Cum Laude, With Honor

Maclay Inducts New Juniors and Seniors Into Cum Laude Society

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

The Latin phrase “cum laude” means “with honor” in English. With honor, 11 juniors and 11 seniors were inducted into Cum Laude Society on April 8 in Langford Hall. The juniors and seniors each represented the top 10% and the top 20% of their class.

“I feel very honored that I ended up making the top 20% of my grade,” senior Maria Boulos said. “It’s a huge accomplishment, and I’m also proud of everyone who made it as well.”

Cum Laude Society is an organization that recognizes students’ academic achievements and dedication. There are currently 382 chapters, most of which belong to private or independent schools in the United States. The organization was introduced to Maclay in 1983.

“It is hard to see a group of students in any year that all have amazing GPAs to recognize all of them, so it is an opportunity to recognize the students that have taken the hardest classes with the hardest work to be done to get that top, top average,” Cum Laude Society Sponsor Heather Bas said.

Upon arriving around 1 p.m., students were introduced to the guests and led to their seats. After Director of Upper School Charles Beamer delivered a welcome speech about the significance of Cum Laude Society, students and families enjoyed a provided lunch. 

A guest speaker James Thompson, Maclay School graduating class of 2009, discussed the importance of being comfortable with the uncomfortable. As a student who engaged in a variety of activities at Maclay and the University of Florida, he encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones and try new experiences in high school, college and beyond.

“I really liked the guest speaker,” Boulos said. “I thought that he provided very important advice. I thought it was very true, and I will definitely keep that in mind when I go to college.”

Starting with seniors, each inductee was called to the front and received the recognition certificate. Ending the ceremony, Beamer delivered the closing remarks.

“I’m really proud of myself,” junior Megan Vegas said. “It is nice to see hard work pay off. I think I’ve always been pretty self-motivated, but especially at Maclay it helps to see people around me pushing themselves. I don’t want to fall behind my peers, so it pushes me to be better and try harder.”