Delfelder speaks at NHS induction: ‘The hardest thing to learn is to listen’

Listen to Delfelder’s NHS induction speech

“Be bold, be tolerant, listen, travel, stay focused, do something nice for someone else and be kind,” Former WHS English teacher Laura Delfelder said. 

Delfelder returned to WHS Tuesday night to address the National Honor Society inductees.

At the beginning of the year, during the early planning of the NHS ceremony, the officers gathered together to discuss who they wanted to be the keynote speaker. After little discussion the group decided to invite their former english teacher and NHS adviser, Laura Delfelder. Delfelder happily accepted the request and started creating her speech. 

“I found it important, simply because if the NHS members thought of me when considering their keynote speaker, it was my job to not let them down,” Delfelder said. “Everyone is busy, but as an adult if you have the opportunity to communicate with young people, you absolutely ought to take it.”

Delfeder is currently attending Kansas State University studying to become a vet. Right now she spends most of the  day at school, and in the night she spends more time studying. So she enjoys spending her free time with her family, but chose to miss a few moments to speak at the ceremony. 

“This year’s junior and senior classes were my family over the last couple years, so I have no guilt missing a night of studying to help celebrate the new member class for NHS and send my well-wishes to the graduating seniors,” Delfelder said.

Delfelder started her speech with a short story from her childhood. She described how her father would teach her and her siblings small lessons that he engraved into her head on their way to school. She now wanted to share a few lessons that aren’t taught in school to the members of NHS to help guide them in their future. 

In her speech she broke down each lesson and explained how they would help in finishing high school and afterwards in the real world. Her first point was to be bold and tolerant, don’t let your voice go unheard. She then challenged the group to travel and meet different people with different cultures. 

“You don’t have to go far or be gone long, sometimes simply going to a new part of the state is just as powerful as going across the world to a new country. The world is big and it’s a shame to not experience it,” Delfelder said. 

She then continued with the importance of staying focused and drown out the drama. This can be difficult for high schoolers, but Delfelder said that life will drag you in all kinds of directions, but whatever goal you set for yourself is attainable. 

Delfelder finished with the value of doing something nice for someone else. She wanted the inductees and members to realize the effort that their parents and supporters have done to get them to this point in their life and they should be thanked.  

The 2019 NHS inductees were senior Jacob Donaldson and juniors Kendyl Bolinder, Karlee Feyh, Ryan Grutsch, Justice Houston, Raegan Kelley, Bernice Poulter and Peter Stuhlsatz.