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235 Hope Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724  /  732.542.4777

Congratulations to the Extraordinary Class of 2019

Ranney School’s 95-member Class of 2019 celebrated its commencement at OceanFirst Bank Center of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ on May 23. Thirty-five of the seniors, known as “Ranney Lifers,” had attended the school for 10 or more years. Next fall, the entire group will head off to attend some of the most prestigious colleges and universities across the country, including Yale, Columbia, Duke, Cornell, Georgetown, Emory, Wake Forest, Villanova, and University of Chicago. For a complete list of colleges, visit ranneyschool.org.
 
In his address to the Class of 2019, Head of School Dr. John W. Griffith said, ‘To quote from Whitman, ‘O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?’ ‘Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?’
 
“These lines seemed especially relevant to the Ranney School class of 2019. What will your contribution and legacy be? What has your verse been at Ranney? What will your verse be at college and long after? Commencements are good times to think about that question posed by Keating, as you prepare to start anew. The Keating character [Dead Poets’ Society] urges his students: ‘Carpe Diem… Make your lives extraordinary.’ Certainly a powerful and daunting challenge. But if there was ever a class that seized the day and grasped every opportunity, it is this one.”
 
The Class of 2019 demonstrates how Ranney students are encouraged to discover and engage all of their unique talents and interests through robust student life programs and a nurturing learning community. The class is the largest in school history, and represents a diverse group with talents that showcase a wide range of passions. There were 55 seniors who were National Honor Society members, and 19 seniors inducted into Cum Laude Society. There were eight Gold Keys, 12 Silver Keys, and 16 Honorable Mention awards earned by Ranney’s Visual Arts seniors in the Scholastic Art Competition.
 
Two seniors were part of Team 3815M, which competed in the Robotics World’s Competition in Lexington, Kentucky (Alex Klatsky of Colts Neck, who will attend the University of Florida, and Jiawen “Kevin” Yu of West Allenhurst, who will attend the University of California, San Diego.) Valedictorian Anna Effenberger of Colts Neck (attending Cornell) won Best in Show at the Congressional Art Competition. The class also raised awareness and supported multiple charitable causes, including George “Scottie” Lewis of Hazlet (attending University of Florida) hosting Hoops for the Homeless and Chris Autino of Rumson (attending Georgetown), who hosted Theresa’s Throwdown, a fundraiser for Joan Dancy & PALS in memory of his mother.
 
There were also 11 seniors who are signed to play athletics at the collegiate level after a class that will have names in the record books for years to come. The boys’ basketball team won the Tournament of Champions for the first time in school history, the sailing team was ranked seventh nationally, there were many track records set, and the school had its first-ever collegiate football player signing. (Bryan Antoine of Tinton Falls who will play basketball at Villanova; Luke Arnone of Mantoloking who will be sailing at Yale University; Chris Autino of Rumson who will play football at Georgetown; Mikayla DeSaye of Tinton Falls who will dance at Villanova; Shana Fitzmaurice of Spring Lake who will run track at Emory University; Cameron Giblin who will sail at Tulane University; Ethan Gavin of Shrewsbury who will play baseball at Middlebury College; Matthew Hamelsky of Marlboro who will sail at Boston University; Alex Klatsky of Colts Neck who will play basketball at University of Florida; George “Scottie” Lewis of Hazlet who will play basketball at University of Florida; and Ariana Mangano of Colts Neck who will fence at Columbia.)
 
In her commencement speech, Valedictorian Anna Effenberger said, “It is up to us to see the potential for growth and learn from whatever life throws at us.” She urged her classmates: “I hope that you don’t wait to begin your journey. I hope that you face challenges head on, and come out stronger and better than you ever were before. I know that great things are in store for the Class of 2019.” Anna, from Colts Neck, will be attending Cornell in the fall. In addition to earning many visual arts honors over the course of her time at Ranney, Anna was also named to the All-Shore First Team in girls’ golf this year and also competed on the tennis team.
 
Added Salutatorian Jacob Egol of Holmdel, “Our class motto this year was ‘making an impact, leaving a legacy,’ and I believe we have done just that; as a class, we’ve truly done it all. Whether in academics, athletics, or the arts, our class always shined. There are 95 of us; we are the biggest graduating class in Ranney history, which seems appropriate: we are a giant class with giant accomplishments.
 
“We should periodically flip through our Ranney albums and reflect upon just how much we have been shaped by our experiences at 235 Hope Road, and we have been part of a truly remarkable community.” Jacob, an accomplished musician, is a member of the Ranney School Orchestra, as well as a member of the golf and History Bowl teams. Jacob will be attending Duke University this fall.
 
At the graduation ceremony, 10 students were awarded with special honors:
Headmaster's Cup – Chris Autino of Rumson (Georgetown University)
Gershom Tomlinson Humanitarian Award – George “Scottie” Lewis of Hazlet (University of Florida) and Ava Panza of Morganville (Berklee College of Music)
Faculty Prize – Brielle LoBello of Toms River (The George Washington University) and Jacob Egol of Holmdel (Duke University)
Ann Kappel Citizenship and Service Award – Shayna Field of Tinton Falls (Brandeis University)
Robert Paulus Leadership and Perserverance Award – Zhenglun “Alan” Li of Colts Neck (Emory University)
Margaret M. Mahon Award – Ava Jacoby of Long Branch (University of Maryland, College Park)
Lawrence S. Sykoff Award- Fabio Tessiore of West Long Branch (University of Pennsylvania)
Ranney School Leadership Award – Alex Klatsky of Colts Neck (University of Florida)
 
At Honors Convocation on May 3 in Panther Hall, the following students were awarded additional honors:
History – Catherine Vucetic of Holmdel (New York University)
Economics – Mia Glass of Little Silver (Cornell University)
L.C. Lane English – Lindsey Maher of Colts Neck (Brown University)
Science – Shayna Field of Tinton Falls (Brandeis University)
Mathematics – Anna Effenberger of Colts Neck (Cornell University)
Computer Science – Benjamin Krashaar of Marlboro (University of Pennsylvania)
French – Julia Wolf of Point Pleasant Beach (Mount Holyoke College)
Spanish – Jacob Egol of Holmdel (Duke University)
Chinese – Anna Effenberger of Colts Neck (Cornell University)
Performing Arts (Vocal) – Ava Jacoby of Long Branch (University of Maryland, College Park)
Performing Arts (Instrumental Jazz Music) – Abby Spear of Ocean (Skidmore College)
Performing Arts (Orchestral Music) – Jacob Egol of Holmdel (Duke University)
Performing Arts (Theater) - Bailey Finkel Zenner of Wall (American University)
Matt Callahan Award for Excellence in Theater Backstage – Sofia Wahba of Holmdel (The George Washington University)
Visual Arts (Sculpture) – Priyanka Prasad of Freehold (New York University)
Visual Arts (Photography) – Jenna Banks of Monroe (The George Washington University) and Julianna Troccoli of Tinton Falls (Villanova)
Visual Arts (Painting & Drawing) – Anna Effenberger of Colts Neck (Cornell University)
Ram Sheila Bharara Communications Award – George “Scottie” Lewis of Hazlet (University of Florida)
AP Scholar Awards – Alex Klatsky of Colts Neck (University of Florida) and Katherine Geraghty of Colts Neck (Georgetown University)
Eugenie B. Edwards Spirit of Tennis – Sophia Salvador of Spring Lake (Wake Forest University)
Global Studies Certificate – Julia Wolf of Point Pleasant Beach (Mount Holyoke College)
Senior Excellence in Citizenship – Chris Autino of Rumson (Georgetown University)
and Abby Spear of Ocean (Skidmore 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.