The spring season comes with lots of excitement, especially as warming weather brings a buzz for the end of the school year to finally arrive. Now that spring sports are in full swing it is time for a new event to happen: the World Language National Honor Society Induction Ceremony.

In order to be eligible for this organization, a student must have completed three semesters of a world language. This means that the majority of inductees are sophomores who are in the second or third level of their specific language. Along with this, one must have a 3.7 GPA for their language and a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Every year about 100 new members are inducted.

The application process is manageable as there is no assessment of the student’s skills. There are four different societies to apply to, including Spanish, French, Latin, and Chinese, but the application and requirements are universal. The people who have to work the hardest in this process are the counselors and teachers. “The students receive a paper application from their language teacher… then the counselors look up their grades and see if they qualify,” head of the World Language National Honor Society Megan Hansen said.

At the induction ceremony, students are joined by their parents and say an oath that states that they will continue learning their language. Inductees light candles during this time to represent the society. “We do this to bridge the gap amongst people of different cultures,” Hansen said.

This year’s ceremony happened on April 27. Each language group was called to the front of the room once the candle was lit to recite an oath. The students then signed their name in the roster to commit to the World Language National Honor Society. Once the ceremony came to a close, parents and students were invited to a reception with cookies and juice to celebrate the inductees.

Once one is a part of the society, there are few requirements to stay in the organization. As long as the student stays in the society through senior year by taking language classes every semester, they will receive a purple cord at their high school graduation ceremony.

Some societies around the nation have service components to continue with the organization, but BSM purposefully has omitted this segment. “Students have this opportunity to be recognized and have an accolade for their resume, which doesn’t include a service component…I think that it’s beneficial for the students because everybody is so busy and trying to do multiple activities,” Hansen said.

The purple cord is a main reason people decide to stay in the society and take language through their senior year. “I am very excited to have a purple cord at graduation because it’s my only honor society that I’m in so far … So it’s great,” junior inductee Francine Fournier said.