Thirteen juniors and seven seniors joined the Daniel I. Farren Chapter of Lehighton Area High School's National Honor Society during Wednesday night's induction ceremony, held at the high school.

Following a piano prelude by Keturah Hinkle, NHS advisor Matthew Fisher welcomed family and friends to the induction.He commended the students for their well-rounded personalities and explained that the NHS members have been involved in food and clothing drives, are tutors and are active members of their community.A prayer was then given by NHS senior member Schyler Cordova, followed by senior Allison Butrie, historian of Lehighton's NHS, reading a brief history of the National Honor Society. The descriptions of the four virtues that a student must possess when they are a member of the society were read by fellow senior NHS members.Peter Phelan spoke of scholarship; Michelle Pomposello read service; Paige Steigerwalt read character; and Christi Beddiges read leadership.Vice president Kayla Troutman then introduced the present members before turning over the podium to NHS president Kyle Higgins, who congratulated his classmates on their achievements and introduced Matthew McGeehan and Leah Hoover, who provided a musical duet of the song "Kingdom Come."Guest speaker Michael Reenock, visual arts teacher at the school, provided remarks.He stressed to the students that they need to work hard, have focus and dedication and follow their passions."Pave your own path and have your passions," he said. "Great achievements have been made. You are members of the National Honor Society 1 million strong and still growing. What I ask of all of you at this moment, please embrace where you are now."When you are going through life, don't be afraid to take risks, keep your passions close and do not forget to look around you because the world moves by very quickly and you don't want to miss it," he continued. "You have a long journey ahead of you and I hope you continue to have strong convictions. I hope you have your passions because without passions you remain empty."Reenock added that the students need to remember to never forget about friends and family because those are the most important things in life.Following Reenock's speech, Higgins introduced the new inductees.The new NHS inductees are: seniors - Devin Frantz, Nicholas Hill, Kamara Litchauer, Gwendolyn Remaley, Emily Schaude, Catrina Strubinger and Sara Wingert; juniors - Kelsey Andrews, Abigail Applegate, Joseph Blauch, Kirkland Breiner, Kyle Collins, Brandon Cressley, Danielle Guckin, Michael Haydt, Holly Hinkle, Leah Hoover, Brianna Karpowicz, Ellen Perkins and Shelby Snyder.Senior members are: Lauren Armbruster, Christi Beddiges, Allison Butrie, Schyler Cordova, Thatcher David, James Farano, Kyle Higgins, Alyssa Huntington, Jaclyn Jordan, Matthew McGeehan, Peter Phelan, Michelle Pomposello, Atasha Rehrig, Paige Steigerwalt, Kyle Troch and Kayla Troutman.Closing remarks were provided by Craig Reichl, LAHS administrator.He congratulated each of the students and their parents for the hard work they have done to reach this level of excellence."Today you been selected based on your hard work, determination and stellar character," he said. "The administration, staff, teachers and support staff of the Lehighton Area School District are proud of your accomplishments and recognize your determination to your responsibility ... Live in the moment and enjoy the recognition and accolades you have earned. We have all heard that life is not a journey it is about the destination. Today is one of your proud moments in life's journey."Following the ceremony, a reception was held for family and friends in the hallway of the school.