On Monday October 23rd, the Ward Melville chapter of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society inducted its first ever group of students. Rho Kappa is a national organization for high school students that aims to recognize excellence in the field of social studies. Mr. Ayrovainen and Ms. Parella, the advisors, encourage any students interested in history, economics, sociology, law and any other social science to join.
We had the opportunity to interview the advisors and three of the new members at one of the first meetings.
Lily De Bei: What do you hope to get out of this club?
Natalie Schmitz: I hope to learn more about history and engage with other people who enjoy history.
Kai Huges: I hope to gain volunteer and community service hours along with some more insight into the local history.
Luca Greggo: History! I also hope that it allows colleges to recognize my commitment to social studies.
LDB: How do you feel about the club so far? Is it reaching your expectations and would you recommend it to others?
NS: I definitely would. I feel like it’s been a very unpopular club so far just because it has a weird name, like Rho Kappa, which doesn’t have anything to do with History Honor Society, which should not be the case.
KH: I would recommend this club since you don’t really have to do much work, aside from occasional outside-of-school events. The advisors are also very understanding of your commitment to school and other clubs.
LG: Yeah I’d recommend it, it’s really chill. I also love Ms. Parella, she’s the best.
LDB: Where did the idea for this club come from? What inspired you?
Ms. Parella: Last year we were talking to our department chair about some things the department could do to get more involved with the local history and provide students with some community service hours throughout the year, and this was the perfect opportunity.
LDB: What do you hope to accomplish for the school community and what are some plans for the upcoming year?
Mr. Ayrovainen: We plan on providing plenty of community service hours for our students in terms of getting involved in different activities here at the school and outside in the community. We were considering field trips and things of that nature, we were trying to get involved in homecoming, trick-or-treat street and whatever else comes up in the future.
Ms. P: Another important thing we want students to know is how to be civic minded citizens, how they can get involved in the community in small ways, through initiatives and through the Three Village Historical Society.
LDB: Any final words you have for students interested in social studies, and possibly the club?
Ms. P: I think social studies and history overall is one of those majors you could have in college that you can do so much with, and I think that is one of our biggest pushes this year too. We’ll do things through the historical society, but then there’s going to be many other avenues that we’ll go down, because it’s such a broad subject to cover.
Mr. A: I also think that in the climate of today’s political world it’s really important for young people to start to find their own voice, making sure they are actively involved in their community to make that voice heard.
