Seventeen seniors were inducted into the KO chapter of the Cum Laude Society on Friday, Jan. 29 during an Upper School assembly that members of the KO Community watched on Zoom during advisee group. This year, the induction ceremony and dinner for students and families took place virtually.
The following seniors were inducted: Matt Bzowyckyj, Shreeya Chalikonda, Tommy Dan, Brandon DeLucia, Aaron Duan, Sloan Duvall, Felix Fei, Braden Flowers, Kyle Frankel, Emma Henry, Jane Liang, Sadie Margolis, Ahana Nagarkatti, Olivia Pear, Ethan Raisner, Snehaa Ram, and Jacob Schwartz.
Cum Laude is an academic honor earned by the top 20% of the senior class based on grades from the junior and senior years. Joining the Cum Laude Society is a private school academic recognition but is equivalent to the Honor Society in public school and Phi Beta Kappa at the college level.
English teacher and President of the Cum Laude Society Ron Monroe spoke during the assembly to announce the exciting information about the newest Cum Laude inductees. Other members of the KO Cum Laude Society include Director of Academic Planning Carolyn McKee, Head of the Upper School Daniel Gleason, Director of College Advising Jami Silver, and French teacher Ryan Brodeur.
Mr. Monroe spoke at the assembly to talk about what Cum Laude is and who the newest members were. “The Latin phrase Cum Laude translates to ‘with praise’ or ‘with honor’ and is often associated with academic accomplishments,” he said. “Cum Laude Society is a national organization that recognizes scholastic achievements at secondary schools nationwide.”
Not only does Cum Laude recognize academic excellence but also the qualities of good citizenship at KO. “In addition to academic excellence, Cum Laude recognizes students who have demonstrated good character, honor, and integrity in all aspects of their school life,” Mr. Monroe said. “The new members’ efforts are especially commendable since they have excelled at their commitments during club commitments, team leadership, and college advising all making major demands on their time.” Mr. Monroe went on to say that this was especially impressive as students managed to excel during the challenges of the pandemic.
The faculty committee does not meet very often, although it consists of the people who decide who gets inducted into the Cum Laude Society. “It is important that we have this committee because sometimes there is a decision to be made as to whether or not the student also meets the citizenship criteria for Cum Laude,” Mr. Monroe said.
While Cum Laude honors students with the highest academic achievement at KO, teachers want to encourage students to strive for excellence in other areas as well. “There are so many great achievements at KO to honor, not just academics, but athletics, art, and creativity, too,” Dr. Gleason said.
Mr. Monroe’s advice for students is to always do their best. “Do the best you can in and out of your classes, but that does not mean that you have to get all A’s,” Mr. Monroe said.
As for the current inductees, Shreeya described herself as a hardworking, determined perfectionist. “This helped me be part of Cum Laude because I have always held my standards really high for my work, and I always make sure that I know what I am doing,” she said. “I hate when I do something half-way, so I like to do all my work completely, thoroughly, and make it the best that I can.”
Shreeya’s advice for students at KO is to always meet with teachers if you are having trouble. “I know a lot of people who usually just resort to asking their friends about stuff, and sometimes that works,” she said. “However, having a good relationship with your teacher and being able to meet with them separately really helps, and I know that I made use of that a lot,” Shreeya said.
Sloan described herself as positive, determined, and persistent. “I think these qualities helped me in my classes as I always approach everything with an optimistic outlook and always try my best,” Sloan said.
Sloan’s advice for students is to give it your all. “Have the mentality of graduating high school with no regrets,” she said.
Ahana describes herself as persistent, diligent, and curious. “When I came across a challenge, I did my best to not give up and figure it out with what I knew and what I was doing,” she said. “In those challenges, I was trying to get courage and do the very best I could and not give up just because something is difficult.”
Ahana’s advice for students currently at KO is to always try your best, even if something is not easy. “Don’t let something challenging defeat you. Keep trying even if you do not get it on the first try, and also if you find something that you don’t think you will be interested in, you should try it out anyways because you do not know what you will learn from it. Even if you do not like it, you will learn more about yourself and what you do like,” Ahana said.
Sadie described herself as a passionate and empathetic leader. “I would suggest using your creative outlet as a guide through your classes which I think above all these qualities, helped me earn this honor,” she said. “For example, I created Sadie’s Soapbox last year in AP English and wrote a rap this year in AP Political Science, resembling the style of Hamilton about the Federalist Paper 51.” Sadie emphasized that creativity allows you to take risks you otherwise wouldn’t, which helps you to connect with your classes.
The Cum Laude inductees have big plans for the future, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve. Next year, Ahana will be going to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. to play tennis and pursue economics and biology. Sadie plans to study musical theatre and vocal performance. While Sloan does not yet know her plans for next year, she can’t wait to continue visiting KO in the future.
