Rho Kappa Welcomes 52 Angels, Top Tally in AHA Chapter’s History

 The Alice Paul Chapter of Rho Kappa reached a high water mark on November 15, as the Academy of the Holy Angels inducted 52 outstanding social studies students, the top number of inductees in chapter history. Those honored at the eleventh annual induction ceremony included:

• Giselle Acosta of Fort Lee
• Audrey Aligada of Chestnut Ridge, New York
• Mariah Anderson and Camila Latinsky-Ortiz of Englewood
• Natalia Antaki of Franklin Lakes
• Romina Bega of Ringwood
• Alexandra Boardman, Reyna Cunningham, and Autumn Morrissey of Saddle River
• Caterina Cardamone of Glen Rock
• Raphaela Cárdenas and Grace Costanza of Clifton
• Bianca Cifelli of Hillsdale
• Sophie Cossio, Isabella Fernandez, and Ella Oaten of Tenafly
• Isabella DeBari of Woodcliff Lake
• Caroline Dupas of Pearl River, New York
• Keira Footer, Celine Hong, and Sydney Uddo of Englewood Cliffs
• Natalia González of Paterson
• Anna Governale and Amelia Shen of Demarest
• Nicole Grimpas, Teri Koustas, and Faith Youn of Closter
• Reilly Guy of Fair Lawn
• Jennifer Haemmerle of Leonia
• Breanna Hetzer of Nutley
• Annabelle Hur and Serin Hwang of Norwood
• Alexis Jacob of Tappan, New York
• Hannah Janiec and Claudia Paoli of East Rutherford
• Jaclyn Larraz of New City, New York
• Katherine Lindquist and Erin Pav of Westwood
• Isabella McMahon of West Orange
• Annalise Olsen of Stony Point, New York
• Liana Powley of Mahwah
• Shivani Sahu of Paramus
• Ava Santoro of Old Tappan
• Kyra Sapontzis of Park Ridge
• Ella Springer of Montvale
• Isabel Stein of Rutherford
• Kira Sullivan, Areliz Tamayo, and Nicole Yakubov of Teaneck
• Amanda Tomasella and Lauren Tomasella of Oradell
• Catherine Tuohy of Cresskill

The National Council for the Social Studies established Rho Kappa in 2011. AHA organized its own chapter in 2012, and unanimously opted to name the organization for Alice Paul whose tireless leadership made women’s suffrage a reality. Since the Academy’s first inductees were honored in 2013, every Rho Kappa member from AHA has received a yellow rose pin, a remembrance of the flowers worn by those who supported Paul’s dedication to the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

AHA Social Studies Department Chairperson Gail Fair and faculty members Jennifer Cucchisi, Megan Delasandro, Patrick Dunne, Jamie Dykes, and Brianne Wolman hosted the ceremony. AHA Principal Jean Miller congratulated this year’s honorees and presented them with their certificates.In his remarks, Dunne noted that Rho Kappa refers to head and hand, a reminder that knowledge without service is useless. Inductees promise to serve Holy Angels and the greater community, “for true scholars of the social studies lead by example.” The new inductees’ first service project will be a Penny Challenge fundraiser to benefit rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico.

Teachers from the department also lit white, green, gold, and blue candles that symbolize the traits of a Rho Kappa scholar, including truth, knowledge, wisdom, and service.

Ms. Fair commented on Alice Paul’s efforts for women’s suffrage, adding that some of the inductees voted for the first time just a week earlier.

“Success begins with education,” Fair said, adding the importance of taking action based on what we learn.