On May 27, Laura Kay and Elizabeth Albertelly released a video link for a virtual induction of members of the Class of 2021 into the Walpole chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS). Senior Maggie Wall suggested carrying out the virtual induction through a video, and senior NHS members helped to bring the idea into fruition. The video consisted of an introduction from NHS Class of 2020 officers, the induction of Class of 2021 members and recognition of special educators from all members of the NHS Class of 2020. 

“Mrs. Albertelly and I felt it was important to recognize our new junior and current senior members of NHS even though we couldn’t do it in person,” Kay said. “We wanted the students to still have the experience and connection to school and for their families and our larger school community to be able to share and celebrate their achievements.”

Traditionally, the symbolic passing of the torch from the NHS Class of 2020 to the NHS Class of 2021 would take place in the auditorium, along with the discussion of NHS core values and speeches from NHS seniors honoring impactful educators in their lives. With the threat of COVID-19, this type of NHS induction was canceled along with all other spring events; nonetheless, Laura Kay and Elizabeth Albertelly managed to keep the tradition alive through an ironically non-traditional induction. 

“Ms. Kay and Ms. Albertelly reached out to the five NHS senior officers to introduce the idea of a virtual induction and then asked us for our input on how we thought it should be done,” NHS President Naomi Fitzgerald said. “Through a collaborative process to organize the project, the videos from each senior member, and Mr. O’Farrell’s generous contribution of his editing skills—the NHS induction video was made.”

The character pillars of NHS include: scholarship, leadership, service and character. Co-vice president Hallie McLaughlin described scholarship as a commitment to learning and eloquently explained that learning furnishes the lamp by which people read the past and the light which illuminates the future. Co-vice president McKayla Preto delved into service. Preto shared that NHS seeks members who possess a willingness to work for the benefit of those in need without reaping tangible benefits. Secretary Emme DeVito spoke about leadership. DeVito described leadership as a desire to make sacrifices for others in order to exude a wholesome influence on one’s community. Finally, historian Jenifer Atallah explored character. Atallah detailed that creating a unique character for one’s self and striving to make good choices earns the respect of others. 

“My favorite aspects of NHS are the peer tutoring program and the availability of so many community service options each month,” Fitzgerald said. 

Creating the virtual induction took significant cooperation from and collaboration with senior NHS members, so it was special that such seniors were also able to express their gratitude for educators that touched their lives—especially with such an abrupt ending to their senior year. Each NHS Class of 2020 member acknowledged an educator whom they appreciate and elaborated on how that person impacted their personal growth. 

“The seniors really speak from the heart with great sincerity when they give their special educator speeches and it is important for them, we think, to be able to express gratitude and reflect on all those people who helped them get to graduation,” Kay said. “We love hearing them every year.  We are so proud of how well the seniors did in making and sharing their videos with us this year.”

Below is the list of Class of 2021 inductees: 

Renee Abbott

Danielle Abril

Abigail Bain

Sarah Ball

Nidhi Byragoni

Jack Connell

Julia Connell

William Connors

Ella Corso

Mia Costa

Danielle Dentremont

Margaret Devlin

Cecilia Doherty

Erin Foley

Christina Forrester 

Caroline Gebhardt

Katerina Gebhardt

Linika Goel

Andrew Hendricks

Connor Hope

Lisa Jair

Kristina Lewis

Brendan Mahoney

Grace Manzo

Annika Massey

Arnav Mishra

Payton Nolan

Kimberly O’Donnell

Vidyut Ramanan

Sophia Richer

Kaya Robin

Edwin Ryan

Justin Schneider

Anna Smith

Domenico Straccia

Cole Tashjian

Kathryn Tierney

Gregorios Tsougas

Caroline Wilkins

Ashley Wong