The National English Honors Society hosted a kickoff meeting on Sep. 19, which brought in a larger turnout than in previous years. The group’s leaders chose the theme of Percy Jackson for the first meeting, striving to reach a diverse audience of English enthusiasts.
School clubs are known to have introductory events before general meetings begin, giving a basic explanation of the meeting times and providing the classroom code before commencing into the regular club activities. NEHS, on the other hand, prioritizes interest and appeal at their meetings, as confirmed by senior Aryanna Mong, the NEHS President.
“We were really stuck on what to have as a theme at first because we wanted to appeal to a variety of people, but we also wanted to make it a fun experience for everyone,” Mong said.
The club itself revolves around the English language arts and works to incorporate that idea into its activities, reaffirmed by the AP Language teacher, Erin Drufke, a sponsor of the club.
“It is an honor society that allows those who are interested and excel in the English language arts area to have an opportunity to celebrate something that they already are enjoying, “ Drufke said. “It also gives us a way to serve our community through the lens of English language arts.”
The society’s primary goal this year is to encourage a sense of community within the club. Besides serving the community by fostering a passion for English in children, Aryanna Mong hopes to bring together the members of the club. A year-long member of the club, senior Shloka Jain attests to the bond between members of the club.
“I feel like because it’s the National English Honor Society, anyone who likes English is in this club. Everyone can relate to each other,” Jain explained.
One of the pillars that NEHS seeks is to help not only the community within the group itself but also those all around it. Within Metea Valley High School, they hang small compliments around the building, which aids in boosting the student body’s self-esteem and mental health.
Their work doesn’t stop inside the walls of Metea, NEHS also contributes to helping outside of school.
“We want to give back to our community,” Drufke said.
The club works by contributing to projects from many non-profit organizations and other fundraising events, as well as by giving the members a chance to earn volunteer hours.
NEHS not only uplifts students by giving them an opportunity to be involved, both educationally and in terms of community but also groups together individuals who have an intense passion for the English language and wish to share that passion.
“I thought about my own roots and I realized that for me being able to speak English is like a really big privilege,” Mong said. “Being able to share that English is actually really fun and this fun passion that I have with other people who are also as motivated as I am is a really cool experience.”
