By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Photo/Ed Karvoski Jr.
Hudson – An induction ceremony of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) at Hudson High School (HHS) welcomed 13 new members Oct. 15.
To be eligible for membership, students in grades 10 to 12 must have completed at least two semesters of art with an “A” grade point average, and “B” overall. Each student is also required to complete 10 hours of community service in the arts. NAHS members tend to exceed the required amount of time serving the community, noted Erin Yates, the faculty advisor.
“They’re going to do over 200 hours of community service in the arts this school year,” she said. “That’s a lot of time they spend adding to the community through the arts.”
Principal Brian Reagan urged everyone in attendance to continue supporting the students and the arts.
“Each year with the support of our visual arts staff, our students challenge themselves to grow artistically, the results of which can be seen all over the school district and even the broader community,” he said. “In this difficult fiscal environment, deserving art, music and drama has been a priority for me since my arrival in Hudson just five years ago. While the art department – like all departments – could always use more funding, I still remain pleased with the level of programming that we are able to offer our students at HHS.”
Two HHS alumni served as keynote speakers including Logan Harrington of the class of 2010.
“I’ve loved art my whole life,” she said. “|I’ve been doing art ever since I could pick up a crayon.”
Harrington earned a degree in interactive media and game development with a concentration in art from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She’s currently working as a three-dimensional digital artist on video games, simulations and research projects for the military at Technology Solutions Experts in Natick.
Also a keynote speaker was Amanda Laurel Atkins of the HHS class of 2004. She told the NAHS members that their experience with community service will prove to be helpful for future business networking.
“Participating and engaging in your community by offering your talent, the generosity of your spirit and everything that is unique about you is the perfect entrance into the world of networking,” she said. “Networking can be such a scary word, but really all it means is making connections. When you truly love and care for something it shows, and sharing our passions is the best way to network.”
Atkins received a bachelor’s degree from the Lesley University College of Art and Design. She has had four solo shows of her paintings in Boston, Cambridge and Portsmouth, N.H. Her work has also appeared on album art, in magazines and on book covers.
Michael Correa, the district visual arts coordinator, felt it was beneficial for current students to hear from alumni.
“It’s great to see alumni come back here with all the skills,” he said. “They’re now living their dream of doing what they wanted to do in the arts. That’s the main thing that the kids got out of this; to see alumni that went to school here move on to college and professional careers with success.”
The new NAHS inductees are Julie Burgess, junior; Alicia Collins, junior; Kyle Fontes, senior; Jillian Giorgio, sophomore; Samantha Johnson, senior; Abby Longtime, junior; Brian Matthews, senior; Cassandra Moran, senior; Madison Peck, senior; Brittany Phillipo, junior; Spencer Rendano, senior; Megan Sodano, senior; and Nicole Tummino, junior.
Returning NAHS members are seniors Hannah Fuller and Samantha Graham, co-presidents; Cameron LeBlanc, vice president; Victoria Galvin, secretary; Monica Anderson, treasurer; Sarah Ellis and Shay Waldsmith; and junior Jacob DiLauro.
