Leadership with Heart: NHS inductees receive their commission

Forty top scholars in the junior class pledged their devotion to service, character, leadership, and scholarship on Thursday evening, October 6 in the annual induction ceremony of the Monsignor Donahue Chapter of the National Honor Society.

Photo credit: Mrs. Ellen Eberly

Advisor Mr. Andrew Malionek and NHS President Josh Boyd '09 emceed the ceremony. They recognized both the juniors and seniors who have maintained an 88.5 cumulative grade point average and shown a dedication to those four pillars of the NHS over their high school careers.

"Self respect and the respect for others is what builds our character, and we must always stay true to what these pillars mean," said Boyd to his classmates.

Vice president Nahed Lakkis '09 gave his advice to the juniors before calling forth the inductees. "Leadership is not just in position but it is also in action," he said.

CM president Paul E. Sheff '62 spoke of the community of scholarship that came and went at Brook Farm, just up Baker Street, in the 1940s, and encouraged these young men to continue that spirited tradition of open-mindedness and creativity. "This evening we celebrate the part of you that is the thinker," Sheff said. "Combine the mind with how that talent might benefit others. Share what you know and let it enrich the lives of others."

Guest speaker of the evening Mr. Tom Beatty '68 drew a rousing applause as he honored his friend Tim Russert and his colleague Mr. Joe Perfetti as two models of that wisdom benefiting others. "As good a teacher as Mr. Perfetti is I would say that he is even a better person," Beatty said of the soon-to-retire Perfetti. "In 35 years, I cannot remember a negative thing that anyone had to say about Mr. Perfetti. Of course that doesn’t count the comments by some of his students after they leave one of his tests."

"Mr. Perfetti always puts his students first," Beatty said. "The number of students whose lives he has touched would be difficult to calculate on a TI-84."

Inducted on November 6 were the following juniors: Ben Alves, Eric Anderson, Chris Bastarache, Brian Besinger, Thomas Bryan, Eric Butts, Gordon Coleran, Sean Conley, John Cooper, Nicholas Coppola, Thomas Coughlin, John dePierro, Sean Donaghy, William Donovan, Michael Embleton, Gjergji Evangjeli, David Falco, Andrew Fanikos, Alejandro Flores, Daniel Haley, Andrew Jagelski, Brad Jones, Jinhoung Kim, Jonathan Lott, Brendan MacNabb, Kyle Macneil, Nima Masomi, Christopher Masterson, Timothy McLaughlin, Michael Murphy, Byron Okwesili, Dan O'Loughlin, Sungeun Park, Patrick Simas, Shane Smith, Troy Starrett, Todd Taylor, Shane Walsh, Dennis Weir, and Michael Woodall.