Twelve juniors and 12 seniors joined the Daniel I. Farren Chapter of Lehighton Area High School's National Honor Society during last week's induction ceremony, held at the high school.

Following a short welcome speech, given by high school teacher Matthew Fisher, and a prayer given by senior NHS member Tiffany Harleman, Sharon Kendig, manager for the Carbon County chapter of the American Red Cross, addressed the students and presented Fisher with a certificate of appreciate for the blood drive the school has organized."The students are amazing," Kendig said. "They exude leadership skills, volunteerism and more."She noted that during the blood drive the school sponsored, 143 units of blood were collected.Fisher then commended the students for their well-rounded personalities and explained that the NHS members have been involved in food and clothing drives, were ushers for sporting and entertainment events, are tutors, and are active members of their community.Senior Erica Wenrich, historian of Lehighton's NHS, then read a brief history of the National Honor Society before the descriptions of the four virtues that a student must possess when they are a member of the society were read by fellow officers.Amanda Windbeck, secretary, spoke of scholarship; Timothy Sulzer, treasurer, read service; Alex Matika, reporter, character; and Madeline Zurn, president, leadership.Zurn introduced the present members of the society. New member were then inducted.Zurn and Molly Harleman, vice president, introduced the new inductees while Timothy Tkach and Craig Reichl, administrators at LAHS, presented the awards and pins.The new NHS inductees are: seniors - Carol Ahner, Darrin Arndt, Ryan Fatzinger, Dylan Frendt, Corey Haupt, Nicholas Hoster, Elizabeth James, Tiffany Lilly, Keri Marshall, Kara Melber, Jourdan Semmel, and Zachary Werner; juniors - Kirk Arner, Samantha Cerimele, Chey Davis, Laureen DiMattia, Tyler Hill, Rebecca Hoffner, Jordyn Homyak, Marcus Kunkle, Sarah Nanovic, Shad Steigerwalt, Kenzie Teno, and Noah Tkach.Senior members are: Olivia Anderson, Sarah Bednar, Miranda Boni, Jenn Everett, Alexis Gerber, Molly Harleman, Tiffany Harleman, Rachel Inghram, Lauren Jankowski, Dacin Kemmerer, Alex Matika, Brendan McCullian, Jordyn Miller, Sarah Putsavage, Timothy Sulzer, Erica Wenrich, Sheena White, Amanda Windbeck, and Madeline Zurn.Following the induction of new members, guest speaker Melissa Ebbert, an employee in the Lehighton Area School District, addressed the audience.She talked about the four virtues and how they make a well-rounded person."Don't be afraid of change," she said. "Always stay true to yourself and you will go far in life."Closing remarks were provided by Timothy Tkach, principal. He congratulated each of the students and their parents for the hard work they have done to reach this level of excellence."You are now in a very select group," he said to the students, noting that they are joining people like Troy Aikman, former NFL football player; Katie Couric, CBS news anchor; former President Gerald Ford; and Cal Ripken Jr., former Major League Baseball player; who were all members of National Honor Society when they were in high school."You know you have the tools and the support to go far," Tkach said. "Don't stop. Always try to be your best and do your best."Following the ceremony, a reception was held for family and friends.