Pinay, 9 other Subic studes join US honor society

An 18-year-old Filipina led a cast of nine other high school students who were recently inducted into the prestigious National Honor Society (NHS), a United States-based organization recognizing outstanding high school students. Serene Cuenco Reyes joined South Koreans Anna Bang, Dolly Cho, Katrina Choi Dennis Choi, Maxwell Jo, and Gabby Mun. Jennelyn Boyadjian (England), Yosuke Michisita (Japan) and Andy Chuang (Taiwan), who completed Brent International School's (BIS) second set of inductees into the 86-year-old honor roll that includes student from Canada and other US territories such as Puerto Rico. According to Stephen Davis, inclusion to the select group requires outstanding performance in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. “Their grade point average ranges from A to A minus. But more than that they have shown exceptional leadership qualities as well a dedicated service to the community," he said. A committee of five faculty members evaluated those who qualified, and came up with a list of 10 students, he explained, adding that they are the very best of a growing number of students at Brent Subic. The new NHS inductees, who come from the school’s 11th and 12th grades, are mostly children of business locators here. Last year, BIS inducted its first student, South Korean Ray Ha, to the NHS. Reyes, a 12th grader from Olongapo City and daughter of an employee of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, is the only Filipino in the BIS honor rolls. “This is definitely an honor for Serene and for the other inductees, but I would also say that this tells a lot about how good a school Brent is, and how conducive to excellence the Subic Freeport really is," said her father Alan. Reyes, together with Dolly Cho, Maxwell Jo, Yosuke Michisita and Andy Chuang, will graduate this year. Aside from receiving certificates of membership to the NHS, the inductees who are graduating this year became qualified for a $5,000 award from the NHS, school officials said. Davis, himself inducted to the NHS in 1990, said that the BIS nominated Dolly Cho and Maxwell Jo to a special US$5,000 NHS university scholarship. “The scholarship grant maybe used in the country, or any university they are accepted to in the United States," Davis explained. He added that the 21-year-old NHS program is open only to US international schools who have qualified to be an NHS chapter. Brent Subic, a private, co-educational college preparatory school associated with the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, is the only international school in the Subic Freeport. - John Bayarong, GMANews.TV