Middle School Hosts NJHS Induction Ceremony

May 2021

Celebrating thirty-five years, the Sayville Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society held its annual induction ceremony on May 20, 2021 for sixty Sayville Middle School students.

Prior to welcoming the students to the stage, Middle School Principal Dr. Joseph Castoro addressed the parents in the audience. “Thank you all for your support this year...and more importantly, for the gift of working with your children. They are fantastic, wonderful young men and women, and we are excited to watch them grow.” Once the students had joined the assembly, Dr. Castoro asked the students “not to forget the hard work, they had put in” to earn this accolade and encouraged them “to always stay focused, remain driven, remain humble, and most of all, continue to treat others the way you want them to treat you.”

NJHS Advisor Mrs. Dawn Lloyd-Matthews welcomed the inductees to the evening ceremony, remarking that this “is a prestigious honor which is evidence of the hard work each of you have displayed.” Echoing Dr. Castoro’s sentiments, Mrs. Lloyd-Matthews recognized the families, especially congratulating the parents “for their hard work in supporting their children to reach this milestone.”

To achieve NJHS membership in an organization that recognizes exceptional middle-level students, each inductee must have successfully demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character throughout their Middle School years. In addition to demonstrating these exemplary qualities, each student had to maintain an average of 95 or above for four quarters and was required to submit a letter of application.

This year, Middle School faculty provided descriptions of the five attributes scholarship (Mrs. Dawn Lloyd–Matthews), service (Mrs. Lindsey Loscalzo), leadership (Mrs. Kristin Chirichella), character (Mrs. Tracy Toth), and citizenship (Mrs. Tracy Toth), while Mrs. Lloyd–Matthews lit the corresponding (electric) candle.

During the induction, Mrs. Janice Shuster called the students forward in alphabetical order. One by one, the students picked up their award certificates, paused for photos, and received congratulatory elbow-bumps from Dr. Castoro.

Once the certificates were awarded, Assistant Principal Mr. Brian Decker led the inductees in the NJHS Pledge.

Closing the ceremony with parting words, Dr. Castoro expressed his confidence that the Middle School would be able to count on the inductees to be “examples by your words and your actions to help us make our school a better place for all who attend.” Congratulations to the following students (see Program attached).