Introducing Spanish National Honor Society's new "Conjunto"

Summit High School's Spanish National Honor Society members voted on six representatives to lead the club next school year.

From left to right: Vanessa Gonzalez, Paulo Nieto Martinez, Lila Ellison, Logan Ellison, Mary Grace Crowe, Tenley Vinas, Aila Harmala, Avery Eytel, Addison Olson. Photo by Susan Mocatta

By Sofia Timpone

May 6, 2025

At a meeting on Apr. 17, Summit High School’s Spanish National Honor Society announced the six students who will represent the club's 70 members during the 2025 to 2026 school year. In March, members had the opportunity to apply for a select number of positions by completing an extensive Google Form in which they were required to write various paragraphs demonstrating their interest and commitment to the organization. Juniors Vanessa Gonzales, Paulo Nieto Martinez, Logan Ellison, Lila Ellison, Anna Shingles, and Mary Grace Crowe were elected to the president, vice president, historian, secretary, treasurer, and community service coordinator positions respectively.

Vanessa, an active member in the Summit High School community, is looking forward to expanding the society’s outreach to include more native Spanish speakers, noting the club’s ironic lack of Hispanic representation. Paulo will be working closely with Vanessa to lead monthly meetings, organize events, and provide assistance to other members. In Vanessa’s absence, Paulo will be responsible for taking over the temporary role of club president, ensuring that the club continues to run smoothly.

“I’m excited to help lead initiatives that make the society meaningful, inclusive, and memorable for everyone involved,” Vanessa said.

As secretary, Lila Ellison will be responsible for keeping track of attendance, making sure that members do not miss more than two meetings in a given school year. She will also track each member’s volunteer hours, ensuring that they’ve met the requirements to receive an honor cord for graduation. In addition to keeping tabs on members, Lila will be responsible for taking notes at each meeting, sharing them on Google Classroom, and giving a summary of her notes at the next meeting as a reminder. Lila's sister, Logan Ellison, will work with her as the club's historian, whose main role is to manage the club's social media account and remind club members of upcoming meetings and events through Google Classroom and email.

Anna Shingles, who was elected for the treasurer position, will keep a record of the club’s finances. She will collect the money raised by each individual member and ensure that they’ve done this in a timely manner. During Celebrations Around the World—an event hosted every year at the Silverthorne Pavilion for Summit County’s fourth grade students—Anna will assist Mrs. Mocatta with the event’s finances.

Mary Grace will be tasked with organizing volunteer opportunities for club members. Community service is mandatory to remain a part of the society and receive an honor cord at graduation. Typically, members will contribute to the Celebrations Around the World event in the fall and the honor cord ceremony in the spring, with a variety of smaller opportunities in winter. Students must complete a total of 10 hours of volunteering before the ceremony, which falls on May 8 this year. 

“My main goal is to get people excited to serve our community,” Mary Grace said. “I am so excited to see how we can make an impact in SHS and the entire community through Spanish, as it is such a big part of our Summit County culture.”

The club’s current sights are set on the upcoming honor cord ceremony, in which senior members will be recognized for their dedication to the organization and the sophomore class will be officially inducted. 

On May 22, the sophomore class will be able to attend the last meeting of the school year, which is also the first meeting led by the new “Conjunto.” There, Vanessa will take the club’s official lead and the rest of the “Conjunto” will assume the roles they were elected for.

“Being part of Spanish National Honor Society gives us the chance to grow as students, leaders, and global citizens, and that’s something I’m really proud to be involved in,” Vanessa said about her membership in the club.