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With the other officers on stage, Nandini Somarapu ’25 lights a candle to represent one of the values an NTHS member should embody. Somarapu and the other NTHS officers stayed onstage during the ceremony to congratulate each inductee.
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On stage, Jody Gaffney ’25 addresses the inductees. Each officer approached the podium to speak to the attending NTHS members.
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Walking across the stage, Chandrika Ghosh ’26 shakes Assistant Principal Bryan Branch’s hand. Each inductee shook Assistant Principal Branch’s hand as their name was called out.
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Seated, Arnav Maskey ’26 and other inductees recited a pledge to NTHS. The members were made to repeat after NTHS President Arjun Bhardwaj ’25 prior to the reception.
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With the NTHS officers and inductees in the audience, NTHS President Arjun Bhardwaj ’25 begins his speech. Bhardwaj gave speeches welcoming the inductees to the first ever NTHS induction ceremony.
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The school cafeteria buzzed with excitement as students, teachers, and families gathered for a first-of-its-kind event in over three years–the National Technical Honor Society’s (NTHS) inaugural induction ceremony. On Tuesday, Jan. 28, members from the past three years in NTHS got their moment to shine, walking across the stage to celebrate their achievements in Career and Technical Education (CTE). The night was filled with all the classic ceremonial touches:candle lightning, heartfelt speeches, and proud handshakes with Assistant Principal Mr. Bryan Branch.
This wasn’t any ordinary school event–it was a pivotal moment that students and officers had been waiting years for. While NTHS has been consistently active in the school community, they had never done a formal induction ceremony for their members before. The excitement was apparent as officers took turns at the podium and new members recited their pledge, following the lead of NTHS President Arjun Bhardwaj ‘25.
“This is our very first induction, so [it’s] a great opportunity for us,” Bhardwaj said. “This isn’t just an opportunity to make our club more known, but also just give these members what they deserve, because when our second and third year members actually first got in, they didn’t get the induction they deserved in those years.”
For many students, especially those who had been a part of NTHS for a while, the ceremony felt like the missing piece they’d been waiting for. As Co-Vice President Nandini Somarapu ‘25 lit candles representing NTHS values, followed by speeches delivered by the rest of the officers, the atmosphere was filled with accomplishment and celebration.
“[Being a part of NTHS] has been really fun,” Arnav Maskey ‘26 said. “The only thing we were missing out on was an induction ceremony and I was really happy that we were able to do it this year. I thought this whole experience really solidified NTHS as a real honor society because, although we did a lot of volunteering last year, it didn’t really feel as official. This was really a seal to make everything we do more official.”
Beyond the ceremonial aspects, this induction highlighted NTHS’s commitment to providing invaluable opportunities for its members. Throughout the year, members roll up their sleeves and get involved in all sorts of activities, from helping out at elementary school (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) STEAM nights to working on hands-on technical projects. For its members, it’s this mix of honor and community action that makes NTHS stand out.
“I think it was cool because it was like the first induction ceremony in the district,” Chandrika Ghosh ‘26 said. “ I think [NTHS] is great for volunteering opportunities and for technical experience — there’s a lot of internship opportunities that [are open] to you if you’re a part of [NTHS].”
![Industrious, Alyssa Santos '26 looks at her child's interests on the CC4C website. To make cards more personal, members were given information about their child's interests and hobbies. "[I really liked] getting to know the kids and realizing how similar like their hobbies and personalities are to me," Santos said.](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/alyssa_santos.png)
