Honor Is Something You Live

Students from Colby, Brewster and Golden Plains high schools are being recognized for commitments to the National Honor Society ideals of scholarship, service, leadership and character.

Music filled the Colby High School Auditorium as students, families, educators and community members gathered Aug. 31 for the induction of 19 new members into the Colby chapter of the National Honor Society.

Pianist Alia Mader opened the ceremony with Yiruma’s “River Flows in You” and Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” Later, flutist Heidi Gray, accompanied by Jo Kraus, performed Fernando Sor’s “Andantino.”

The evening’s music established a reflective tone for a ceremony centered on achievement—and on the responsibilities that accompany it.

NHS co-advisers Trish Starbuck and Shelly Myers welcomed those in attendance and explained the chapter’s selection process. Each eligible candidate submitted an application documenting examples of service and leadership, provided two letters of recommendation and received input from CHS faculty and staff. A faculty council then reviewed the submitted materials and selected the new members.

The Colby chapter requires members to maintain a 3.75 grade-point average, a standard ceremony participants described as among the highest in Kansas.

While academic achievement opens the door to consideration, membership represents a broader commitment. The National Honor Society, founded in 1921, is built upon four pillars: scholarship, service, leadership and character.

The chapter already puts those ideals into practice through recycling efforts, connections with younger students in the district and its annual high school blood drive.

New USD 315 Superintendent Dr. Kevin Warner delivered the keynote address, combining humor about his bright orange wardrobe with a challenge for students to think carefully about what it means to be honored.

Warner, himself an NHS inductee in 1994, said he could no longer remember what he wore to his ceremony or everything that was said that evening. He did remember, however, that being selected meant something to him.

More than three decades later, he said he understands the word “honor” differently.

“Honor is a sign of respect, not a sign of ranking,” Warner told the students.

Membership in NHS, he said, does not place students above their classmates. Instead, it indicates that their choices have earned the respect and trust of others—and that trust brings responsibility.

Warner then considered each of the organization’s four pillars.

Scholarship, he said, requires more than earning high grades. It means remaining curious, asking questions and being willing to admit there is more to learn. He encouraged students not to become so accustomed to being correct that they grow afraid of making mistakes.

Service begins with a simple question: “What can I do for someone else?” Warner said. It may take the form of a major project, but it can also mean helping a younger student, sitting beside someone who is alone or volunteering when no one is present to take a photograph.

Leadership is not a title or permission to tell others what to do, he said. The strongest leaders listen, notice what needs to be done, accept responsibility when things go wrong and give credit to others when things go well.

“Sometimes leadership means standing in front of people,” Warner said. “But very often, leadership means standing beside someone.”

Character, he said, is the foundation supporting the other three pillars. Recalling a lesson from one of his own teachers and coaches, Warner defined character as “what you do when no one is looking.”

Without character, he said, scholarship can become arrogance, leadership can become power and service can become self-promotion. Grounded in character, however, those qualities become honor.

The students join 23 senior members already serving in the Colby chapter. The chapter’s officers help coordinate service, attendance, school connections and community outreach throughout the year.

The ceremony was organized and led by co-advisers Trish Starbuck and Shelly Myers, with Dr. Kevin Warner serving as keynote speaker. Musical contributors included pianist Alia Mader, flutist and NHS member Heidi Gray, and accompanist Jo Kraus.

After receiving their membership certificates, the new inductees gathered at the front of the auditorium for photographs and congratulations from family members, friends and teachers. A reception followed in the High School Commons.

The applause marked the end of the ceremony, but Warner reminded the students that their induction represented a beginning: a year—and a lifetime—in which scholarship, service, leadership and character must be lived beyond the stage and after the audience has gone home.