National Honor Society welcomes 55 new members

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — Fifty-five juniors were recently inducted into Lynnfield High School’s National Honor Society chapter.

NHS President Ava Gamache welcomed the inductees, families, current NHS members, educators and school officials to the ceremony in the LHS auditorium.

“We are gathered here to formally recognize the students in the junior class who have been selected by the faculty at our school for successfully completing their candidacy and being inducted as new members into our NHS chapter,” said Gamache. “This notable achievement was earned in years interrupted by COVID, which deserves a round of applause not only for our junior members but also our senior members.”

The ceremony’s attendees gave the 55 inductees and the senior NHS members a round of applause.

Gamache recalled that the National Honor Society is “the oldest, largest and most prestigious student recognition program” in the United States.

“Our chapter is proud to be inducting new members,” said Gamache. “Today’s ceremony indicates the continuing emphasis on excellence represented in our school and our community. Throughout the year, members of our chapter serve as role models for other students. In addition to the strong academic records that have been established for eligibility for membership, our chapter’s members are leaders in many student organizations and serve our school and community through many activities. We are proud of this record of accomplishment and welcome these new members who will bring new energy in support of our continued work as NHS members.”

NHS Historian Megan Woods gave an overview of the NHS pillar of scholarship. NHS tutor coordinator Katie Buonopane discussed the pillar of character. NHS Vice President Ryan DeBenedictis gave an overview of the pillar of leadership. NHS Treasurer Alexa Petruccelli discussed the pillar of character.

After the four NHS pillars were discussed, four educators were presented with awards for their contributions to the LHS community.

NHS senior member Isabelle Moschella presented the Leadership Award to library media specialist Janice Alpert. Moschella recognized Alpert in the wake of the School Committee recently voting to eliminate her position in the recommended fiscal year 2025 operating budget. Interim Superintendent Tom Geary, School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio and School Committee member Jim Dillon sat in the front row during the ceremony. School Committee member Jamie Hayman also attended the ceremony, but he sat with his wife Christina in order to celebrate their daughter Ella’s induction.

“Over the past 25 years she has spent at LHS, Ms. Alpert has become the epitome of a leader, and it is only fitting that she receive this award,” said Moschella.

Moschella stressed that, “An effective leader must find a balance between assertiveness and empathy.”

“If I learned anything these past few weeks, it is that Ms. Alpert is a moving force in our community,” said Moschella. “She fights for what she wants while remaining respectful and dedicated, even to those who fail to extend the same common courtesy. I have seen students, parents and faculty alike show a deep appreciation for her. She is wanted here because she has shown that she is both capable and kind. Leaders must also be humble. Those placed in charge of good leaders often fail to recognize their value because when someone as skilled as Ms. Alpert is put in charge, fires are extinguished before they ever truly start.”

Moschella said Alpert has “always been there” for students, faculty and staff.

“You celebrate our wins as your wins,” said Moschella. “But tonight, know that we are all celebrating you. You are everything this school system prides itself trying to be, and I am sorry that the one time you needed help, we haven’t been able to return the favor and help you. I pity the generations of upcoming students who will not know the safety, leadership and unparalleled knowledge that Ms. Alpert brings to the media center. Congratulations on this award and thank you for dedicating yourself to us for the past 25 years.”

NHS senior member Lilyana DeLeo presented the Service Award to history/social science teacher Paul LaMonica. She said LaMonica is one of her favorite teachers at LHS.

“I met Mr. LaMonica on the first day of my junior year in my Humanities class,” said DeLeo. “For those of you who are not familiar with how Humanities is structured, it is a two-hour class that is a combination of history and English taught by Mr. LaMonica and Mr. Dell’Aria. Any teacher who can hold the attention of a class of 16-year-olds and make them laugh, learn and actually enjoy the class deserves a medal or, in this case, a student-voted NHS award. Mr. LaMonica connects with his students. His light and humorous approach to managing a classroom helps students let their guard down during what is probably their most stressful year of high school.”

DeLeo said LaMonica’s engaging teaching style makes his classes enjoyable for students.

“Even though I don’t have Mr. LaMonica this year, I visit him on a daily basis to vent about everything that is stressing me out,” said DeLeo. “It would be more helpful if he shared his never-ending supply of popcorn with me, but he still doesn’t. I always leave his room feeling better. Truthfully, I would nominate Mr. LaMonica for every award for every pillar of the National Honor Society. He truly checks off all the boxes: Scholarship, leadership, service and character. I feel so fortunate that I got to not only learn from Mr. LaMonica, but to actually get to know him as a person the last few years. You would have a hard time finding another student who would say otherwise. Congratulations Mr. LaMonica, and thank you for always being there for me.”

NHS senior member Madison Danese presented the Character Award to Spanish teacher Jessica Mawn.

“Ms. Mawn is being recognized after a few short years at Lynnfield High School because she almost instantly made such a large impact on the student body,” said Danese. “She is the perfect example of the National Honor Society pillar of character because she is a caring and trustworthy friend to many. For me, it would be impossible to think about Ms. Mawn without thinking about junior year. When I came into Ms. Mawn’s classroom last year, I was almost always stressing about something. I always left with a smile on my face. It’s hard not to smile when you interact with Ms. Mawn.”

Danese said Mawn is “practically always in a good mood.”

“Ms. Mawn starts off every class with a cheerful conversation,” said Danese. “She is one of the most caring people I know. She not only cares about teaching, she cares about her students. I think we can all learn to show more empathy from her. She prepared us well for our futures, but she was never so caught up with teaching that she could not make time for personal connections. Ms. Mawn, we will never forget you. Thank you for being a smiling face and thank you for being there for us. Thank you for caring about us, thank you for being patient and thank you for being you.”

NHS Historian Megan Woods presented retiring science teacher Dr. Karyn O’Neill with the Scholarship Award. She noted that O’Neill’s nickname is DocO.

“Dr. Karyn O’Neill is in her 24th year teaching at LHS,” said Woods. “DocO has had an everlasting impact on students that extends far beyond the classroom. Through her love for chemistry, she has inspired us to persevere and reach our potential while pursuing our own passions and interests, whether that be science related or not. Having DocO has my teacher for both my sophomore and junior years, I am so proud to call her my mentor and my biggest supporter. For that, I am so grateful to be spending our last year at LHS together, graduating alongside one another in the coming months.”

Woods said O’Neill started an initiative called “Cookie Friday” that was a big hit with students.

“When a student brought in cookies, DocO awarded them points for extra credit,” said Woods. “Let me assure you that every Friday we ate cookies. Through ‘Cookie Friday,’ DocO was able to reach so many students inside and outside of her classroom. DocO established a connection with us through a delicious snack, a weekly tradition that students will remember forever.”

Woods said O’Neill’s legacy at LHS is “everlasting.”

“She has had an impact on students and faculty both inside and outside of the building,” said Woods. “DocO, thank you for inspiring us to pursue our own passions and not letting a single failure define us. I speak for everyone in this room in wishing you a happy and relaxing retirement. You deserve it.”

All four educators were given a round of applause.

After the four educators were recognized, LHS Principal Tricia Puglisi administered the NHS Pledge to the 55 inductees.

“Congratulations to you all,” said Puglisi.

NHS inductees

The juniors inducted in the National Honor Society were Tyler Adamo, Alexander Adreani, Raffi Arkun, Ariana Atsales, Adishree Batchu, Roxanne Beatrice, Jared Bernabei, Gabriella Bottaro, Cade Buklarewicz, Caitlin Buoniconti, Marissa Calamari, Clara Caulfield, Lucy Chamberlin, Taylor Collins, Kaitlyn Connelly, Libby Considine, Julia Corrente, Paul Daley, Olivia DeLeo, Nila Dharma and Camryn Donovan.

As well as Anna Feury, Brady Field, Christopher Fleming, Alexander Fleming, Kaila George, Jhazier Gonzalez Baez, Ariana Guarracino, Aanya Gupta, Emma Harnett, Ella Hayman, Morgan Hubbard, Shlok Kudrimoti, Lauren Lane, Rachel Lim, Maxwell Lin, Ciara Long, Nicholas Lozada, Ashkrit Mahajan, Mahdi Makki, Paige Martino, Kyle McDonald and Charles Morgan.

The remaining juniors inducted into the National Honor Society were Matthew Reinold, Joshua Robins, Aubrey Rocha, Emma Rose, Parminder Saini, Gabe Schumacher, John Settipane, Olivia Sieve, Matthew Squadrito, Kimberly Staffier, Olivia Sullivan and Taylor Valiton.