Hispanic Honor Society welcomes 12 new members

New members of the Hispanic Honor Society were officially inducted in formal ceremony.
Twelve students from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) were inducted into the Hispanic Honor Society, also known as the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH), on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

New inducted members are: Olufunke Adeleye (’20) of Natchitoches; Destina Boupapanh (’19) of Broussard; Marinna Curtis (’20) of Quitman; Anna Cattar (’21) of Greenwell Springs; Noah Broussard (’19) of Abbeville; Sara Mixon (’20) of Lake Charles; Emery Haynes (’20) of Prairieville; Pasha Farley (’20) of Campti; Calissa Miller (’19) of Keatchie; Sofia Lavidalie (’20) of Gonzales; Zachary Schleter (’19) of Lake Charles; and Kylie Walker (’20) of Geismar, who now serves as the LSMSA chapter’s vice-president.

Returning members of the organization are: Juan Cecchini of Denham Springs, who currently serves as the LSMSA chapter’s president; Jordan Byrd of Denham Springs; Esther Seo of Bossier City; Marlies Carter of Madisonville; Ashlyn Beaty of Sulphur; Song LeJeune of Metairie; Avaion Ruth of Brusly; Diamond Wilson of Natchitoches; Chance Lester of Brusly; Jojo Deep of Natchitoches; Cooper Miller of Natchitoches; and Rachel Schnadelback of Hammond. All returning members are currently seniors at LSMSA.

The LSMSA chapter of the Society was created during the 2010-11 academic year. LSMSA’s chapter is Plus Ultra and the motto is “All Together.”

The inductees were initiated through a formal candle lighting ceremony, led by Cecchini and Walker. Each of the new members held a single candle, had them lit by organization leaders, stated the club’s pledge together, and then blew out the candles.

“Each candle symbolizes our course of life that, without burning, just exists but does not live,” said Dr. Maria Sanchez, LSMSA’s Senior Lecturer of Spanish and SHH sponsor. “The lighting of the candles reminds us that our lives can never be candles unburned. The flame of the candle symbolizes the inspiration toward high ideals. When they blow them out at the end of the ceremony, the students are reminded never to blow out the flame of their spirits.”

To be inducted into SHH, students must have been enrolled in a high school Spanish or Portuguese class for at least three semesters, be in grades 10 or above, and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 at the end of each academic year. Members must also have a clean disciplinary record and be active participants in club activities and meetings.

SHH is a subsect of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). The organization’s mission is to encourage interest in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian culture and studies and to also recognize student achievement in learning Spanish and/or Portuguese.

Students at LSMSA can learn a wide range of languages from French, Spanish and Latin to Chinese, Arabic, and German. For a look at the school’s language offerings, visit www.LSMSA.edu/languages.
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