The Best of The Best

Every year, Nutley High School rewards their students with high quality academic performances. In a program called the National Honor Society, the students work with each other and their designated advisors to prepare for a ceremony that occurs every spring. The National Honor Society is run by NHS English Teachers Michael Gurrieri and Cheryl Rossillo. As students work hard these four years, they are inducted into the National Honor Society for maintaining a 3.7 GPA, giving back to the community, and being role models for other students.

The National Honor Society is full of seniors that were inducted into the club during the spring of their junior year. In the spring of the current school year, a new group of juniors will be asked to be a part of it. Students that have enough community service time, maintain above a weighted 3.7 GPA, and show good character traits will be asked to become part of the society. Before spring arrives, the seniors that were inducted the year before work together to run fundraisers, open up to new opportunities, and participate in community service. Advisor Cheryl Rossillo says, “It is a national organization that kind of honors students that have good grades, are good characters, and are sort of  model students for others. It has been around for a really long time and Nutley has always been a part of it.” 

As the staff work alongside the head advisors, they work to make sure the candidate is one of the best choices to join the club. Around 60 students are in it each year. As the current seniors leave to move onto bigger and better things, the upcoming participants learn from them, as they will eventually be in charge. In May, a ceremony is performed to honor the students. The same traditions are executed each year. “They sign a book, repeat an oath and get an official membership pin,” says Rossillo. Parents, friends, and family are asked to join to support the candidate as they are rewarded for all the hard work they do throughout their years in Nutley. 

From the beginning of the year until around the time of the ceremony, National Honor Society meets about once a month. With just the help of advisors, the club is majorly student run. Officers are chosen towards the end of their junior year, and during their senior year, they take charge of the meetings and organizing everything that needs to be done. 

The goal for the National Honor Society is to award the students who have contributed so much during their high school careers. As new students come in, things will change but the old traditions will stay.