WHITEHALL — On Wednesday, Whitehall High School officially inducted its first members into the new Scott K. Huebler Social Studies Honor Society. Inductees were chosen who have been active participants in the social studies program, as well as other school activities and clubs in the past.
“Both of these terms, Rho and Kappa, symbolize our firm belief that knowledge without service is useless,” said WHS teacher Brian Milliron. “We decided to name the chapter after Mr. Scott Huebler due to his work in the Whitehall community. Mr. Huebler has been city manager in Whitehall since 2001 and has helped make what Whitehall is today.”
Members who are part of the chapter will have the opportunity to participate in various field trips and local activities. They intend to start with voter registration drives at home football games in the fall. They will be working on other activities throughout the year alongside Huebler.
“We wanted to focus on having stimulation throughout our community with politics and government, and while this is gained from achievement in social studies, what really matters is how we use this in our community,” said recent Whitehall graduate Landon Spoon, who spoke at the ceremony. “For example, our voter turnout in 2020 was extremely low among 18-29 year olds. One of the driving forces behind that was just because a lot of students simply don’t know that much about our government and how it works.”
Spoon and Milliron worked together in discussions to start the new honor society chapter. Unfortunately, with Spoon graduating this spring, he will not be a member, but he looks forward to seeing what the first inductees will accomplish.
Inductees include eight different rising junior and senior students: Kate Beda, Drew Buckner, Emma Decker, Blake Dennis, Payton Hams, Brady Tate, Tyler VanAntwerp and Emily VanDam.
“I’m certainly honored that this chapter has been named after me. It’s humbling as well,” city manager Scott Huebler said. “I’ve spent a career working in local government, but it isn’t just a career. It’s been a passion, and I hope these eight inductees pick up the passion of being involved in their community.”
Huebler shared a story of his recent experience, having Whitehall fourth graders come to city hall for a tour, where he asked them questions about their knowledge of government. He said all of them knew who the president, Joe Biden, was and most of them knew who the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, was, but none of them knew who the mayor, Steven Salter, was.
“Local government, we’re the ones who plow the streets. We take care of the parks, the splash pad, the police, the fire authority, the ambulance,” Huebler said. “Your local community affects you so much more than the state or the national government. You’re affected daily by it, the moment you walk out of your door, or even if you don’t.”
The city manager then challenged the students to raise $500 in the next school year, promising to match the amount raised if they succeed.
“You’re going to learn your entire life,” said Huebler. “You’re not always going to have these awesome, dedicated teachers that are going to help guide you. You’re going to be doing it on your own. From my perspective, learning and being involved doesn’t mean sitting in your moms basement at 2 a.m. on social media telling the world what you think of the roads in Whitehall. When I come to city council meetings and pull into the parking lot, far too often these chairs are empty. The lack of involvement is disheartening. Civic involvement isn’t just voting, paying taxes and doing what you’re required to do. It’s also being involved, whether that be at the splash pad, volunteering at the local food bank, or coaching youth sports. Don’t do it for the pats on the back or for recognition; do it because you’re getting involved in the community and are making it a better place.”
