In recent years, Indio High School’s National Honor Society has fostered a service-over-self mindset through philanthropic efforts and by promoting lifelong learning among local elementary school students.
Lorena Fagaña and Clementina Barragán shared that they and their peers have previously contributed to projects like providing desks to students in need and assembling over 50 book buddy bags last year, each filled with storybooks, stuffed animals and personalized notes to ensure that the young recipients felt the thoughtfulness behind the gesture.
“A lot of those kids don’t have the same opportunities and we provided those books through a literacy drive,” said Miabella Cansino, who graduated last school year. “It was a really great opportunity to be able to help the elementary kids and make reading more fun.”
One of the first service projects launched by the National Honor Society chapter at Indio High School was “Desks for Distance Learning,” which provided desks to students in need.
The students’ efforts supported California’s literacy goal of ensuring every child can read by third grade by 2026. (Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, kindergarten through second grade students across the state will undergo annual screenings for reading difficulties.) Locally, their work also aligned with Desert Sands Unified School District’s early literacy initiative, as well as a focus on strengthening the literacy skills of English learners.
Founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, NHS is one of the oldest and largest high school student organizations. The Rajahs launched their NHS chapter during the 2019-20 school year, a time disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guided by the NHS pillars of scholarship, service, leadership and character, IHS’ students recently earned the Service Award of Excellence for their work during the 2023-24 school year. This award honors chapters that make a meaningful impact through service projects and activities, recognizing those that demonstrate “a selfless spirit,” according to the NHS website.
Local donations enabled the Rajahs’ National Honor Society chapter to assemble over 50 book buddy bags during the 2023-24 school year, which were then distributed to local elementary school students.
But they’re not resting on their laurels.
Although it took a few years to get to this point, their adviser, Amy Torres, a former NHS student herself, explained that the students are now focused on building interpersonal relationships with local elementary schools to create more of a “one-on-one impact.” (Torres, who teaches math, was also named the 2025 Riverside County Teacher of the Year.)
“It takes a process to make all those connections and get to the point where schools want to open up and allow you to be in there with the kids, so we’re excited,” she said.
Although they weren’t able to personally interact with the elementary school students who received the book bags, Gabriela Valadez shared that this school year, they have begun visiting local elementary schools in Indio, such as John F. Kennedy Elementary and Martin Van Buren Elementary, to promote a way of learning that uses science, technology, engineering, the arts and math as assess points for guiding student inquiry. (They’re always open to visiting more schools in the area — just say the word, the students said.)
“I’m excited to put a face to the people that we’re trying to help,” Valadez said. “Kids are just so funny. I remember I liked when high schoolers would come visit my elementary school. I still remember my reading buddy from first grade and she seemed so smart and cool to me. She taught me how to type. I just want to be smart and cool to them, too.”
Developing bonds through encouraging early literacy
As part of last year’s service project, each student took ownership of their book bags, which contained a variety of stories ranging from princesses to dinosaurs, allowing kids to choose one that resonated with them.
“Kids have a really big imagination, and books can really help them with that in the future,” Cansino said, who’s now studying at a community college in San Diego. “With everyone adding their personal touches to it, I feel like it kind of created a bond between us and those elementary kids.”
Guided by the National Honor Society pillars of scholarship, service, leadership and character, Indio High School’s chapter recently earned the Service Award of Excellence for their service work in the community during the 2023-24 school year.
Gerardo Fajardo donated books like “Esperanza Rising” and “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” aiming to help younger students practice reading comprehension and encouraging them to seek out stories that speak to them.
“It’s a good starting point because sometimes these kids, for economic reasons, don’t have books at home. This is a good way to hook them into reading so they can start developing these skills, especially by reading some award-winning novels,” he said. “Practice starts early, so if they gain that tool or that interest at an early age, that can really benefit them in the future.”
Adilene Patiño also pointed out that many children they serve come from bilingual households where English isn’t the primary language, so the books they provided are seen as valuable resources beyond the classroom to support the long-term success of multilingual learners.
Each book buddy bag was filled with storybooks, stuffed animals and handwritten notes, all assembled by the Rajah students.
(Within the school’s NHS chapter, many students themselves have been reclassified as fluent English proficient, meaning they are no longer considered English learners. Students who take more than six years to achieve reclassification are designated as long-term English learners.)
Brandon Leon created his book bag based on what he would have enjoyed reading as a kid, and wrote his personalized note from the perspective of a sibling. “We’re here for you,” he said.
Shaping the way future generations perceive their potential
Alexander Diaz said that last year’s project allowed them to build on what they had started before the pandemic disrupted their work, providing the perfect segue into their current service project, which now includes in-person visits to the elementary schools.
The high school students currently visit elementary schools monthly to plan and execute STEAM projects. However, their annual budget is limited to about $1,000, which restricts their ability to pursue larger ideas and ambitions. One of those ideas is to host a community day where they open the campus to kids and their families, allowing parents to participate in projects with their children.
Indio High School teacher Amy Torres works with her students at Indio High School in Indio, Calif., May 16, 2024. Torres was awarded a Teacher of the Year certificate by the Riverside Office of Education.
“To be able to have these kids create a big day of showcasing academics and fun — and that it is cool to learn and be smart,” Torres said. “We have to project that it’s okay to be smart, that you can be successful, that these are really striving kids … we have to put that idea in their head at a young age because some of those kids, by middle school, think it’s cool to not be smart and they lose sight. We have to catch them early before they start to go in a different direction.”
Torres has observed a gender discrepancy in honors classes, with a higher rate of girls, and she believes it’s important to address this gap. To help create a more balanced representation, she ensured the school’s honor society chapter included male members to motivate their younger counterparts.
“We’re serving as good role models,” said Fajardo. “And like Gabriela said, that cool person who came back to an elementary school to show them how an education can really help (us) in life inspired me to be one as well.”
A reflection of the community
Many of the Indio High students in the National Honor Society expressed that their new service project is creating experiences for elementary school students that they wish they had at that age, all while fostering lifelong learning.
As the students sit around Torres’ classroom, she poses a question to the group: What did it mean for you to be inducted into the honor society?
The program has allowed them to connect with like-minded yet diverse peers who share the same level of drive, with whom they can exchange ideas, many said.
“And that helps us build ourselves as people — and that reflects back onto our community,” Barragan said.
“They’re beautiful children that are so ready to take on the next generation and to move forward,” Torres said, absorbing their responses. “We don’t give them enough credit.”
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Indio High School National Honor Society students offer mentorship to younger students