Twenty seniors from the MKA Class of 2012 were inducted into the Cum Laude Society at a formal ceremony held at the Upper School on June 9.
David Newman, MKA Class of 1999, an attorney and former law clerk to Judge Amalya Kearse gave the (often humorous) address and reflected not only on how things had changed since his time at the Upper School (such as the school’s first email system with the address “your name at mka dot pvt dot k 12 dot nj dot us”) but also on how fundamentally they have stayed the same, “I can tell you that you had something pretty special here. You had teachers who wanted to see you develop as a scholar, as a person, and as a citizen. You had classmates who weren’t just friends, but also respected your abilities and encouraged your interests. And you all thrived here, not by gaming the system to maximize your GPA, or by putting on a one-size-fits-all “honor student” costume that someone handed to you. Instead, you each excelled by approaching your studies as the individuals that you are, as your genuine selves. You achieved mastery over high school with a kind of honesty, with integrity. And I hope that today and tomorrow, as you look back on your education at MKA, you all feel that way about what you accomplished here.”
The Cum Laude Society, established in l906, is modeled on the Phi Beta Kappa Collegiate National Honor Society and recognizes the scholastic achievement of secondary school students. It is the highest academic honor bestowed on members of the graduating class.
The student inductees are: Yanick Couture, Hope Dancy, Alexandra DeRosa, David Frankl, Zachary Friedman, Devon Geyelin, Katherine Goulder, Michael Greenwald, Nell Hryshko, Nicholas Lordi, John Mallock, Lauren Martin, Casey Musicant, Dylan Parker, Devika Patel, Emma Sterling, Benjamin Stern, Allison Sweeney, Madeline Turner and Jordan Walters.
