In this week’s blog, Gabriella Condrick from Sun Valley High School in North Carolina shares the impact of her chapter’s social service project. NEHS places a high value on the community service work its chapters do. Chapters undertaking social service projects can apply for project funding through the Chapter Project Grant and be recognized for their work through the Chapter Impact Award. Read on to discover more about the amazing work undertaken by Gabriella.
The first time I participated in reading buddies at my local elementary school I simply saw it as an easy way to get out of class. I saw it as a break, a relaxing morning. It was a simple activity that I didn’t give much second thought to. Over time reading has become so accustomed to me that I often find myself overlooking the true excitement of picking up a book and reading, and I feel that many peers my age feel the same way. We’ve gotten too busy. We spend too much time worrying about college, the future, friends, and our social status. We forget about the times when all we cared about was reading our favorite bedtime story.
Watching the young students pick up book after book for me to read reminded me of that time when I would beg my mother to read me another story. I would count down the minutes until I could pick up my favorite book and read another chapter. Listening to the kids perfectly explain the plot of the books they were reading allowed me to slow down. Their excitement for something as simple as a book made me stop and think about my life as a whole and where my priorities stood. I stopped worrying about what I was going to do after school, who I was going to see on the weekend. It reminded me of all of my favorite childhood books and the way I would talk about them for hours upon hours. It allowed me to take a breath and really appreciate the world around me.
None of this would be possible without the opportunities given to me through the National English Honor Society. Participating in my school’s reading buddies program through NEHS has truly been an honor. I remember being in elementary school and waiting for the days when the high schoolers would come to visit and read to us, yet, I never stopped to think that one day I would be a part of that. Now here I am about two months away from graduating and I am so grateful that reading buddies was a part of my high school career. It has truly shown me a newfound appreciation for the importance of literature at such a young age. Because of this experience, I will never again disregard the joy of picking up a book, sitting down, and diving into a new world with new possibilities.
Gabriella Condrick is an 18 year old high school senior at Sun Valley High School, NC, who is ready to embark on the next chapter of her life. She was born in Long Island, NY, and raised in Charlotte, NC. She spends her time reading, writing, and hanging out with friends. Gabriella has been dancing for 15 years and has been teaching dance for five. Her plans after high school include attending East Carolina University and achieving a major in entrepreneurship as well as dance; she plans to one day open up her very own dance studio. Gabriella thrives in a creative environment and hopes to one day share her passions with the world.
National English Honor Society
The National English Honor Society (NEHS), founded and sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, is the only international organization exclusively for secondary students and faculty who, in the field of English, merit special note for past and current accomplishments. Individual secondary schools are invited to petition for a local chapter, through which individuals may be inducted into Society membership. Immediate benefits of affiliation include academic recognition, scholarship and award eligibility, and opportunities for networking with others who share enthusiasm for, and accomplishment in, the language arts.
America’s first honor society was founded in 1776, but high school students didn’t have access to such organizations for another 150 years. Since then, high school honor societies have been developed in leadership, drama, journalism, French, Spanish, mathematics, the sciences, and in various other fields, but not in English. In 2005, National English Honor Society launched and has been growing steadily since, becoming one of the largest academic societies for secondary schools.
As Joyce Carol Oates writes, “This is the time for which we have been waiting.” Or perhaps it was Shakespeare: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer . . .” we celebrate English studies through NEHS.
National English Honor Society accepts submissions to our blog, NEHS Museletter, from all membership categories (students, Advisors, and alumni). If you are interested in submitting a blog, please read the Suggested Guidelines on our website. Email any questions and all submissions to: submit@nehsmuseletter.us.
