Members of the National Honor Society chapter at Hoosick Falls Central School welcomed sixteen new members in a tapping ceremony held October 14, in front of the 7-12 student body.
[private]The ceremony began with all of the current members seated on the stage, while Anna Wysocki explained the four pillars of National Honor Society. Those pillars are character, scholarship, leadership, and service. Advisor Karen Tommasino then explained to the students the procedure used for selection of new National Honor Society members.
Each member walked to the aisles in the auditorium and called out the name of a student who was to be tapped, and walked them back to the stage. The new inductees have no knowledge ahead of their name being called that they are being inducted.
“I’m very proud to be the advisor of National Honor Society,” said Tommasino. “It is a school organization with a wonderful tradition of honoring students for outstanding academic performance, service, leadership and character. I look forward to working with the new inductees, as well as the current members throughout the year.”
After sixteen students were tapped, Olivia Cushman announced the National Honor Society Teacher of the Year, Thesselia Nielsen. Nielsen retired at the end of the 2014-2015 school year and was a former advisor for the National Honor Society.
She was loved by the students, who gave her an immediate standing ovation as she walked to the stage. Through tears of joy, Nielsen spoke to the audience. She said, “since retiring, I miss you – the students – the most.”
According to Cushman, “we bent the rules a little to give the award to a retired teacher, but we couldn’t come up with a better candidate for this award. For all Mrs. Nielsen has done for her students and NHS specifically throughout the years, she had to be honored.”
Nielsen worked for HFCSD for 15 years, teaching high school English.
The Induction Ceremony was held on the evening of Tuesday, October 27. The new Honor Society Members are: Alexander DiDonato, Allyson Burdick, Anna Brewer, Bernadette Devito, Cassandra Crucetti, Clare Myers, Daniel Suite, Emma Kelly, Jamie Danner, Julia Helft, Kaila Schnoop, Katy Gardner, Sydney Luke, Sydney Miller, Tayler Dow, and Tiffany St. Hilaire.[/private]