Twenty-nine Seniors Inducted into the Cum Laude Society

Twenty-nine students from the Class of 2022 were inducted into the MICDS Chapter of the Cum Laude Society on Friday, April 22.

Founded in 1906, the Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools. The founders of the society modeled Cum Laude after Phi Beta Kappa, and in the years since its founding, Cum Laude has grown to 382 chapters. The St. Louis Country Day School chapter of the Cum Laude Society was formed in 1926, and the Mary Institute chapter originated in 1941.

The motto of the Society is Areté, Diké, Timé – Excellence, Justice, Honor. Areté includes the concept of excellence in the moral sense and is not limited to the ideal of superiority and scholarship, nor does it involve the endeavor of competing primarily for academic goals. Diké includes the concept of what is suitable and appropriate, as well as just. Timé includes the concept of dignity and truth, as well as honor.

The MICDS Chapter of the Cum Laude Society is comprised of the top 20% of the senior class, each inductee being required to have completed three or more Advanced Placement courses, and be free of disciplinary infractions. As part of the induction process, each candidate shared one of their Common App essays for review by the Cum Laude faculty members. The faculty selected Sam Baumohl ’22 and Sophie Fendler ’22 to share their essays during the ceremony.

The following members from the Class of 2022 were selected for membership in the MICDS Chapter of the Cum Laude Society:

Nigina Aripova ’22
Selina Balci ’22
Siri Battula ’22
Sam Baumohl ’22
Sonia Bhayani ’22
Aishani Chakraborty ’22
Basil Cosmopoulos ’22
Sophie Fendler ’22
Ellie Gira ’22
Kasia Gorzko ’22
Bogdan Hamilton ’22
Nina Hamilton ’22
Sophie Henriksen ’22
Andrew Kuznetsov ’22
Peyton LaMartina ’22
Sam Lustgarten ’22
Maggie Maguire ’22
Audrey Mahoney ’22
Ryan Mauney ’22
Gretchen Mertz ’22
Kate Oliver ’22
Frank Ragone ’22
Olivia Rickers ’22
Layan Salman ’22
Emma Scally ’22
Bjorn Sjogren ’22
Alden Small ’22
Cecily Taylor ’22
Kathleen Yuan ’22

Congratulations to our newest Cum Laude Society members!