On Tuesday, October 11, the Freda Quayle chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 57 exceptional Oxford High students.

NHS members must uphold the organization’s four core beliefs: scholarship, service, leadership and character. They must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.5 and be either a junior or senior.

Oxford High Principal Todd Dunkley served as the night’s guest speaker, urging NHS inductees to find their “true north” and decide who they want to be in life.

Dunkley told students they could find examples of what not to do by simply gazing at the world around them and in the U.S. presidential candidates.

“(You’ve seen) adults in positions of leadership (become) corrupt, selfish, childish, criminal… you’ve seen what power does to people. (You’ve seen) a world that confuses you and probably causes some disillusionment and then you see where individuals on Earth are challenged with where they’re at, who they are, and what they’re going to do,” said Dunkley.

He then challenged the students to rise above these examples of corruption, and advised them to be prepared to face criticism along the way.

“A compass can only point you in a direction, it can’t take you there. And that, my friends, is the dividing factor for every individual for making the right choice all throughout history. And it certainly is the defining element between a leader (and a follower),”

Despite the challenges leadership may carry, Dunkley assured the students they would never be alone in their journeys.

“Crowds are very dynamically powerful. Positive and negative. They can do good, they can do bad. I challenge you to make the next step you do finding your true north… find your true north and stay the course. It’s cold this time of year when you go north. Not everyone’s made for a trip of that temperature. You are. From leader to leader, I’m going to put on my coat and we’re going on that trip together,” Dunkley concluded.

NHS President Jacinta Hogan also noted some of the group’s accomplishments since last year, which included a collective 2,000 hours of community service and providing countless hours of service to county parks.

Last year, the NHS worked as a chapter to pack over 80 boxes of Christmas gifts to send overseas to impoverished children. The group donated hundreds of toys to Beaumont Royal Oak’s pediatric center during the holidays and also manned the spring clean-up event Oxford Gives Back.

Each NHS member also took time out of their schedule to tutor a fellow student who needed it.

The induction ceremony was concluded with a candle lighting ceremony, during which NHS executive board members lit five candles. The middle candle signified the torch of NHS, while the others signified the four pillars of NHS.