NHS Inducts 25 New Members in April Ceremony
Inductees exhibit scholarship, character, leadership, and service
Cheshire Academy inducted 25 new members into the National Honor Society on Thursday, April 30.
“Each one of you comes from a different background, identifies with a unique culture, and speaks a different language,” Nikanova told the new inductees. “Your strength might be serving as a captain of your team or being a leader in the classroom. Your differences, your unique ideas, and your distinctive goals are what make this society interesting.”
Nikanova recounted several NHS service projects benefiting local organizations in recent years, including collecting more than 300 handwritten letters for veterans, bringing puppies from a local shelter to campus, and organizing a concert fundraiser.
To be eligible for induction, the seniors and juniors had to have a 3.7 or higher GPA or a 3.5 GPA with an HL/AP/Honors class in the first semester of the school year. In addition to the scholarship requirement, each student must apply for membership and demonstrate the three other elements that are the cornerstone of NHS: leadership, character, and service, said Jennifer Guarino P’18, director of residential life and Grade 10 class dean. The faculty council also considers feedback from the faculty, coaches, and other adults who have worked with each student before they vote to select the year’s inductees.
This year’s faculty council included Laura Dempsey, Eunyoung DiGiacomo, Alex Conaway, Makaila English, and Matt Fonts. The 2023-24 NHS officers, who ran the ceremony, are: Sasha Nikanova, president; Capri Frissora, vice president; Jack Silano, secretary; and Feyza Horuz, treasurer.
“Acceptance into the National Honor Society is a recognition that you have earned, but it is also a responsibility that you now all share,” Guarino told the new members. “It means that you need to hold yourselves to the highest standards of not just scholarship, but also character, leadership, and service. At Cheshire Academy, this also means that every day, in every action you undertake, you should embody our core values of growth, engagement, belonging, and collaboration.”
2024 Inductees
Gia Acosta ’25, Prospect, CT
Jianhang Andy Chen ’25, Shanghai, China
Cristiana De Vivo ’25, Durham, CT
Allie Fowler ’25, Cheshire, CT
Danica Furst ’24, Marion, CT
Lidia Generali ’24, Cheshire, CT
Lauren Greco ’24, East Hampton, CT
Olivia Greene ’24, Hamden, CT
Rabia Mazhar ’25, Hamden, CT
Lucy McDermott ’25, Woodbridge, CT
Isabella Medeiros ’24, Wolcott, CT
Seoyoung Veronica Moon ’25, Busan, Republic of Korea
Grace Moriarity ’25, Wallingford, CT
Kayla Murphy ’25, Hamden, CT
Ryan Neu ’24, Grantham, NH
Chirag Pahilajani ’25, St. Ann, Jamaica
Natalia Ranal Moro ’24, Merida, Mexico
Kate Regan ’25, Waterbury, CT
Sydney Simms ’25, Durham, CT
Laci Theroux ’25, Cheshire, CT
Betty Weske ’25, Cheshire, CT
Margo Weske ’25, Cheshire, CT
Xinran Jason Wu ’25, Princeton, NJ
Rebecca Yimlamai ’25, North Haven, CT
Chengxi Toby Yue ’25, Hong Kong
To learn more about CA’s academic program, visit cheshireacademy.org/academics.
