The Mount Ararat National Honor Society has been very active in the community over the past few months. Under the direction of chapter advisor Rob Messier, President Megan Reed and Vice President Fern Beede, the group has completed a number of service projects to better the community.
Members of the National Honor Society are expected to uphold the four pillars that the organization is built on — scholarship, leadership, service and character. Members who demonstrate these qualities are hardworking, focused on bettering the community, intent on doing what is right, and dedicated to helping others. The four pillars culminate in an organization that manages to improve our community and generally make the world a better place.
Over the first weekend of December, the National Honor Society held a blood drive at the new high school with the help of the Red Cross. Its success is a testament to the dedicated students who are a part of this organization. By collaborating with the student body, members of the community, and the Red Cross, they were able to donate 58 pints of blood — enough to save up to 170 lives.
The next project that the National Honor Society launched was the December sock drive for homeless shelters in the area. The National Honor Society held a sock drive in 2020 and was able to donate 261 pairs of warm socks to Tedford Housing in Brunswick. Socks are one of the most-desired and least-donated items, so this sock drive will be very beneficial to the less fortunate people in our community.
In 2020, Mount Ararat was unable to partake in the yearly tradition of the winter pep rally and the “Twas the Night Before Winter Break One” annual skit. This year, the National Honor Society made this tradition a priority. They planned an enjoyable spirit week, including dress-up days and a video version of the annual skit. Bringing up the morale of students is imperative as the school year moves along and winter really sets in. Despite the restrictions that have been placed on spirit activities, such as pep rallies and schoolwide activities, the National Honor Society has been set on making school as enjoyable and interactive as possible.
Our chapter of the National Honor Society here at Mount Ararat is special and truly dedicated to making our school and community a better place.
Lucy Nelson is a Harpswell native and a senior at Mount Ararat High School. She dances at Maine State Ballet and is involved in Student Senate and National Honor Society at Mount Ararat.
