Delaney Schultz and Eric Brown were two of highest-achieving students in the Class of 2024 for Montague High School.
It’s no coincidence that Schultz and Brown were highly involved in National Honor Society as president and vice-president, respectively.
“Eric (was) an impressive student as well as the class president. He (was) well respected among his peers and recently delivered a great commencement address,” said Tyler Frank, who served as NHS adviser and senior class adviser among other his duties as a faculty member of Montague Area Public Schools.
“Delaney (was) a remarkable student, and a great NHS president. She (was) motivated to take on projects, and (led) through quiet example.”
Brown, the son of Timothy and Robin Brown, carried a 4.378 GPA and was his class’ salutatorian. He plans to attend University of Michigan to study aerospace engineering before pursuing a graduate degree at either U-M or MIT.
Schultz, the daughter of Darren and Beth Schultz, carried a 4.126 GPA. She will be attending Concordia University in Ann Arbor to study special education and be part of the worship team.
During the 2023-24 school year, there were 30 students in the Montague chapter of NHS.
Students in the Montague chapter of NHS must be juniors or seniors. They need to maintain a GPA of 3.4 or higher, complete an application including writing an essay, and membership is extended after approval of a faculty committee.
Students in NHS also must complete a minimum of 18 hours of community service per semester to maintain membership.
“The most rewarding part about being involved in this is just having the knowledge that we are helping the community in a way that we normally wouldn’t be serving,” Schultz said. “It is so fulfilling to see how grateful people are to receive a little bit of help from strangers.”
For those on the fence about joining National Honor Society, Brown said they will not regret it.
According to Brown, it’s a great way for one to grow leadership skills and get involved in the community.
“I became involved in the NHS because it was a prestigious program and I was attracted to the concepts of scholarship and leadership,” Brown said.
Photos courtesy of Montague High School
Some activities students can do to gain community service hours, according to Schultz, include participating in beach clean-ups, helping stock local food pantries, fall leaf raking with the FFA, serving at church, volunteering to help at track meets, and many other non-paid services.
Each year, the Montague chapter of the NHS hosts a blood drive and a big group project. In the 2023-24 school year, the Montague NHS planted trees across the school district.
“The Montague chapter of the NHS has countless small effects throughout the community,” Frank said. “We have one member that (earned) most of her hours volunteering for an animal shelter. We have other members that tutor other students after school.
“Around Christmas time, we host work with a local church on a ‘giving tree’ program with the goal of getting gifts to struggling families in the White Lake area.”
As National Honor Society president, Schultz was in charge of planning and coordinating all of the group’s activities and events with the help of Brown and Frank.
She made slideshows for their meetings and helped to make sure everyone was informed and completing their service hours each semester.
Schultz cannot recommend enough getting involved in Montague’s chapter of National Honor Society.
“You never know what will happen and if you get in, it is so worth it. You will gain tons of experience and have the ability to help others in ways you never thought of before and it is very rewarding,” she said.
“The most rewarding part about being involved in this is just having the knowledge that we are helping the community in a way that we normally wouldn’t be serving. It is so fulfilling to see how grateful people are to receive a little bit of help from strangers.”
