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Ranney School Celebrates Graduation of the Class of 2026

Ranney School’s 103-member Class of 2026 celebrated its commencement on the campus of Monmouth University on Friday, May 22. Twenty of the seniors, known as “Ranney Lifers,” attended the school for 10 or more years. Eight seniors committed to play a sport at the next level, including swimming, lacrosse, gymnastics, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, and golf. Next fall, the group will head off to attend some of the most prestigious colleges and universities across the country. For a complete list of colleges, visit ranneyschool.org. 

In her salutatorian address, Mia Grossman, who will be heading to Washington University of St. Louis in the fall, said, “..But it occurs to me that we’re so privileged to grow up in an environment where academic success is normalized, which often makes us take the power of the community around us for granted…. What I’ve realized is that we are more than our academic achievements. We are shaped by the connections we make with the people around us… My perspective changed when I realized that many of my most meaningful achievements were not rooted in my personal academic accolades. Instead, they were filled with moments where I made fruitful connections with others in my community….At Ranney, we have been given more than an education; we’ve been given the opportunity to grow as individuals by supporting one another. The encouragement we’ve received from our teachers will shape the way we uplift others. The kindness we’ve been shown by our peers will influence the way we treat others with empathy and compassion.”

Head of School Dr. John Griffith shared,” Athletically, artistically, and, especially academically, this is an incredibly impressive and historically large group of students. These graduates in the Class of 2026 have emerged with one of our core qualities, resilience. Standing here today, it’s impossible not to reflect on just how much this class has endured and overcome. These past Middle and Upper School years have been anything but typical – marked by a global pandemic, geopolitical shifts, social unrest, AI, international conflicts, the shifting college admissions landscape , and the rapid change in so many facts of our lives. But through it all, this class has shown grit and determination to keep moving forward, together.”

Sophia Neff, who will attend Cornell University in the fall, said in her valedictorian speech, “...At a school like ours (ambitious, talented, and competitive), it becomes easy to measure ourselves through external things: grades, accolades, leadership positions, college placement… the list goes on, really. But reconnecting with art these past few months has reminded me that academic success is not the only way to become a fulfilled and nourished person. None of us are finished products at 18 years old - there is still so much of us left to discover. 

Sophia continued, “This is why authenticity is imperative. While ambition pushes us to grow, if we build our identity around achievement alone, eventually the question creeps into our heads: ‘What do other people want me to become,’ instead of ‘Who am I, actually?’

“The best safeguard against this, saving years of dissatisfaction, is a strong sense of self. In a world increasingly driven by performance, outrage, and image, being thoughtful and genuine is its own kind of courage,” said Neff.

“We are three months away from reinventing ourselves in a completely new environment. This is where authenticity is paramount. Embrace what scares you. TAlk to someone you’ve wanted to but haven’t. Know who you are, honor where you came from, and ask hard questions.”

At the graduation ceremony, nine students were awarded with honors:

Headmaster's Cup – Saahil Gala (New York University)
Faculty Prize – Maeve Presutti (King’s College London)
Faculty Prize – Yucheng “Jeremy” Li (University of Wisconsin)
Ann Kappel Citizenship and Service Award – Ilana Kasner (University of Georgia)
Gershom Tomlinson Humanitarian Award – Mia Grossman (Washington University in St. Louis)
Robert Paulus Leadership and Perseverance Award – Darren Twomey (Boston College)
Margaret M. Mahon Award – Jonathan Stubbs (Emory University)
Lawrence S. Sykoff Award- Annabel Sparano (Columbia University)
Ranney School Leadership Award – Reilly Moini (Williams College)
 
Please view additional honors that were awarded at the Senior Celebration and Convocation:    
       
L.C. Lane English Award - George Dohrenwend (Middlebury College)
History – Maeve Presutti (King’s College London)
Mathematics – Sophia Neff (Cornell University)
Instrumental/Orchestra - Mingyu Zhang (University of Virginia)
Instrumental/Jazz - Ryan Hunter (University of Richmond)
Performing Arts/Vocal - Josh Portnoy (Colby College)
Performing Arts/Theater - O’Hara Kane-Assatly (University of California, Berkeley)
Matt Callahan ’13 Memorial Award for Tech Theater - Reilly Moini (Williams College)
Science – Dhananjay Chauhan (Purdue University) and Quinlan Miller (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
Visual Arts/ 2D Painting – Gwendolyn Canzonier (Brown University)
Kate Greenberg Art Purchase Prize – Ava Ansell (Colgate University)
Spanish – O’Hara Kane Assatly (University of California, Berkeley)
Mandarin – Gwendolyn Canzonier (Brown University)
French – Jonathan Stubbs (Emory University)
Computer Science, Engineering, & Technology – Mingyu Zhang (University of Virginia)
Robotics – Joshua Moini (Drexel University)
Ram Sheila Bharara Award – Yasmeen Khan (Lehigh University)
Excellence in Citizenship - Dhananjay Chauhan (Purdue University) and  Mia Grossman (Washington University in St. Louis)
Scholar Athletes of the Year - Mia Grossman (Washington University in St. Louis), Samson Landers (Occidental College), Alexander Lennon (Villanova University), Ciara Sittig (Grinnell College)
Athletes of the Year - Luci Hedden (University of Delaware), Noah Hynes (University of Massachusetts at Amherst), Eddie Magherini (Gettysburg College), Kennedy Poser (Manhattan University)
Edwards Spirit of Tennis Scholarship Awards - Luke Greco (University of Miami) and Annabel Sparano (Columbia University)
Three-Sport Varsity Athlete Award - Jason Meng (University of Southern California), Daniel Zheng (Emory University), Kaylee Godfrey (Montclair State University), Dylan Pagonis (University of Miami), Kennedy Poser (Manhattan University), Savanna Stemmermann (University of Virginia)
NJSIAA Scholar Athlete Award - Samson Landers (Occidental College)
Shore Conference Sportsmanship Award - Eddie Magherini (Gettysburg College) and Annabelle Sparano (Columbia University)
STEAM Certificate - Mia Grossman (Washington University in St. Louis), Reilly Moini (Williams College), Sophia Neff (Cornell University), Xinge Ye (New York University)
Global Citizenship Certificate - Gwendolyn Canzonier (Brown University), George Dohrenwend (Middlebury College), Kaia Karp (University of Wisconsin), Kylie Newton (Vanderbilt University), Maeve Presutti (King’s College of London), Elizabeth Wood (Sacred Heart University)
Business and Financial Studies Certificate - Lawrence Royce (Northeastern University) and Marc Rafael Vykhopen (Pennsylvania State University)
National Merit Scholars - George Dohrenwend (Middlebury College), Reilly Moini (Williams College)
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.