On Thursday night, December 6th, Padua held its annual National Honor Society installation ceremony. Each year upperclassmen of high academic caliber and demonstrating service and leadership within the community are selected to Padua’s charter. Students are first given the opportunity to apply as juniors. In order to be eligible students must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students are then reviewed by a faculty board on their service, leadership, character, and academic standing. Students not selected as juniors may re-apply as seniors. On Thursday the Padua Academy charter of the NHS was proud to install the following junior inductees:
Elizabeth Albera
Lara Ballintyn
Ashley Barnett
Jennifer Borio
Maeve Clair
Brittany Conner
Jacqueline Dorsch
Nicole Du
Bridget Fassano
Jennifer Fiscella
Abigail Hidalgo
Marisa Hines
Marlena Kelleher
Sarah Lott
Nicole Marasiak
Ashley Muschiatti
Calla Pritulsky
Alexandra Roberts
Nicolette Sabatina
Katherine Saberton
Angelina Spadaccini
Shannon Steiner
Maria Sutton
Samantha Szurkowski
Lucy Vavala
Erin Wendelburg
In addition the chapter welcomed the following senior inductees:
Colleen Blaho
Rachel Bolten
Shawn Callaghan
Margaret Delaney
Lawren Durham
Juliann Gee
Kristen Holowka
Katie Horn
Lauren Judge
Sarah Landry
Erin Kennedy
Sophie McCarthy
Colleen Moore
Elsa Palmisano
Samantha Straugn
Rachel Zane
Natalia Ziemecki
Along with celebrating the installation of these new members, Padua honored its returning members as well. All returning seniors played a role in the ceremony. This year the charter’s executive officers, Bridget Novielli, Madelyn Ray, Rebecca Kowalski, and president, Molly Weirzbowski, each discussed one of the four core values of our chapter: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. The ceremony’s guest speaker was Karen Dare Novielli, M.D., an alumna of Padua’s NHS charter and the mother of NHS officer, Bridget Novielli. In Dr. Novielli’s address, she gave a “recipe for success.” In this recipe Dr. Novielli encouraged students to begin with a big dream, add “cups of courage,” confidence, resilience, and other useful ingredients. To finish off the ceremony, the members lit their own candles, symbolic of the light within themselves. Afterwards parents, students, and faculty were invited to refreshments in the cafeteria. Congratulations to all new and returning NHS members.