This past Friday, September 5, Hernando’s Rho Kappa inducted its largest group of new members yet.
Rho Kappa, a National Social Studies Honor Society, first came to Hernando High School eight years ago as the first chapter in Desoto County. Now, it is one of 11 chapters within the state of Mississippi. It was, and still is, sponsored by Margaret Hicks, one of Hernando’s social studies teachers. Currently, Jayme Vinson serves as a sponsor alongside Hicks.
Friday’s ceremony, led by Hicks and Vinson, introduced 21 new members into the already 70-member program. This makes the honor society the largest it has ever been, with the greatest number of new members accepted into the society.
During the ceremony, inductees witnessed a candle lighting where each candle symbolized a characteristic of Rho Kappa. They then recited the Rho Kappa oath, again emphasizing the society’s characteristics by promising to “serve others, search for truth, utilize knowledge, and seek wisdom through the pursuit of academic excellence in Social Studies.” Following this, each new member was announced and received a certificate for their achievement.
For students, getting into Rho Kappa is a testament to their hard work in their social studies classes.
To be considered as a potential new member, students must complete at least three social studies classes with a B or higher and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Hicks takes the process of finding new members seriously.
“Coach Vinson and I have to organize all of the inductees after we’ve gone through the process of checking everyone’s GPA who’s applied, checking their social studies classes, checking disciplinary records,” Hicks said.
Both sponsors strive to ensure that the members of Rho Kappa are the best representation of our school they can be.
After being inducted, members must maintain a 3.0 GPA, continue to excel in social studies classes, and provide at least 10 hours of community service for the school year. Community service is how Rho Kappa gives back to the environment that raised them in academic excellence.
Some popular service projects within the society are working for the Southern Lights during Christmas, making “History of the Year” posts to inform fellow students about past events, and selling drinks during lunches to students and teachers.
Something special about this honor society is the fundraising done by the program.
“My favorite part of sponsoring Rho Kappa is that in Rho Kappa, we try to fundraise for everything so that no member of Rho Kappa ever gets excluded from anything,” Hicks said.
With this, the club’s field trips cost members nothing, seniors do not have to pay for the cord they earned through their service, and senior day is completely free. This effort to keep every student involved despite financial differences is something that truly sets Rho Kappa apart.
Rho Kappa’s next meeting will be on September 27th, which will be the first official meeting for the new inductees.