On May 12, 2022, Cranston High School East inducted students from both the junior and senior classes into the National Honor Society and the National Art Honor Society. The ceremony was held in the school auditorium. This was a momentous event, due to last year’s annual induction event for juniors not taking place during the pandemic. The CHSE JROTC Color Guard presented the colors following the ceremonial entrance march led by the CHSE JROTC Honor Guard. Guests on stage included Principal Sean Kelly, Assistant Principal Kaitlin Hitchings, Assistant Principal Sandi Matoian-Heard, Assistant Principal David Aulenbach, Executive Director of Secondary Programs, Zachary Farrell, School Committee Member Domenic Fusco and faculty members Nina Di Lorio, Karen Esposito, Sophia Deluca, Jessica Lowe and Blake Danforth.

Kelly acknowledged the students’ journey to this point had not been an easy one, given the challenges they’d faced through distance learning, hybrid learning, in-person learning with masks and the cancellation of significant events. However, he emphasized that despite these challenges, the students had persevered through it all to arrive at this significant point in their lives. He also noted that although the National Honor Society has an academic component to it, the students must also show service, character and leadership, and he shared that he was both excited and humbled by their accomplishments.

School Committee member Domenic Fusco congratulated the students and reminded them that it was their dedication to online learning, their ability to fight through adversity and be able to have accomplishments despite such difficult times is what got them to that moment. He encouraged the students to remember where they came from and not forget their past at CHSE as they move forward into what he described as an extraordinarily bright future.

The faculty tribute was given by Lowe, who reminded the students that their road to induction into the National Honor Society was not an easy one, between rigorous coursework which involved hours of work both inside and outside of the classroom, and involvement in extracurricular activities, organizations and community service often going above and beyond the required number of hours. Although these students will be known as some of those who have lived and learned through the COVID-19 pandemic, she encouraged them to instead let their legacy be known as one of positive hope and happiness.

Senior Ghassan Jomaa led the students through the induction pledge and Kelly, along with Farrell, presented the students with their certificates. Assistant Principal Sandi Matoian-Heard installed the new officers of the National Honor Society for 2022-23.

The National Art Honor Society inducted both their junior and senior members following that ceremony, conducting their own candle ceremony as well, and inducting more than a dozen members into the NAHS. The new officers were also sworn in and Principal Kelly presented the NAHS students with their certificates.

Special academic awards were given out by the faculty and administration and the following awards were presented: Pell Medal for US History, Anika Poshkus; St. Michael’s Book Award, Timothy Dietrich and Miko Lehnert; RI Civic Leadership Award, Isabella Ba and Isaac Barbosa; General Treasurer’s Young Leader Award,  Peyton Ginolfi; Harvard Book Award, Madeline Baxter, Rensselaer Medal, Ari D’Arconte; Fredrick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award, Eileen Phan, Bausch and Lomb Award, Theodore Heard; Xerox Award for Innovation and IT, Nadeem Chaudhry; George Eastman Young Leaders Award, Isabella Ba; URI Book Award,  Alexis Franco; Brown Book Award, Madeline Baxter; Bowdoin College Book Award, Norah Flinn;and the Smith College Book Award, Anika Poshkus.