Eighteen juniors and five 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 Rebecca Hoffner, high school teacher Matthew Fisher welcomed family and friends to the induction.He addressed the students, stating that they need to be safe in their decisions, be respectful of others and themselves and be responsible for their actions.He 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.Fisher then challenged the students to find ways to raise money to help people in the community that are in need of assistance.A prayer was then given by NHS president Samantha Cerimele, followed by senior Noah Tkach, 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.Laureen DiMattia spoke of scholarship; Marcus Kunkle read service; Kirk Arner read character; and Kenzie Teno read leadership.Cerimele and vice president Sarah Nanovic then introduced the present members of the society and then the new inductees, while Fisher, Timothy Tkach and Craig Reichl, administrators at LAHS, presented the awards and pins.The new NHS inductees are: seniors - Jason Addy, Echo Bretz, Ian Christman, Sean Maloney, and Jacob Plocinik; juniors - Jordan Burbage, Isabelle Chew, Zachary Coleman, Laura Cressley, Anthony Farole, Evalina Heckman, Stacey Kerschner, Shyanne Kleintop, Nicholas Mantz, Nicole Myrtle, Carter McCandless, Peter Petrack, Sydney Schafer, Kara Serfass, Jena Smith, Jonathan Strauss, James Sverchek, and Michael Warkala.Senior members are: 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.Following the induction of new members, guest speaker Gloria Bowman, director of curriculum, instruction and grant writing, addressed the audience.She talked about the four virtues and how they make a well-rounded person and then shared memories of the members from when they were growing up"Prepare for your future, believe in your dreams and hope for the best," Bowman said. "Read, read, read; keep a sense of humor, and most importantly, be yourself."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."Ability is what will get you to the top, but your character is what will keep you there," he said. "Always be thankful for your family and friends."Following the ceremony, a reception was held for family and friends.