Courtesy Photo Members of the Thunder Bay Junior High National Honor Society are pictured in this photo provided by Alpena Public Schools. The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) awarded the TBJHS NJHS chapter the Overall Award of Excellence.

ALPENA — The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) awarded the Thunder Bay Junior High School NJHS chapter the Overall Award of Excellence for its exemplary record of leadership, service and efforts to improve the school and community, according to a Monday press release from Alpena Public Schools.

NJHS is supported by its parent organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), which also oversees the National Association of Student Councils. Thunder Bay Junior High NJHS students collectively completed over 1,200 volunteer hours and led a wide range of service projects that made a meaningful impact in the community. They decorated positive-message to-go bags for Hungry Hippie, created placemats for assisted living homes, crafted holiday cards for local VFW veterans, and made handmade toys for the Huron Humane Society. Students also adopted seven local families at Christmas through United Way, providing more than 150 gifts for children. In addition, the chapter fundraised to purchase picnic tables for the school courtyard, giving classmates a welcoming space to gather and build community.

“The NJHS Chapter Pillar Awards celebrate chapters that truly embody what the National Junior Honor Society stands for — students who don’t just excel academically but actively strengthen their communities,” NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe said in the release. “The Thunder Bay Junior High School chapter demonstrates how powerful it can be when young leaders channel their talents toward meaningful service and positive change.”

“We are incredibly proud of our NJHS students for earning the Overall Award of Excellence,” Katie Lee, principal of Thunder Bay Junior High School, said in the release. “This recognition reflects the passion and dedication of our students to not only achieve academically but to lead and serve in ways that strengthen our school and community. Our students’ commitment to leadership, service, and scholarship has made a difference. This award is a testament to their hard work, collaboration, and the positive impact young people can have when they dedicate themselves to helping others.”

“I am beyond blessed to be the advisor for Thunder Bay NJHS,” Advisor Courtney Gagnon said in the release. “The students went above and beyond their duties as members with the amount of volunteer hours they completed, service projects and keeping their grades up. Many students participated in other extracurricular activities keeping to the pillars of NJHS, showing that they are outstanding citizens at TBJH. The students made a positive impact on not only TBJH, but in the community as well, their dedication to helping shows that young people can have a positive impact!”

The NJHS Chapter Pillar Awards are prestigious recognitions to celebrate the outstanding achievements of NJHS chapters across the country. In addition to basic requirements, the chapters must have demonstrated successful activities that exemplify one or all of the core values of NJHS: scholarship, leadership, service and character.