Members of the Gautier Elementary Honor Society—from Gautier, Mississippi—were recently featured on NBC's "Today" show. The students were highlighted in the show’s "Everyone Has a Story" segment after fourth-grade teacher Maury Gusta submitted a winning entry in the show’s essay contest. Gusta, who was in a devastating car accident his senior year of college, went on to graduate, realize his lifelong dream—to become a teacher—and found his school’s National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) chapter.
The chapter is for fourth- and fifth-grade students who maintain a 3.0 GPA and perform community service. Gautier Elementary Principal Michelle Richmond is an NAESP member. NEHS was established in 2008; this Communicator article reviews the activities of the program’s first year.