US Scholars Inducted Into Cum Laude Society During Virtual Ceremony
Head of School Tom Reid welcomed a virtual audience to the Benjamin School’s 8th annual Cum Laude Society induction the morning of April 23.
Reid said despite the trying circumstances that he and the School were extremely pleased to be celebrating “the highest academic honor bestowed upon a Benjamin student.”
With 382 chapters across the country and only 20 chapters in Florida, the Cum Laude society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools for the purpose of promoting excellence, justice and honor.
Seniors Caroline Moody and Christian Baldari, who were both inducted into the prestigious society, began the program with a tribute to outgoing Assistant Head for Academics Ken Didsbury.
“The son of a reporter in Providence, Rhode Island, Mr. Dids has been the advisor of The Pharcyde since 2003. He has lead the paper to countless regional and national accolades . . . his unfaltering commitment to the betterment of all Buccaneers and the School itself makes him the perfect speaker for the ceremony today,” said Baldari.
Didsbury challenged the digital audience to find their inner voice, listen to that voice, and ask the right questions.
“Each of us asks questions. We ask questions all the time. The challenge is to listen to the inner voice and ask what do these questions have in common . . . start paying attention to what sparks your curiosity. What conversations are you having in your head that can point you in the right direction. Listen to your inner voice,” said Didsbury.
Didsbury encouraged listeners to ignore those who say you can’t do it, no matter what “it” is. Further, he reminded those in attendance that they don’t have to journey on the road to achievement alone.
“As this coronavirus has shown us, great things are rarely achieved alone. We’ve watched communities come together in remarkable ways. Their collective efforts are greater than the sum of their parts. Each of us brings unique talents that ensure we do our best work . . . when we work together we share in the joys and we support each other in our adversities. As you’ve watched the medical teams help the severely ill, it’s not hard to imagine how they support each other and make the challenges bearable. They’re doing very challenging work. They’re facing real obstacles. And yet together they are able to push on and do good things,” said Didsbury.
Head of Upper School Fletcher Carr then inducted the following 19 members of the Class of 2020 into the Cum Laude Society:
Alec Adam
Nicholas Amato
Vincent Amato
Christian Baldari
Leslie Berg
Ellie Blain
Ashley Cousin
Alexandra Denholtz
Catherine Dunkin
Emily Horgen
Kassandra Jutis
Nicolas Lama
Kiersten Malmberg
Caroline Moody
James Richardson
Dean Silvers
Heather SLey
Justin Stohlman
Tatiana Ziff
“Ultimately an institution is only as good as its people,” said Carr. “To that I say to all of you - well done.”
Main Address & Lower/Middle School
11000 Ellison Wilson RoadNorth Palm Beach, FL 33408
Ph: 561.626.3747
A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.