Congratulations to the 23 seniors from the MKA Class of 2021 who were inducted into the Cum Laude Society on Saturday, June 12. Established in 1906, the Cum Laude Society 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 Cum Laude selection process relies both on a record of academic excellence and on nominations from the academic departments that reflect the character of students’ engagement with teaching and learning.

In congratulating the inductees on their innumerable accomplishments that earned them Cum Laude distinction, alumnus and Cum Laude Society member Zachary Yanes ’13 illustrated for the students that “Education isn’t something that one possesses but is instead something flexible and attitudinal and process-oriented: it involves appreciating and understanding the resources available and keeping alive the curiosity to use those resources to continue inquiring about the world long after we have been compelled to do so as children in school.” He entreated all members of the audience “to  get to know your own mind [in order to] create space in your life.”

In his last of 16 Cum Laude Induction ceremonies, Head of School Thomas W. Nammack noted the extraordinary achievements of the student inductees and also acknowledged fellow retiree and an MKA teacher of 52 years George Hrab. Mr. Nammack said, “I can think of no other person who embodies the key ingredients of scholarship as fully as George Hrab; the discipline of putting forth one’s best effort every day, of keeping the work fresh, engaging the minds of the people around you, no matter who they are, and the quiet dignity that comes from an unwavering purpose.”

The 2021 inductees are Lola Coleman, Julia Conforti, Nathaniel Corbett, Anthony DiMaggio, Jeremiah Druckenmiller, Taylor Everson, Emani Fung, Spencer Goldberg, Madison Golodner, Nihaar Gopalji, Ariel Grossman, Alexander Korfhage, Aidan Larish, Isabel Lucas, Zoe Lynch, Rohan Moniz, Riley Rendino, OB Sedransk, Isabella Szyfer, Ethan Williams, Sanaa Williams, Oliver Winters, Darren Zou. View their senior portraits.