RUMFORD — Nine juniors and 18 sophomores at Mountain Valley High School were inducted into the National Honor Society.

Vice President Michelle Hale led the induction ceremony. She reported on the activities of the Mountain Valley chapter, including Duct Tape for Danny to help fund a scholarship in memory of Danny Garneau and a statewide campaign to raise money for Stop Hunger Now.

Hale introduced the guest speaker, Rep. Richard Pickett, R-Dixfield.

“Every student inducted today has had to demonstrate four traits that put them at the top of their class — scholarship, leadership, service and character. Each inductee must maintain a 90 average over all four years here at Mountain Valley High School, ” said Pickett.

The inductees included juniors Karissa Bickford, Holden Blauvelt, Alexys Duguay, Hannah Koch, Cortney Lavorgna, Alexander Ridley, Danielle Thibodeau, Kelli Trenoweth and Jordyn Turner.

The sophomores are Jonathan Adley, Chelsea Allison, Andrew Arsenault, Jacob Beauchesne, Emily Billings, Alecia Bolduc, Ethan Boucher, Parker Davis, Abigail LaBrash, Abigail Mazza, Nicholas Newman, Travis Palmer, Jesse Pelletier, Julianne Petrie, Jilliann Provencher, Ashley Russell, Kassie Thibodeau and Liza White.

Principal Matt Gilbert presented pins and certificates to each inductee, also recognizing the parents of the students.

“I believe in MVHS because I believe in kids like you,” said Gilbert.

The MVHS NHS adviser, Dorothy “Dotty” Peters, was recently honored by the state legislature for her involvement and leadership in conducting the Maine NHS state convention. She has advised the NHS for almost 20 years and has been active in the Maine NHS for the last 10 years. Peters is retiring after teaching at MVHS for 27 years.

About ten years ago, the Maine Principals Association asked Peters to spearhead the statewide convention, and she became the first teacher to do so.

Peters turned the state convention from an event attended by hundreds of students to upwards of 1,000 students, with guest speakers ranging from governors to an executive vice president of Walt Disney, according to Rep. Pickett, who spoke at the ceremony honoring her.

Peters became the first classroom teacher to receive the Larry Labrie award from the MPA, an award recognizing outstanding contributions to MPA interscholastic division.

She was asked to sit on the national board of directors of the U.S. National Honor Society and nurtured and developed 18 students as state officers. Their peers elected ten as president of the Maine National Honor Society by their peers.

NHS members, inductees, family and friends gave Peters a standing ovation as she made her way to the stage.