Three from West Hartford were inducted as new members of Kingswood Oxford’s Cum Laude Honor Society.

KO’s Cum Laude honor society welcomed 20 new members at an induction ceremony and dinner on Feb. 18, 2016. Submitted photo

Submitted by Michelle M. Murphy, Kingswood Oxford School

In a warm and dignified ceremony in Conklin Library on Feb. 18, 20 members of the Class of ’16 were inducted into KO’s chapter of the Cum Laude honor society.

The Cum Laude Society is a national honor society for independent schools. Founded in 1906 and modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, it comprises 382 chapters in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. To qualify, students must be in the top 20 percent of the class by the end of the first semester of senior year and must have demonstrated good citizenship.

Cum Laude chapter president Dr. Ann Serow presided over the induction, reflecting on the history of the organization and praising the seniors for the academic diligence that had qualified them for acceptance.

Head of School Dennis Bisgaard congratulated the students, as well, remarking that the inductees were not just scholars, but also actors, artists, athletes, and campus leaders.

Following the ceremony, the inductees and their parents, along with several faculty and staff, enjoyed dinner in Mead Dining Hall, featuring keynote speaker Caroline Chiappetti ’07, who grew up in Simsbury.

A second-year student at Harvard Law School, Chiappetti graduated from Williams College and has worked for a number of organizations focused on civil liberties and reproductive rights.

In her thoughtful and touching remarks, Chiappetti reflected on how well KO had prepared her for college and beyond. She concluded by encouraging the inductees to always “be critical, be creative, and be kind.”

This year’s Cum Laude inductees are:

• Alexandra Banasiewicz, daughter of Eric Banasiewicz & Rebecca Cole of Windsor
• Edward Beerbower, son of Douglas & Nancy Beerbower of Weatogue
• Alexa Casale, daughter of Robert & Teresa Casale of Bristol
• Ahmad Chughtai, son of Irfan Chughtai & Syeda Irfan of Farmington
• Emma Cowper, daughter of Shawn Cowper & Carolyn Rambus of Killingworth
• Alexis DeLucia, daughter of Orlando & Deborah DeLucia of Simsbury
• Nicholas Giamalis, son of Stephen & Christine Giamalis of Glastonbury
• Michael Hains, son of Michael & Tracy Hains of West Hartford
• Sarah Kavalkovich, daughter of Dean Kavalkovich & Susan Mahler of Cobalt
• Evan Kelmar, son of Steven & Patricia Kelmar of Farmington
• Dohyung Kim, daughter of Soojung Lee and and Moojin Kim of Seoul, South Korea
  — Living in West Hartford with host mother Laurie Nilsen
• Luke Mills, son of Richard & Carol Mills of Wethersfield
• Mark Sheehan, son of Christopher Sheehan & Laurel Cole of Rocky Hill
• J. Benjamin Sullivan, son of Rachel Ivker & Dennis Sullivan of Longmeadow
• Carter Swanson, son of Thor & Joline Swanson of Farmington
• Benjamin Waldman, son of Jamie and Keith Waldman ’75 of West Hartford
• Joanna Williams, daughter of Steven & Amy Williams of Wethersfield
• John Wolf, son of John & Jennifer Wolf of Wethersfield
• Gabriel Wolman, son of Mark & Julie Wolman of West Hartford
• Lily Wu, daughter of  Jon Zeu Wu & Shumei Kuo of Farmington