Tyrone’s National Honor Society has been very active this year in support of various events to contribute to their community.

Under the direction of NHS Advisor Amanda Burega, in just the first semester of the 2022-23 school year the NHS has hosted an activity room for the YAN Halloween Event, donated Thanksgiving food items to the Armory, and helped to serve the annual community Thanksgiving dinner, sorted and wrapped gifts for Toys for Tots, and put on a holiday event of their own for local children.

“The students are doing a great job this year. We have had much more involvement this year than we have in the past. Students are required to have 15 hours of community service a year to be in NHS and we already have many students who are well over that,” said Burega.

At the YAN Halloween Event, NHS members helped to make Halloween safe and fun for local children by hosting an activity. NHS had a fun glow-in-the-dark theme with orange spooky lights and decorations where the kids could play a game of Halloween-themed jumbo bowling.

The next major event for NHS members was the annual community Thanksgiving dinner hosted at the Tyrone Armory. NHS members supported the dinner by donating canned goods and other food items. Members also attended the community dinner to help serve food to the guests.

Over the holiday season, many NHS students also volunteered their time to sort and wrap gifts for the local chapter of the Toys-for-Tots program.

NHS members Hailey Vanish, Emma Reese, Lydia Seltzer, Sarah Butina, JoDee Mills, Mackenzie Ritter, Jaden Williams, Mikenzie Weaver, Reagan Irons, Marina Beck, Noah Newlin, Patricia Pluebell, Kenneth Sorokie, Hayley Morrissey, Madison Whitby, Rebekah Sprankle, Makenzie Soellner, Elizabeth Fryer, Emma Witkamp, Maia Kubarek, Lauren Fleck, Ethan Cooley, Emily McDonald, Katelyn Adams, Summer Shaw, Rebecca Lewis, MacKenzie Hyde, Ashlynn McKinney, Alysa Wheland, Hailey Fisher, Jake Isenberg all left school to count, wrap, and separate toys.

“It is so nice to be able to know that we were giving back to the community and helping those in need. [At Toys for Tots] we got to count toys and separate them, and it was fun to see all the cool toys we played with as kids. I loved it,” said NHS member Kenzie Soellner.

The most ambitious event of the first semester was the first-ever NHS holiday event. This event was organized by NHS advisor Amanda Burega and attended by all members of NHS.

Being the first year for the event, the organizers were not sure how many students would attend, but according to Burega attendance was at least 75 to 100 students.

“It was great to see the families of the community gather to celebrate the holiday season. Hearing the children’s laughter and seeing all the smiles on their faces made the event worthwhile,” said Burega.

At the event, students could visit nine different holiday-themed stations run by members of the NHS.

The stations included a snowman ball toss game, Christmas card making, an antler ring toss game, ornament making, stocking decorating, pictures with Santa, a Christmas coloring contest, a making Santa’s beard game, and a hot chocolate station. NHS member and Eagle Eye Editor-in-Chief McKenzie Hyde took free portraits of the children with Santa.

The NHS also held a basket raffle at the end of the night, with Santa picking the winners.

The National Honor Society has made a huge impact in only half a school year. NHS is currently selling carnations for Valentine’s Day and hopes to do a field trip to the Flight 93 Memorial in the spring as well as more volunteer activities to contribute to the community.