National Technical Honor Society members at Questar III's Rensselaer Educational Center. 1st row L-R: Matthew Peasley, Owen Hankle; 2nd row: Josh Stangle, Matthew Yarter; 3rd row: Victoria Moreau, Michaela Crowe, Tori Davey, Chyanne Brown, Lindsey Sullivan, Karliegh Catlin; 4th row: Austin Yerden, Cory Otterbeck, Guy Machia, Graham Peat, Christian Muller, Justin Covell
On June 1, in recognition of outstanding achievement in career and technical education (CTE), 15 students from Questar III’s Rensselaer Educational Center in Troy were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) – the country’s highest award for excellence in CTE. Two additional students were also re-inducted for a second year of membership. The ceremony was held at Rensselaer High School before a large gathering of friends and family.
Inductees took the pledge of membership and participated in the lighting of candles representing each of the attributes of a National Technical Honor Society member: skill, honesty, service, responsibility, scholarship, citizenship, and leadership. The NTHS motto is “Success favors the prepared mind.”
Commending the students, Questar III Assistant Superintendent Dr. Andy DeFeo said, “You have demonstrated through your academic achievements, commitment to service and leadership that you are willing to … put in the extra effort to serve as a role model for your peers. When other students seem satisfied with middle of the road performance, you have navigated into exceptional levels of academic achievement and program performance.”
This marks the fourth year of the National Technical Honor Society program at Rensselaer Educational Center. To qualify, students must maintain an average of 90 or above for three quarters in their career-tech program, an average of 85 or above for three quarters at their home school, have five or fewer absences for three quarters, receive a recommendation from a teacher, and perform 25 or more hours of community service.
At the ceremony, one student spoke about the value of CTE programs available through Questar III.
Hoosic Valley senior Owen Hankle, who was also inducted last year as a junior, appreciated the hands-on nature of the Academy for Information Technology program. “If a student has an idea of what he wants to do after high school, this is a great start,” he explained. Hankle, who has been interested in computers since he was 13, will study computer systems at Hudson Valley Community College.
NTHS Advisor Pamela Mertz said she’s proud of this year’s honorees. “We’re also proud that this year, we have the most students ever being inducted into this prestigious society, including four CTE programs for the first time – Certified Nurse Assistant, Licensed Practical Nursing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, and Culinary Arts.”
The following students were honored on June 1:
Two Year Members:
- Owen Hankle (Academy for Information Technology/AIT, Hoosic Valley)
- Matthew Peasley (Criminal Justice, Columbia)
Inductees:
- Chyanne Brown (Culinary Arts, Troy)
- Karliegh Catlin, (Criminal Justice, Averill Park)
- Brooke Cooney (Alternative Learning Program/ALP/Certified Nurse Assistant/CNA, Troy)
- Justin Covell (Criminal Justice, Berlin)
- Michaela Crowe (Criminal Justice, Averill Park)
- Tori Davey (Licensed Practical Nursing/LPN, Troy)
- Guy Machia (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration/HVAC/R, Hoosic Valley)
- Victoria Moreau (Cosmetology, Averill Park)
- Christian Muller (Academy for Information Technology/AIT, Berlin)
- Corey Otterbeck (Criminal Justice, Columbia)
- Graham Peat (Academy for Information Technology/AIT, Columbia)
- Joshua Stangle (Criminal Justice, Columbia)
- Lindsey Sullivan (Licensed Practical Nurse/LPN, Averill Park)
- Matthew Yarter (Construction Technologies, Hoosic Valley)
- Austin Yerden (Academy for Information Technology/AIT, Lansingburgh)
