THOMASVILLE - The oldest tradition at Brookwood School is the formal ceremony when qualified student scholars are officially tapped into the National Honor Society.
On Nov. 5, during Brookwood's 38th NHS ceremony, faculty members tapped 18 juniors and seniors as new members of the Louise Jeanes Hines chapter of the NHS, named for one of the original founders of Brookwood.
Using gold-colored keys in the shape of a keystone, the NHS emblem, Upper School teachers quietly moved through the rows of students seated in the Chubb Building Learning Center to identify those eligible for membership, based on scholarship, character, leadership and service.
"Often a new member is tapped with the same gold key that tapped his or her sibling or parent," English Teacher Ann Larson said. "For instance, Meredith Briscoe, Class of 2010, was tapped with the same key bearing her mother's name from 1976."
Seated in a back row of the audience with other parents was Meredith's mother, Jane Taylor Briscoe, one of many Brookwood alumni who attended, along with other parents, to watch the traditional ceremony.
For most of the years since the NHS chapter was established, Larson has sponsored the honor society and has overseen the tapping event.
Seniors who were already honor society members and who were selected by the faculty for speaking parts in the ceremony included Davis Flowers, Kevin Hudson, Abby Lewis, Anna Price Olson, Tyler Stone and Emily Claire Worthey. Other seniors assisting with the special event were Colin Alderman, Mickey Betters, Chris Bragg, Maizie Jones, Elizabeth Olson, and Maria Olson.
Brookwood NHS alumni hosted a luncheon following the ceremony in the home of Charnie Beverly, a member of the Brookwood Board of Directors.
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New members of the National Honor Society at Brookwood School are
Front row: Katherine Herndon, Margaret Hancock, Hayes Balfour, Mary Kathryn Pounds, Paul Brewer, Kaitlyn Roberts, Courtney Stephens
Second: Karen Swann, Stephen Stubley, Laura Courtney, Meredith Briscoe, Ryan Hudson, Paige Petrey
Third: James Farmer, Haley Caldwell, Will McGregor, Lauren Johnson, Bronson Rash
