After many hours spent in service to others, twelve Latin students found themselves in the spotlight. On the morning of April 16, the Charlotte Latin Service Society inducted 12 members of the class of 2025, honoring them for their work in Charlotte Latin’s Service and Community-Engaged Learning Program. “We’re acknowledging students who have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to community engagement across Charlotte and in the world,” said David-Aaron Roth, Director of Student Leadership Development.

The inductees, all seniors in the Upper School, were Andrew Chen, Eleanor Fisher, Nishanth Gaddam, Haddie Hanson, Hannah Hurden, Ryan Kim, Evy Linker, Tyler McAndrews, Mallory Morgan, Rheaa Oberoi, Sydney Query, and Nicole Reed. Over half of them worked with Baby Bundles, one of Charlotte Latin’s partner organizations, but they also sought out experiences that reflected their own priorities and values, with dozens of organizations that included the Latin America Chamber of Commerce, the Levine Museum of the New South, and Mecklenburg County Teen Court. The ceremony gave each student an opportunity to discuss the work they did and its impact.

While membership in the Service Society used to come with a specific number of volunteer hours, the requirements are changing: to qualify, students now present reflections on their service work to an adult jury, discussing how the work they did connects with the Portrait of the Latin Leader and the Principles of Good Practice for community-engaged learning. Or in the Service Society’s language, “Through this rigorous application and induction process, Charlotte Latin believes students inducted into the Service Society are equipped with the essential skills to be thought-leaders and engaged citizens in the next communities in which they live and serve.”

The jurors (Roth; Dr. Topher Gee, US Community-Engaged Learning Coordinator; Tracey Vanneste, Upper School Dean of Students; and Whitney Duquette, Student Leadership Development Faculty Fellow) were all in attendance at the induction, as were Head of School Chuck Baldecchi, Associate Head of School Dr. Sonja L. Taylor, Head of Upper School Lawrence E. Wall, and many members of the inductees’ families. “What hasn’t changed is that our students see themselves in our Core Values,” Roth said after the induction. “The work that they do in the community reflects the values that we espouse.”