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Cum Laude Inductions Honor Top Students & Faculty

On April 11, 15 students and 2 faculty members were inducted into Ranney School’s Cum Laude Society Chapter. The nationally recognized scholastic honor society recognizes outstanding academic achievement in high school juniors and seniors, and inducts only the top 20% of a graduating senior class each year. The ceremony was led by Chapter President and Visual Arts Department Chair Kate Greenberg, and by Chapter Secretary and English faculty member Dr. Nicole Martone.  Student Council President Jerome Cohen opened the ceremony by leading the audience of Upper School students, faculty and inductee’s family members in the Pledge of Allegiance.
 
Framing a quote by Albert Einstein about “holy curiosity” in his opening talk, Head of School Dr. John Griffith reminded inductees of the importance of retaining a sense of wonder about the world around us. “One of the most important skills in academics lies in the formulation of good questions. Grades and honors like those presented this morning are really just the byproducts of curiosity and intellectual questioning…. We need to remember to keep a wonder, a holy curiosity, about not only academics but also about other people and their stories.”
 
Upper School Division Head Ms. Katie Gibson shared her own story with the audience, including her journey through an international baccalaureate program in high school to her early career as a professional contemporary dancer before finding her way into educational leadership. “So much of what we accomplish is because of the hard work of our families, who provide us with opportunities we would otherwise not have had. Please take the time to thank the people who got you where you are…and take the time to understand [their] stories. Do not discount what someone else might have to offer you simply because their story differs from yours. There is no one definition of intellect or excellence and the more open you are to your own gifts and to the gifts of others, the greater impact you will ultimately have on your own life, the lives of others and the world.”
 
The following students were inducted into Ranney School’s Cum Laude Society chapter:  
 
Nelson Daniel Chan*
Jerome Cohen*
Cameron Cranley
Grace Economou
Maxwell Godek
Sophia Jackman*
Jonathan Eugene Kelly
Sarah Klein
Leslie Liu
Vasilios Nicholas
Dean Parker*
Rachel Patel
Tessa Payer*
Rachel Staats*
Nicole Vaiani
 
*Designates Ranney Lifer students.
 
In addition, Yulin Zhu was awarded the Commended Scholar Prize, which goes to students in the top 20% of the class but that have not met the three-semester eligibility requirement. Yulin is an international student from Canada and this is his second semester attending Ranney. (Learn more about our international program.) He also plays on the varsity baseball team.
 
Inductee Tessa Payer, a senior, provided the first of two student reflections: “In a time such as this, where conflicts are generated worldwide due to misunderstandings of culture and beliefs, education has never been more important… A passion for learning and a willingness to devote hours to it takes us one step closer to understanding strangers, to ending misinformation and stopping conflict. And that’s really what it’s all about.”

The faculty inductees into Cum Laude included Dr. Alison Distefano, Upper School Science Teacher, and Dr. Dorothy Sobieski, All-Division Orchestra Director. They were inducted by Dr. Martone and Ms. Greenberg.
 
Upon receiving her certificate, Dr. Distefano, who earned her doctorate in chemistry from Rutgers University, told the audience: “As an adult, I now understand that life, both personal and academic, comes with many unexpected twists and turns… you must continue to push forward and persist because that drive and determination is what defines you in the long run…. It is not progressive to always take the easy road, but it is self-defeating to always set yourself up for failure as well. A true scholar can find the balance to keep moving forward while maintaining a healthy and happy existence.”
 
In her faculty reflection, Dr. Sobieski, who also earned her doctorate from Rutgers in music, said: “I LOVE what I do and I DO what I LOVE. I find it riveting to grasp not only the notes and rhythms, the bowings, the slurs, the double stops, but also the reasons why? Who was the person who wrote the music? Where did they live? How did they live? What prompted them to write it? … Is the message the same for me as it is for you?...The more questions you ask yourself, the more new questions you will find within the answers.  Asking the questions, pursuing the ‘Don Quixote; quest is far more fulfilling than finding the definite answers. Listen to that inner voice that guides you and pushes you every day, against the odds.
 
In closing, Dr. Sobieski performed on viola—her instrument of choice—a 1949 piece written by Grazyna Bacewicz, called the Polish Caprice. “I will be transposing the piece on the spot a 5th lower, adapting it to the rich, deep, mellow and sweet timbre of the viola.  If you listen closely and intently, I hope you will hear spoken through Bacewicz’s language and conveyed through my fingers, my own story.” View the video.
 
Both faculty members’ full bios appear below. Today’s ceremony also recognized those Ranney faculty members who earned Cum Laude Society or Phi Beta Kappa status prior to joining the school. New members included: Kara Draher, Eva Martin, Leslie Patient, Liz Rowland and Avani Tailor.
 
Senior and inductee Sarah Klein closed the ceremony, noting: “We have your classic natural geniuses up here: we have the math geeks, science geeks, and even some book worms, but each of us is more dimensional than that…. We have the violinists, painters, and some young Shakespeares. We have the hand bell player, charity starters and maybe even future Supreme Court justices. We have student government, spirit raisers and comedians. We have the model studiers and we also have mistake-makers… education is about building your personal repertoire. In other words, opening yourself to diversified experiences that allow you to observe new things, and in doing so, learn from them.”
 
Musical selections were provided during the ceremony by the Ranney Upper School Orchestra and Jazz Band, conducted by All-Division Band Director John Propper.


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Dr. Alison Distefano joined Ranney School in 2009 in the role of Upper School Science teacher. She has since also taken on the position of Assistant Dean of Student Discipline and serves as advisor to the Judicial Review Board, Community Standards Board and the New Jersey Science League. During her tenure at Ranney, she has advised the ESTA and Community Service clubs, served on the NHS Selection Committee, and chaperoned international trips. She was the co-advisor to Ranney’s Class of 2013. Dr. Distefano previously taught at the Trinity School in New York City and at Marietta College. Her research has been published in the Journal of Chemical Crystallography and Coordination Chemistry Review. Outside of Ranney, Dr. Distefano is an active volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
 
Dr. Dorothy Sobieski joined Ranney School in 2008 as an orchestra and general music teacher. Today, she serves as the school’s All-Division Orchestra Director and advises the Tri-M® Music Honor Society, Upper School Chamber Music Club and After-School Orchestra/String Activities. She is a faculty member of the Judicial Review Board as well. Outside of Ranney, Dr. Sobieski has served as a judge for the Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) regional auditions, New Jersey MEA All-State Auditions, and for the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra. She has been invited to conduct the CJMEA Elementary Honors Orchestra for three years in a row. Dr. Sobieski is the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of Kean University’s Preparatory Symphony Orchestra and of Georgian Court University’s String Orchestra. She is the recipient of the Art Scholarship Award from the Polish Ministry of Culture as well the International Primus Inter Pares Award, President of City of Warsaw Scholarship Award, and Best Soloist Award for International Music Impressions of Bydgoszcz.

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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
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