The Chapter Impact Award recognizes NEHS chapters for their exceptional literacy initiatives. Through this award, NEHS celebrates the passion and creativity of NEHS student members who are driving meaningful change in their communities through literacy-focused service projects.
As advocates for community involvement and empathy, NEHS encourages chapters to highlight projects that enhance literacy skills, deepen understanding, and build lasting community bonds. Whether large or small, local or global, every project is valued for the positive impact it makes on the lives it touches.
Read on to find out more about our amazing 2025 Chapter Impact Award winners!
Bear Creek High School, CO
With support from advisors Ms. Shala Fjetland, Ms. Karyn Becker, and Ms. Brook Williams, BCHS Literati’s leadership team hosted their first-ever community book talk on January 31, 2025, featuring Irene Hyun-Mee Kim, author of Korea Reunited: A Family’s Lifelong Dream. The event attracted over 100 attendees—including students, families, the author’s friends, and a local book club—to explore themes of cultural identity, lost history, and familial love. The planning process itself was a valuable learning experience for the NEHS students, who began organizing months earlier, coordinating event logistics, and even preparing decorations and treats.
On the day of the event, BCHS Literati leaders launched an NEHS Social Media Takeover to livestream the talk, while Ms. Kim engaged the audience with stories of her writing process and Korean history. Students expressed their appreciation: “It was meaningful when we talked about shared experiences surrounding books,” said Allie. Ben added, “My mom and I both thought the book talk was an amazing opportunity for learning through a heartfelt family story.” Esthela noted, “She was sharing an untold and overlooked point of view, and the audience engagement was really nice because it opened discussion with peers to further understand the importance of her book’s themes.” The event successfully united the broader Lakewood community around the power of storytelling and shared history.
Ares Nguyen is a dedicated student who currently attends Bear Creek High School, located on the outskirts of the Denver Metro Area, Colorado. She values education and her community, reflected by her educational excellence and participation in societies: HOSA, NHS, and NEHS. She’s anticipating attending Colorado School of Mines for her degree in bioengineering, aspiring to attend medical school after. While she has an affinity for the sciences, she also has great appreciation for the humanities: working with philanthropic organizations and having passion for 3D art. Her strongest characteristics are her leadership skills, represented by many roles: Co-VP of relations for HOSA, President of NEHS, and a group manager for a project at Gary Community Ventures. She’s led many people, and efficiently organized and presented projects and major events.
Jaeden Araya is a senior at Bear Creek High School, located in Lakewood, CO. Jaeden is a member of many philanthropic organizations offered at Bear Creek, including Key Club and National Honor Society chapters. Additionally, he frequently volunteers for the Colorado based, hands-on learning experience, Outdoor Lab, where he travels on a school trip, as he teaches and guides middle schoolers through the nature-learning program. Furthermore, Jaeden is the Vice-President of Bear Creek’s National English Honor Society and works with the President to plan and coordinate meetings and events. Outside of school, Jaeden’s hobbies include reading, drawing, and going on various adventures with his friends, such as road trips and hikes. In the future, Jaeden plans to attend the University of Colorado Boulder to major in English and eventually become either an editor or teacher.
St. Andrew’s School, Turi, Kenya
On February 8, 2025, the Rising Phoenix chapter of St. Andrew’s Turi proudly hosted an interactive English workshop bringing together students in Years 7 and 8 (US grade 6 and 7) with underprivileged children from the Turi Children’s Project. The workshop aimed to foster collaboration between the school and its partners while giving NEHS scholars the opportunity to teach basic English in a supportive, hands-on environment. Twelve NEHS scholars helped create a nurturing space where students explored various English forms including literature, poetry, and drama, enhancing their learning beyond the classroom.
The workshop featured icebreaker games, creative writing exercises, and a group project where students wrote and performed a short screenplay entitled “The Boy They Never Understood.” Despite some language barriers, Turi students supported the underprivileged children, who gained confidence and new skills. Certificates were awarded to the best writers, performances, and participation, and books and stationery were gifted to the TCP children to support their education. Participants shared their enthusiasm: Abigail said, “I think this event is fantastic at bringing people together and making you a better writer,” Baraka shared, “I’ll be a step ahead of people in class,” and TCP child Blessing expressed heartfelt gratitude: “Thank you for teaching me how to write in English; I never really knew how to.” The Rising Phoenix Chapter is deeply grateful to NEHS for making this impactful initiative possible and looks forward to continuing it.
Esther Amani is a dedicated Year 13 student who joined NEHS in the 2023-2024 academic year when it was first introduced at St. Andrew’s, Turi. She is passionate about reading and writing, especially narrative writing. Her inspiration is mainly drawn from nature and art, which she believes are her muses in most of her writing. While she is a dedicated mathematician and physicist, English will always have a spot in her heart. Her enthusiasm for English is evident in her intriguing short stories and her inspiring leadership of the Rising Phoenix Chapter as Chairperson. While this is her last year in St. Andrew’s Turi, she hopes to continue diversifying herself by exploring film and poetry moving forward.
Jonathan Ahumuza is a talented writer in Year 12, who is not only a member of the Rising Phoenix Chapter and its sister program, our school’s magazine (The Turi Times), but is also the manager of our school’s NEHS blog, the Rising Phoenix, which showcases various talented works from all around the school. His favorite novel is Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, and he hopes to utilize his talents in blog management and magazine editing to challenge himself and progress his knowledge and understanding of the English language. He is passionate about creating awareness of the various language barriers that are still present in the Kenyan community, and hopes to take on leadership roles in the next academic year to achieve his goal. He hopes that he can make a significant impact not only St. Andrew’s, Turi, but also the underprivileged community surrounding it.
PrepaTec Sonora Norte, Mexico
To close out their year, 26 members of the National English Honor Society hosted a joyful and imaginative literature event at Escuela Primaria Elpidio González Dávila, working with nearly 100 children from first through sixth grade. More than just teaching English, the NEHS chapter aimed to spark a love for storytelling and show children the magic and meaning found in books. Activities were tailored to age groups: Storytelling for 1st and 2nd graders, Puppet Play for 3rd and 4th, and Story Hunt for 5th and 6th. Each activity blended creativity, interaction, and literary concepts in playful, engaging ways.
The youngest students helped Bomboncito, the marshmallow mascot, find his backpack, learning story structure through interactive performance. In Puppet Play, students crafted sock puppets and created original scenes, developing characters and simple plots. Older students raced to complete the Story Hunt, piecing together story segments and answering comprehension questions to win prizes. Healthy snacks and a break helped build connection between the NEHS members and the children. Reflecting on the day, students realized that literature becomes most powerful when it’s joyful and accessible: “Books open doors to imagination and discovery,” one member said. The experience left a lasting impact, and the chapter hopes to return and continue sharing the love of reading.
Lana Salamé was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, to Lebanese parents. Her multicultural heritage includes two older brothers born in Canada. She studied from preschool through middle school at Colegio Bilingüe Nueva Galicia. Currently, Lana is in her fourth semester of high school at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Sonora Norte. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and Arabic and is passionate about literature, art, and dance. She serves as President of the National English Honor Society.
Jose Marti STEM Academy, NJ
This year, our NEHS chapter proudly organized Poetry Out Loud, a school-wide celebration of artistic expression through poetry recitation. Students from grades 9 to 12 participated by selecting, memorizing, and reciting poems—first in their English classrooms, and then, for class finalists, onstage at the school-wide competition. Through this process, students strengthened their memorization and public speaking skills while deepening their appreciation for poetry and literature. Finalists memorized and performed two poems before a live audience and a panel of judges, transforming what began as a nerve-wracking assignment into a powerful and personal experience.
NEHS members were instrumental in every phase of the event, supporting participants with feedback during rehearsals and taking on key roles during the final showcase as emcees, photographers, scorekeepers, and more. The event fostered a deeply positive atmosphere, with students feeling empowered to share meaningful poems and connect with literature in new ways. One finalist reflected, “I didn’t think I’d enjoy memorizing a poem . . . but the more I read and practiced . . . I felt like I really connected with it.” An English teacher added, “It was so rewarding to see students engage so much with literature. . . . It warms my heart.” More than a competition, Poetry Out Loud became a celebration of voice, creativity, and shared love for poetry—an event that inspired lasting pride and connection across our literary community.
Vivian Acosta is the Vice President of the Jose Marti STEM Academy NEHS chapter in Union City, NJ. She is currently a senior who is looking forward to beginning university in the fall and studying mechanical engineering. A natural problem-solver with a love for designing and creating, Vivian often finds herself putting together Lego sets or helping fix things around the house. She’s also dabbled in everything from being a tutor to conducting scientific research at a local university to writing for her school’s newspaper. When she’s not cramming for AP Lit or AP Physics, you can most likely find her listening to Radiohead or Nirvana, drafting a story, sketching, or conquering the daily Wordle or Spelling Bee.
National English Honor Society
The National English Honor Society (NEHS), founded and sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, is the only international organization exclusively for secondary students and faculty who, in the field of English, merit special note for past and current accomplishments. Individual secondary schools are invited to petition for a local chapter, through which individuals may be inducted into Society membership. Immediate benefits of affiliation include academic recognition, scholarship and award eligibility, and opportunities for networking with others who share enthusiasm for, and accomplishment in, the language arts.
America’s first honor society was founded in 1776, but high school students didn’t have access to such organizations for another 150 years. Since then, high school honor societies have been developed in leadership, drama, journalism, French, Spanish, mathematics, the sciences, and in various other fields, but not in English. In 2005, National English Honor Society launched and has been growing steadily since, becoming one of the largest academic societies for secondary schools.
As Joyce Carol Oates writes, “This is the time for which we have been waiting.” Or perhaps it was Shakespeare: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer . . .” we celebrate English studies through NEHS.
National English Honor Society accepts submissions to our blog, NEHS Museletter, from all membership categories (students, Advisors, and alumni). If you are interested in submitting a blog, please read the Suggested Guidelines on our website. Email any questions and all submissions to: submit@nehsmuseletter.us.
