First Class of National Honor Society Members Inducted in Raiderland Chapter

By Leslie Cranford, Media Relations Coordinator

January 24, 2019

Some came in person from places around Texas. Others, from the corners of the globe, attended online, all with one goal – to become Texas Tech High School's first cohort of National Honor Society inductees.

On a breezy January afternoon in Lubbock, 13 students became the inaugural group of high schoolers to join the newly minted organization.

Texas students who traveled to Lubbock for the ceremony included Jake Baca, senior, Vega; Rachel Dishongh, junior, Humble; Ethan Elliott, senior, Frisco; Rachel Koerner, junior, Friendswood; and Anil Shanker, junior, The Woodlands.

Virtual inductees include Jacob Brothers, senior, San Antonio; Gabrielle Dytz, junior, and Flávia Figuerêdo, sophomore, both of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Adenah Furquan, junior, Karachi, Pakistan; Melissa Marcus, senior, Jamundi, Colombia; Clayton Mayo, junior, Stephenville, Texas; Madison McWilliams, junior, Austin; and Talia Witherel, senior, Houston.

“I'm really glad that Texas Tech High School was able to offer NHS before I graduated,” said senior Jake Baca. “I think it will look good on my college applications. It also makes me feel part of the Texas Tech community instead of just one person doing school work in front of the computer.”

Jake's mom, Julia, says she was tickled to see that he had been rewarded for his hard work and self-determination.

“NHS is just another awesome benefit of the TTU K-12 program. We have loved it from day one and recommend it to anyone considering alternative education,” Julia said. “We have also bragged to everyone how nice the ceremony was and how much we enjoyed meeting and visiting with the staff and other families.”

Michael San Francisco, dean of the Honors College at Texas Tech University, was the guest speaker, addressing topics such as study abroad opportunities, undergraduate research and community involvement.

“Congratulations on your NHS status, a testimony to you, your work, your academics, scholarship; but not only that, also your service, leadership and other qualities,” San Francisco said. “You all are our future, and in you is our trust. To leave the future in your hands, we have to insure you intellectual excursions, introspection, but also finding solutions for the future.”

Melanie Hart, vice provost for Texas Tech eLearning & Academic Partnerships, said it's always important to recognize quality.

“That's what NHS does, and what we're doing here, honoring the highest quality of students we have,” she said. “It is incredible for TTU K-12 to have been approved for this chapter. It's quite a feather in our cap, because now we have a way to be able to not only say that we have excellent students, but to recognize them officially.”

TTU K-12 Superintendent Jim Taliaferro added that having students in National Honor Society is something recognized by students and educators across the country.

“It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to really emphasize what our kids do in class and to honor them in a way that everyone understands. Congratulations to these outstanding students.”

The Raiderland Chapter faculty council includes co-advisors Brenda Shupe and Veronica Stringer; Christie Eaker, Lisa Stone, Tracy Clanton-Smith and Terry Knight. Texas Tech High School principal is Cari Moye.