SACS small in size, not heart

By Marilyn Burton
National Honor Society Adviser
Southern Aroostook Community School
    While the Southern Aroostook Community School chapter of the National Honor Society is a small one, they find themselves in sometimes unique positions for service. Each year, the society sponsors a Red Cross Blood Drive in March. It also provides gifts for the Battered Women’s Project in Houlton at Christmas in addition to sponsoring the Academic Awards Dinner at the end of May and hosting the annual Academic Awards Day in June.
Contributed Photo
SACS NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY — In front, from left,  Logan Desmond and David Dubois. In back are Cassie Garcelon, Alexandra Bishop, Rebecca Sherwood and Jasmine Rockwell. Absent from photo are  Kayli Farrar, Shelby Hartin and Janel Rockwell. 
    The Blood Drive is our biggest project and we really depend on the good will of the student body and staff to help us. This year, with only three current members, the society chose other students in good academic standing to help. Some of those students have been tapped to become new members at the initiation at the end of April. This year, the drive reached the students’ goal easily with a full day of constant traffic for the donations. It’s the first year I have left it to the students, without me to supervise. As it turned out, we had 18 first-time donors, and lots of the regulars.
    One of the members, Alexandra Bishop, commented about the blood drive. “It’s great to see the number of people who come to save lives. Giving blood is one of the easiest but most important ways to help the people in need.” Bishop has worked at the drive for two years and really enjoys the community outreach it accomplishes.
    Another student, Hollie Ireland, has been a donor for two years and also worked at the drive. She agrees with Bishop. “I enjoy participating in blood drives because it is incredible to see how many people will donate a little bit of their time to save lives.” Ireland makes it a family affair as well, since her mother and sister are also donors.
    As for the other projects, the work with the Battered Women’s Project is another satisfying endeavor. Students are very generous. They provide gifts, gift certificates and food baskets during the holidays. Sometimes the group works in conjunction with the Student Council. This year they worked with our senior advisee group.
    Looking forward, there should be a few more members next year, as the group plans to induct six juniors in a couple of weeks. Southern Aroostook has chosen to keep their academic entry grade at 90. So, after five semesters, there are usually only a handful who qualify. Then, those students also must qualify with the faculty counsel for leadership, character, and service.