These young people have a message: Write On!

I get told all the time that young people today have no interest in reading, let alone writing.

Unless, of course, you count texting, which seems to be the preferred means of communication of today's youth.

It pains me, in part, because a lot of people believe that is part of the slow funeral procession that the print industry is undergoing.

Simply put, if it didn't happen on kids' phones, it didn't happen.

They have no interest in formal writing.

I've always suspected that there was more than a little bit of hyperbole involved in that theory.

Last night I got proof.

It was my distinct honor to speak to a group of kids who excel at the written word.v I was the keynote speaker at the induction ceremony for the incoming new members and recognition of seniors in the National English Honor Society at Upper Darby High School. It's the only national organization that is exclusively dedicated to acknowledging high school students in the field of English.

At Upper Darby High, the Royal Oak Chapter could not be more representative of its community.v One glance at this group of dozens of sparkling young faces confirms Upper Darby's reputation as a true melting pot. These kids come every imaginable background, united in their love of reading and writing.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this group is that they don't restrict their enthusiasm to the classroom. They are active in their communities and perform hundreds of hours of community service, often volunteering at their local libraries.

I took the opportunity to thank them for the chance to speak to a group of young people who seem every bit as dedicated to the written word.

It was my pleasure.

My thanks to Kelsey Bierling, the adviser for the Royal Oak Chapter, as well as Superintendent Dan McGarry, who rushed back from a superintendents' function in Hersey for the ceremony.

It has been an especially trying couple of days for Upper Darby School District, thrust into a national spotlight by an unfortunate incident.

But as usual, those kinds of stories never tell the full story, and don't come close to representing the district as a whole. Just like that theory that kids today don't have any interest in reading or writing.

Not at Upper Darby High.

Write on, kids. Write on!