This week at Burke, several academic achievements will be recognized at events. On April 14, there is an academic recognition ceremony and that same night is the National Honor Society induction. 69 new members will be welcomed into the organization.

The academic ceremony will recognize students who have maintained a 3.5 GPA or above for a certain amount of semesters. Sophomores for three semesters, juniors for five, and seniors for 7. Each student in their respective grades will be given a different award. Sophomores will get a letter, juniors a pin, and seniors a gold cord to wear at graduation.

The academic ceremony will be held from 9:00-11:30 in the morning. Since the event is during the school day, students will be excused from class for it. It will be held in the gym.

The NHS induction is later that day, and will be held in the auditorium. Sophomore Charlotte Gallup is excited about the new opportunities the organization will provide.

“I’m really excited about the induction, I honestly wasn’t sure if I would get in,” Gallup said.

A big part of getting into NHS was the application. It included teacher signatures, volunteer experience, and short answer questions, among other things.

“It included questions about your character, leadership, volunteer hours, and how you show leadership in your everyday life,” Gallup stated.

Many prior achievements and work was wanted in order to be accepted into NHS. Volunteer hours and school involvement helped students get in. Sophomore Lucy Marvin shares some things she believed helped her.

“I made sure I was already involved with school by participating in things like student council and green team. I also have a lot of volunteer hours for helping out with various things on the swim team,” Marvin said.

Gallup and Marvin will be included in the academic ceremony as well. Entry to this event didn’t include an application, but the same amount of hard work through the years. Several juniors, seniors, and sophomores will be recognized for their high GPA throughout their years at Burke. Sophomore Wyatt Urban is happy to be recognized for his achievements.

“It’s kind of cool that the school is recognizing academic achievements. It takes a lot of time and effort to get high grades and it feels good to be seen,” Urban said.

Getting good grades often comes with a lot of stress as well. It’s important for students to get rewarded for the hard work they continually give to their studies. Putting in time to do good quality work on top of sports and other activities can be difficult.

“I have found it difficult to keep a high GPA. One sub-par grade on a test or homework assignment can ruin months of work, which is really stressful,” Urban revealed.

For students that are included in both, it will be a busy day. Being recognized for several years of hard work is important for students and encourages them to keep going.
“I felt really happy about being able to go to both ceremonies. I always appreciate a brain break in school so the academic recognition ceremony will give me that. I’ve always wanted to be in NHS because my mom was, so when I got in, I was really proud of myself,” Marvin said.

Many students are very excited to be recognized for their achievements, and to be inducted into NHS. Students are encouraged to dress up for these events, and bring their families to celebrate with them.