Cum Laude Society Welcomes Twelve New Members

Ranney School’s chapter of the prestigious Cum Laude Society welcomed 12 new members during a March 11 induction ceremony in RSPA Panther Hall. Twelve Upper School seniors, one faculty member and one distinguished alumni became the ninth “class” to be honored at Ranney School.

The Cum Laude Society, founded in 1906, recognizes student academic achievement, as well as excellence in teaching in secondary schools. Membership is limited to the top twenty percent of a school’s graduating class.

Students inducted from the Class of 2009 included: Aaron Absatz, Katherine Adams, Paul Allegra, Alyssa Flashburg, Hannah Goldstein, Kelly Harmon, Christina Henricks, Lauren Hoffman, Anna Mrzyglocki, Gregory Stormes, Jessica Watkins and Katherine Weinstein. Also inducted, Ranney Middle School Drama instructor John Doyle and Assad H. Samra, M.D., Ranney School Class of 1993.

In his welcoming remarks to several hundred students, faculty, family and friends, Head of School Dr. Lawrence S. Sykoff congratulated the new inductees for not only attaining high GPAs, but what he affectionately referred to as “CPA’s” - Character Point Averages. “You have distinguished yourself academically, intellectually and morally, establishing your own non-profits, building homes for the homeless, comforting the sick and providing food for the needy,” Dr. Sykoff said. “The world in which we live needs Ranney graduates, now, more than ever before.”

Assistant Head of Upper School and President of the Ranney Cum Laude Chapter David Fischer reminded students that despite today’s circumstances, the future is always open to possibility. “If history has taught us anything, it has taught us that dark times are inevitably followed by brighter days. It is so, however, because young men and women like you stay away from truly fearful things like complacency, isolation, mediocrity, and apathy. These are the things you should fear.”

This year, for the first time, the student’s advisors took the stage, offering personal and sometimes humorous accounts of each inductee’s academic career at Ranney. Then Upper School Head John Lewis joined Dr. Sykoff and David Fischer to present each student with a gold cord symbolizing membership in Cum Laude. Speaking on behalf of the student inductees, Paul Allegra credited his teachers for shaping him and his fellow classmates into the scholars that they are today. “Teachers like the ones who teach at Ranney, can’t be found anywhere else. Their wisdom, fused with their personalities, has made my education here so fulfilling.” Fellow inductee Jessica Watkins echoed the theme. “Today is not just a celebration of the individual,” Jessica said. “It is a remembrance of all those who put equations in our minds, books in our hands and a song in our hearts.”

Following the student induction, Art Department Chair Kate Greenberg and Performing Arts Director Tess Nielsen offered words of praise for their fellow faculty member and inductee, drama teacher John Doyle. A Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar, Mr. Doyle has been a teacher, actor, director, choreographer, real estate agent and even a professional stunt man. Pointing out that his varied resume is a reflection of his love of the pursuit of knowledge; he challenged the students to do the same. “Let yourself wander through books and the internet just for the joy of discovering topics that make you want to explore more. Let you mind, your heart, your life gather knowledge only for the sake of owning that knowledge.”

The final honorary inductee was Dr. Samra, a gifted plastic surgeon on staff at Riverview Medical Center who graduated Ranney School in 1993. Dr. Samra reminded the future Ranney alums that success is a journey, not a destination. “Ranney has been a part of that journey, and through your continued hard work and quest for scholarship, I am sure that you will taste the sweetness of success.”

All Cum Laude members and inductees wore black academic robes, while faculty and administrators donned the hoods of their college discipline and highest degree. In addition to a membership certificate, plaque and pin, the students each received a Ranney medallion, framed with a letter of congratulations from Dr. Sykoff. The ceremony was followed by morning tea and refreshments served in Ranney’s Searle Library.

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.