National Honor Society Inducts 49 Members

The school community and families gathered for the annual ceremony, and the spirit-filled Church was a meaningful setting for installing the Officers for 2024-2025 and the Rite of Commissioning for the candidates. Under the leadership of their moderator, Mr. Joseph DeMerit, the soon-to-be newest members of the prestigious national Society entered the Church with beautiful organ processional music as they took their seats for the ceremony. With Fr. Bob, our pastor, and clergy members present, the ceremony opened with the invocation and welcome. Fr. Bob led with prayer and the blessing of the awards, followed by opening remarks by Principal Gerard J. Buckley. The officers were then called to the altar to speak on each principle of scholarship, character, service, and leadership, and then they proceeded to light their respective candles.

What has become customary over the past several years is that St. Mary’s invites an alum to return to deliver the keynote address. Caleb Braswell, Class of 2019, was selected this year to share his thoughts and words of wisdom with the students. Mr. Braswell delivered heartfelt emotional remarks as he reflected upon his time as a student. He had specific examples of the four pillars of the National Honor Society to impart to those gathered that evening, which spoke volumes about his determination and perseverance. “My junior year of high school was by far my most challenging. Right after the New Year, I got picked up after a basketball game and learned we’d been evicted from our home. Even in the position of moving from motel to motel, I still had to apply and visit colleges. Through it all, I graduated from Loyola University Maryland, and I’m now sitting at the Senior Commodities Desk at Bloomberg L.P., but this was all due to my character. Character is the moral compass that guides your actions and decisions. It is the quiet strength that enables you to stand firm in your beliefs, even when faced with challenges.” 

He concluded his remarks by calling upon the candidates, saying, “Let us celebrate not just the achievements represented here today, but the commitment to living a life that embodies scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These pillars will guide you, inspire you, and equip you to make a meaningful difference in the world.”

The ceremony continued with the inductees facing the congregation during the Rite of Commissioning. With family and faculty present as witnesses, they recited the pledge affirming their commitment to always seek the truth in learning and life, to advance in scholarship and service, to lead in all things that promote the welfare and values of St. Mary’s, and to uphold the high purpose of the Society, striving by word and deed to make its ideals their own in school and their lives.

We are blessed to have witnessed the growth and leadership of these young individuals who have reached this significant step in their high school journey. We look forward to observing their continued efforts to live by the Gospel message in all they do. May God’s blessings be upon all of you!