On April 19, 17 members of the Class of 2024 were inducted into the Cum Laude Society,  a national organization whose mission is to recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement in secondary schools across the country.  In addition to academic excellence, the Cum Laude Society recognizes “students who have demonstrated good character, honor, and integrity in all aspects of their school life.” 

The seventeen new members of Cum Laude have had superlative success with their academic studies during their junior year and the first half of their senior year, as reflected in their weighted grade point averages that constitute the top 20% of the class.  They have done so in the context so familiar to all KO students–that of juggling a variety of commitments beyond the classroom, including extracurricular clubs, sports, leadership roles, the college process, and often responsibilities outside of KO as well.  As is also true at KO, they have embraced the challenges, persevered through the disappointments, and thrived in an environment rich with caring adults, engaged peers, and supportive families.

The 2024 inductees were Esther Arimoro, Emma Barringer, Nicolai Benz, Ashley Buckingham, Ava Cashman, Maia Killory, Andrew LaCroix, Alexander Levin, Keysy Lopez Diaz, Diya Mistri, Samir Patel, Oskar Ruser, Dhruv Suryadevara, Loretta Szych, Nicolas Tippner, Shuhan Zhang, and Tianyu Zheng.

Jack Wolf ’16, three-sport athlete, Senior Prefect, Shield and Dragon ambassador, and All-New England soccer player, served as the keynote speaker. Wolf is currently in his fourth year as a medical student at UConn, interested in anesthesiology working at a children’s hospital.

Noting that he was not much older than the inductees themselves, he said that many life events transpire between high school graduation and his current age of 26.

“It might not seem like that much time, but crazy stuff happens,” he said laughingly.  “You’ll live in new places. You’ll get kicked off your parent’s insurance. You will use the phrase ‘back in high school.’”

Using his love for chemistry and biochemistry, Wolf wove his talk around scientific vocabulary, knowing that the students assembled, with their “nerd energy and nerd capacity,” would understand and appreciate his keynote.

By applying electron cloud theory, which calculates the probability that an electron is in a certain space around a nucleus, Wolf stated that the nucleus of KO will always be sending positive energy to the students as they move on to college.

“You will bump into people, information, and ideas that excite you to a new or different energy level,” he said. “Enjoy these opportunities because they can be truly amazing. But remember to use that healthy level of skepticism and analysis, what you learned, to stay balanced and grounded.”

He shared practical advice like staying hydrated, releasing endorphins through working out, laughing with friends, and establishing deep connections with others. With O2, oxygen, he reminded the group to take a deep breath when stressed.

And in one last analogy using covalent bonds, Wolf said the most crucial aspect of the college years is to form deep, meaningful relationships.