The National Honor Society has existed at Oviedo High School for decades, but this year, it’s under new management. Katheryne Siudmak and Kathryn Kammeraad are in their first years as co-sponsors of the NHS and they have plans to elevate students’ roles within the program beyond just participation. “Our focus is to put as much responsibility onto the students as possible,” Kammeraad asserted, “This is their organization, it’s their leadership.”

Leadership appears chief amongst the institution’s four pillars alongside Scholarship, Character, and Service. Since its creation in 1921, the NHS has worked to empower high school students to lead positive change in their communities. With this in mind, Oviedo’s local chapter has chosen to focus on creating more leadership opportunities than ever before. In the past, members have certainly participated in the chapter’s outreach events, but Siudmak and Kammeraad are trying to create a more hands-on environment that gives members a chance to get more experience in leadership roles.  

The first of these opportunities came early this school year, in September. The NHS saw its 2024-25  induction on Thursday, September 19, and the co-sponsors could not be more proud. “We really embodied the idea of outreach and service,” Kammeraad praised. “It went very smoothly. I thought they did a really great job,” Suidmak added. Rather notably, this year’s ceremony was one of the first that had been student-run and planned. Returners were able to give back in the form of desserts and drinks to welcome the new members, who were also eager to make contributions of their own. According to Kammeraad, this induction ceremony also saw the largest parent turnout in the chapter’s history, just another testament to the event’s success. The duo have high expectations for the rest of the year. 

This is just the first of the events that students will get a chance to organize. Others scheduled for this year include volunteering at a food pantry and a trip to an elderly living community where members will play board games with residents. The NHS also has plans to walk in the Homecoming parade for the first time. These activities align with another of Siudmak and Kammeraad’s intentions to build a greater sense of community within the chapter. Kammeraad explained, “We’re going to try to have more of those events where the NHS members feel like they’re part of the NHS community,”. This ideal feels especially appropriate given Oviedo’s ‘24-25 theme of Belonging. Luckily, members of the NHS have a lot to say in favor of the club.

When asked about their opinion of NHS’s service opportunities, senior Brooke Friedman said, “For someone who’s looking for Bright Future [service hours], yes, it is definitely a good place because it offers a lot of opportunities that you may not have known about otherwise.” 

Junior Elise Elwell echoed these sentiments, and advised any students who are thinking about joining, “You just have to make an effort to go to the events and find stuff that you can volunteer at. But overall, it’s a really great experience.” 

Friedman shared further, “I think [National Honor Society] looks good on college applications, just the fact that you’re working with your community, your school. And it shows that you have good time management because you can do the volunteer events along with your preexisting school work.”

Clearly, Oviedo’s NHS chapter is something special. Between Siudmak and Kammeraad’s guidance and the members’ efforts, this year is sure to be one of the best yet.