Not every day does a group of students master a language and truly shine in their skills. Only a privileged handful earns this prestigious honor yearly, making it a remarkable achievement.

On Friday, Feb. 28, the 21st Annual Induction Ceremony of the French Honor Society, La Société Honoraire de Français, took place alongside the inaugural induction of the Spanish Honor Society, La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica: La Luz de Keystone Chapter, in Keystone Heights. All told, there were 13 students inducted into the French Honor Society and six students into the Spanish Honor Society.

The ceremony included previous inductees reciting the motto in French and then passing a candle to each new member. After receiving their candle, the new members recited the motto for the first time, after which they would receive a certificate and a pin. Additionally, graduating seniors were presented with a special medal.

"The students receive a ribbon with a pin which has the French flag and the American flag, as a symbol of our friendship with France with the year on it," said Brenda Velez, a Keystone Heights HS French teacher who oversees the French Honor Society.

"The students can put it on their college applications to stand out amongst all the other people competing to get to those few spots when they enter college. They can also put it on scholarship applications for the same reason to be chosen, plus they have proof that they are an honor student, which makes them a scholar recipient, and then job applications to show that they are the top student because they received hundreds of applicants.

“There are only 13 people that are eligible, so it's pretty elite," Velez said.

To be selected for this award and inducted, a student must have completed two years of the language, an A grade, be in the second year or second semester, and have an overall GPA of 3.2.

The French program began in 2004 and has continued since. The Spanish program has now become part of the induction, starting in its first year.

 "I wanted them to be recognized, and they ought to be recognized for their achievement. Next year, we'll offer Spanish three and so forth, so they can complete the four years, because one of the things that Florida offers students is a complete four years of a world language -- either Spanish or French or any other language -- during their high school, which is the seal of biliteracy by the state of Florida," said Spanish teacher Diana Scarborough.

Students who earn this type of achievement can receive scholarships, get into prestigious colleges, and apply for jobs, showing employers they can speak more than one language.

A table of French and Spanish foods was available for all families attending the ceremony.