Beta Club held an induction ceremony at 9 am Tuesday, May 21 in the OHS media center. One senior, 5 juniors, and 31 sophomores were inducted into the club. The new members received pins and bumper stickers. The ceremony lasted half an hour and there was a short reception afterwards. Emily Burgner, Angela Wimberly, and Indy Reid-Shaw spoke about Beta Club and success.
Burgner welcomed students and parents to the ceremony, then Wimberly, the guest speaker, talked about why students should try their best in school.
“You are in a pivotal position in your life... Life doesn’t just happen to us if we are paying attention,” she said. Wimberly is not involved in Beta Club, but she was chosen as a speaker for multiple reasons.
“[First,] I teach most of the students inducted into Beta Club at some point and some of the senior Beta Club members suggested me. Second, I am the 2012-2013 Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year.” She believes that Beta Club is important because “it recognizes outstanding effort and because it gives those outstanding students a chance to be a part of service projects. We hope that getting involved in serving others will continue throughout their lifetime.”
Reid-Shaw, a senior and the current Beta Club president, described Beta Club. “[Beta Club is] an academic society that students are invited to join by being in the top ten percent of their class GPA-wise.” She said that students should join Beta Club because “it’s pretty inspiring to be part of something this large.” Beta Club does volunteer work, which is important because “volunteer hours are critical for your resume and getting into college.” Reid-Shaw also said that Bill Clinton and Diane Sawyer were Beta Club members.
Madison Chandler and Haley Moser read the names of the inductees. Each new member walked to the front of the room and shook club adviser Tina Walker’s hand, then accepted their pin and bumper sticker. Once every member was recognized, the inductees read the Beta Club pledge.
Megan Joyner, a sophomore who was inducted at the ceremony, said that she was excited to join because it will “look good on my college application and [it is a] good achievement.”
Rachel Shinnick, another sophomore inductee, stated that “[becoming a member is a] really big honor and I’m excited to be a part of [Beta Club].”
Anastasia Zitko, a junior who joined Beta Club last year, said that Beta Club is “great. [You] go out in the community and help people.”
Walker said that Beta Club members are “academically motivated and they are the future leaders in our community and society.” She will not know Beta Club’s plans for the 2013-14 school year until the year begins. “We will make decisions about next year at the beginning of the school year. Sometimes we do the same activities as the previous year and sometimes we take on something new. It is completely up to the members as to what we participate in.”
She thought that the ceremony went well. “The speakers did a fabulous job. The only thing is I wish there were more parents that would have attended, but this is out of my control.”
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