The induction for National Social Studies Honor Society was held on Thursday, Oct. 10. The NSSHS inducted new members and welcomed back returning members.

Last year, NSSHS had 55 members and has grown to over 80 members with approximately 50 seniors and 30 juniors, this year.

The sponsor for the honor society this year is History and Social Studies teacher Steven Zaret. The officers are President Jude Nanaw, Vice President Izzudeen Yahia, Treasurer Casey Nguyen and Public Relations Officer Vinh On.

The ceremony began with an opening speech by Nanaw, followed by the pledge of allegiance.

It proceeded with three guest speakers (world traveler and founder of Larson & Partners LLC, Lisa Larson; Poe Middle School’s Social Studies teacher, Beau Fay; History and Social Studies teacher, Joel Jepson) who briefly spoke about the importance of history and being a member of the honor society.

After the speeches, the traditional address from Nanaw followed and each officer lit candles which represent an aspect of the Rho Kappa Honor Society. Then, Nanaw administered the oath to the inductees to officially make them members of the honor society.

The aim of the honor society is to build upon concepts that encompass social studies and recognizing students who have demonstrated excellence in the field of social studies.

“I decided to apply to the honors society because I’ve always had a preference for history,” said senior Jason Mercado, a new member. “I wanted to expand that and participate that in my community while connecting it back to history.”

Last year, most of the society’s activities were central to AHS. This year, the officers will try to branch out more in the community through more service opportunities. Additionally, members will tutor students in social studies, create posters of historical leaders correlating to each month of the year and have members involved in local campaigns.