Darlington School seniors at the top of the class of 2004 were inducted into Darlington’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society, the secondary school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the Morris Chapel.
The following students were inducted: Laura Elise Bennett, Alissa Nicole Forrester, Maximilian Edward Hinton, Stephanie Diane Hom, Abigail McGraw, Laura Kay McGuire, Thansuda Mekaroonvidhaya, Joseph Grant Muller, William Andrew Parker, Thanawat Pruksananont, Xaivie Virginia Ringer, Meggin Marie Roberts, Nathanael Page Sumner, Brightman Samuel Thomas, Mika Bianca Wells, Margaret Lydie White, and William Benjamin White. Returning faculty chapter members Madge Brown Crawford ’84, J. Bailey Duncan III ’98, and Rachel Ann Rice ’98 were also recognized.
Associate headmaster and dean of college guidance, Sam Moss ’63, serves as the Cum Laude Society chapter president along with chapter secretary and academic dean Sally Rudert ’66. Faculty members who are members of the Cum Laude Society participated in the installation, including Charlotte Smith, Annual Fund gift officer, who gave the invocation; Penelope P. Braden ’87, technology assistant, who read the scripture; Gordon Lee Hight III ’94, Upper School history instructor, who read the Cum Laude Society motto; and W. Gordon Neville Jr. ’55, associate headmaster and dean of students, who shared the history and purpose of the society.
Membership in the Cum Laude Society is the highest academic honor Darlington can bestow on a group of students. Membership is based on superior academic performance in ninth through twelfth grades. In order to be eligible for consideration, students must meet the following minimum standards: an A (93) average for all four years, at least eight Honors or AP courses over four years (or two each year), a very high class rank, and a satisfactory personal record. Because membership is limited to approximately 10 percent of the senior class, all students who meet the above qualifications may not be admitted. Election is by majority vote of the in-residence membership.
