Upper School seniors chosen for the honorary Dwight-Englewood School Chapter of the Cum Laude Society were recognized at a special induction ceremony on Wednesday, April 10.  The Cum Laude Society is the most prestigious membership organization for independent school students nationwide;  Dwight-Englewood faculty, staff, and students' family and friends were in attendance for the induction event, held in the School's Hajjar Auditorium. 

The mission of Cum Laude "is to recognize academic achievement in secondary schools for the purpose of promoting excellence (Areté), justice (Diké) and honor (Timé).  In the words of Peter Bograd, D-E's Cum Laude Chapter President and D-E faculty member, "Those students we honor tonight are exceptional examples of young men and women who practice these values every day, in the classroom, in their activities, and in their communities."

As is tradition, the evening was highlighted by faculty members' personal comments on each of the student honorees.  Music was performed by the instrumental ensemble StringJam.  The ceremony also featured keynote speaker remarks from D-E alumnus Sam Wharton Lessin '01.  Lessin has played a key role with social media giant Facebook, among other things having been involved in the company's creation of the Timeline.   Bograd noted, "Sam spoke eloquently about the fact that life is not a straight line. You make decisions as they come, try to make the best choices, and, if you follow your passion, you will land where you want to be. Sam felt that working at Facebook fulfilled his desire of doing something really important -- helping people share ideas and preserve memories."

Bograd then added that "during the dinner, the [presenting faculty members'] speeches [were equally meaningful] and ranged from the serious to the humorous.  [All] highlighted the close relationship between faculty and students that continues to define this school."

The students from the Class of 2013 who were inducted into the Cum Laude Society are as follows:

Geraldine Bustamente

Jung Yeon Choe

Jake Drobner

Gillian Garcia
Wendi Guan

Katia Hajjar

Alexis Inguaggiato

Alberto Jimenez

David Jimenez

Benjamin Kaufman

Evan King

Dana Koscielny

Kailen Krame

Rachel Kupelian

Joshua Kurtz

Jean Li

Muen Li
Rebecca Lunt

Zoe Oz

Zachary Rosen

Noah Rosenberg
Da Yeon Song
Foster Song
Leah Steinmetz
Melissa Trager