FREEPORT - Highland Community College's chapter of the international honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, inducted 31 new members during a recent ceremony held in the HCC Student/Conference Center.

Two area inductees were Rachel Edler and Staci Hammer from Lena and Hannah Badgett from Orangeville.

PTK is the official honor society for two-year colleges and is the largest honor society in American higher education. To be eligible for membership, students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours toward their associate degree while having a 3.5 cumulative grade point average.

In addition to academic achievement and scholarship, PTK members have conducted voter registration on campus, sponsored poetry reading and essay contests, and held movie and discussion nights throughout the year. In recent years, they have conducted blood drives, food drives, children's book drives and sponsored families at Christmas.