothly. Since COVID-19 obstructed our traditional induction ceremony plan, being able to adjust to a safely distanced ceremony couldn’t have gone any better! In addition, having Tri-M perform and be inducted alongside NHS added a splendid element for our new and improved ceremony. Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome and I am incredibly proud of our performers and inductees!” Jason Caputo thinks, “This ceremony was a much-needed step towards normalcy and it was very successful in bringing both honor societies closer together.” 

Congratulations to all of this year’s inductees! A list of the inductees can be found here. A special thank you to Mx. Lemley for organizing this memorable event and to other participants including Dr. Yurchak, Mr. Bott, Mr. Kenny, Mr. Aronowitz and members of the Board of Education – this celebration could not have been possible without their support.