Councilwoman speaks to National Honor Society

Lynette Boggs McDonald fondly recalls her high school days, and her achievement as a sophomore of being inducted into the National Honor Society in 1979.

For the second year, the inductee, now serving as the first female Las Vegas City Council member in the northwest's Ward 2, was the keynote speaker at the National Honor Society induction ceremony for Palo Verde High School students March 22.

Fifty-three Panthers made the cut in 2001, and Boggs McDonald spoke about the leadership and citizenship the society stood for in her mind.

"I do a lot of speaking engagements, especially to young people," Boggs McDonald said later. "I think it's important to share some challenges people like myself are dealing with, in a leadership role later on in life."

Outgoing society president Nathan Rosenberg addressed the audience in the Palo Verde Theater by presenting the mission of the group, to go above and beyond. Boggs McDonald echoed those sentiments.

"It's the same challenge as when I was a young person: to go into the community, as a group, and try to make a tremendous difference," she said. "We really look to young people to participate this way.

"I emphasized the memories of the '60s because I could see the parents in the audience and they were teen-agers then, like me. In that era, young people came together from all over and joined up to help bring rights to those that didn't have them. It's important for today's youth to know that they are empowered and can really make a difference."

Another point in Boggs McDonald's message was to not give up on one's dreams, something Palo Verde principal Teri Smith said was important for the students to hear.

"She used an example of her wanting to go to Notre Dame, which she did, but she wanted to go before women were admitted," Smith said. "She showed that you shouldn't give up."

Smith said the National Honor Society group at Palo Verde is a good example of the emphasis of community service at the school and in the Summerlin area.

"One thing I love about Palo Verde is that a lot of our clubs do a lot of community service, whether it's the Key Club or student council. Even the tennis team participated in helping out at Summerlin hospital."

Boggs McDonald said she enjoyed the experience and always tries to make time for motivational speaking engagements, no matter the demands of her office.

"I've been doing this for a long time, and now it's usually things in the evenings or on the weekends," she said. "But it is important to me. It's important to share experiences with young people, the high points and the low points."