Holbrook National Junior Honor Society inducts 19 new members

By: Joseph McLaughlin

5/13/2026

Caption: Holbrook's Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society standing with its 19 new inductees before the NJHS Induction Ceremony on May 6, 2026. Photo Credit: Barbara Davis.

Like the National Honor Society the week before, Holbrook’s Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society held its induction ceremony, welcoming 19 new inductees last week on May 6. Holbrook students in grades 6-8 were recognized for both their academic achievements and their contributions to the community in a similar way to the NHS. 

The new inductees were Tenley Bardon, Jeffrey Calley, Wesley Cartullo, Christopher Cavagnaro, Brielle Cepoudy, Dylan Collins, Jacob Cullity, Isabella Dimodugno, Aidan Du, Abigail Duggan, Mason Elliott, Emma Feeley, Shania Hicks, Rachelle Jean, Deidre Knight, Declan McLaughlin, Jasmine Mikhail, Mac Morrison, and Kaylen Yeager.

Each one recited the NJHS Candidate’s Pledge before walking across the stage to receive their certificate of membership. The pledge, like the NHS pledge, highlights the importance of maintaining high standards of scholarship, service, leadership, citizenship, and character while being loyal to the school and the principles for which it stands. Each pillar of the NJHS was emphasized in speeches by current chapter officers addressed to the audience in attendance. 

“Most people think that it’s just about grades and how you look on paper, but it’s not all about that,” said NJHS Treasurer Justin Nasrallh. “It’s about your personality and how you treat people and how kind you are and how compassionate you are.”

For new inductees, this achievement was exciting, marking their accomplishments as students and members of their communities. These students are young in age, but their hearts are mature, and they deeply care about helping others and improving their education.

“Honestly, it’s very nerve-wracking, very scary, but also very exciting,” said Brielle Cepoudy. Cepoudy, a seventh-grader, has never done something like this before but is excited to be a part of something new.

“It feels very exciting,” said Rachelle Jean. “I’m excited to meet new people and make some new friends. I’m really excited about helping at the JFK since I love helping out with little kids. That’s just my thing since I also work at my mom’s day care.”

These new inductees will bring their unique experiences and work ethic to the NJHS for the remainder of their middle school years, then either continue their service at another school or join the Holbrook NHS after their freshman year of high school. Outgoing freshman members of the NJHS were also honored for their contributions and recognized for their mission to join the NHS. 

“This opens up so many doorways for kids,” said NJHS Advisor Kelly Grant. “This prepares them for high school, they’re mentors for other students, they’re positive role models, and that’s ultimately what we want them to do as they go into high school.”

The NJHS is not just a prestigious organization to be a part of; it is a foundation for a child’s involvement in high school. Grant, also from a small town, has seen the positive impact the NJHS has on students and their involvement in the Holbrook community. She is also proud of the students’ level of discipline and self-expectations.

“They had to have over a 3.3 GPA, something the honor society voted for themselves to raise last year,” said Grant. It used to be a 3.0, so the kids took it upon themselves to have higher expectations, which I thought was pretty cool.”