Honor society returns to county school

SUPERIOR – For the last several years, the Superior High School has been without any National Honor’s Society members but all that changed this year as school administrators and staff along with students brought a chapter back to the facility.

And the way they celebrated the achievement last week was to have two teachers from Superior High School kiss a live, squirming pig on the head in front of the entire student body. As part of an assembly to celebrate not only the return of the NHS chapter but also the money that was raised to support it, Superior High School teachers Peter Walde and Beth Keyser had to kiss the pig, on the head, for approximately five seconds to the extreme delight of students, staff, other teachers and school administrators. The pig seemed relatively unfazed by the spectacle.

Superior High School Guidance Counselor and NHS co-advisor said bringing an NHS chapter back to the school was a way to demonstrate how serious the facility takes student’s education.

“The Superior High School really wanted to bring back National Honor Society,” Quinlan said. “Our chapter has eleven students. It was inactive for a few years. One of the things the administrators and the school board wanted to see happen was to bring back this program. These students are very solid in the classroom but something else we preach to them that part of being a National Honor Society member is being a solid individual character-wise.”

Quinlan said the fundraising drive raised approximately $300 that will end up as a scholarship for a graduating senior in the class of 2015.

He also said the decision as to how to use the funds didn’t come from himself, his co-advisor Chris Quinlivan or other administrative staff but from the students themselves.

“Basically the kids wanted the money to go to a National Honor Society member who was graduating,” Quinlan said. “Hopefully we can do some other fundraising activities like this in the future.”

One of the main reasons for bringing NHS back to the Superior High School, according to Quinlan, was the need to show students, parents, community members and other concerned parties that the main focus for young people needs to be their education.

“This school recognizes academic excellence,” Quinlan said. “I think a lot of times we have students that are recognized in the athletic realm and other fine arts programs and obviously we want to recognize not only those programs but we want to make sure we are focusing on not just one aspect of school but teaching these kids to be well rounded individuals. We always say ‘student first’ because the academic part is so important. We wanted to step our game up and say, ‘here at Superior High School academics are taken very seriously.’”

The students who make up the Superior High School NHS chapter are, in no particular order: Sierra Browning, McKenzie Stager, Haleigh Bontrager, Mary Donalley, Danielle Ewoniuk, Emma DuBois, Taryn Ververis, Jordan Mueller, Nadeia Ewoniuk, Morgan Sarmento and Catherin Shope.

The National Honor Society was created in 1921.

Selection is based on four criteria including leadership, service, scholarship and character.

Being a member of NHS requires some level of service to the community, school or other organization.