Cum Laude Society Induction Ceremony
Source/Author: Raffi Darrow, Ebytes Editor
April 05, 2017
The Cum Laude Society was founded in 1906 to recognize scholastic achievement of seniors in secondary schools. Shorecrest is among 1% of Independent high schools in the U.S. who offer this honored distiction. Of each graduating class, up to 20% of students may be inducted to recognize excellence.
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.
At the Induction Ceremony, the keynote speaker was Dr. Thomas W. Smith, associate professor of Government and International Affairs and director of the Honors Program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, where he has taught since 2000. Prior to his arrival at USFSP, Dr. Smith was an assistant professor of International Relations at Koç University in Istanbul from 1997-2000. As we look at conflicts raging in various parts of the world, Professor’s Smith’s insights help remind us that war is about people as much as it is about states; about civilians in harm’s way as much as about soldiers and generals.
Professor Smith, a Charger parent, has also been very generous with his time and expertise in support of Shorecrest’s Global Scholars Initiative. He has twice engaged with GSI students in conversations on the topics of contemporary Turkey and on the Syrian conflict. He has also welcomed the GSI students to the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs for the past two years.
Dr. Smith spoke about his academic and career path; how he was led to a career in International Relations in part by having a randomly assigned roomate freshman year who was the son of a foreign diplomat. He reminded the student body (but mainly the seniors) that we never know what college - or the future - holds. That we can't even yet dream about what awaits us.
View photos here.
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.
At the Induction Ceremony, the keynote speaker was Dr. Thomas W. Smith, associate professor of Government and International Affairs and director of the Honors Program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, where he has taught since 2000. Prior to his arrival at USFSP, Dr. Smith was an assistant professor of International Relations at Koç University in Istanbul from 1997-2000. As we look at conflicts raging in various parts of the world, Professor’s Smith’s insights help remind us that war is about people as much as it is about states; about civilians in harm’s way as much as about soldiers and generals.
Professor Smith, a Charger parent, has also been very generous with his time and expertise in support of Shorecrest’s Global Scholars Initiative. He has twice engaged with GSI students in conversations on the topics of contemporary Turkey and on the Syrian conflict. He has also welcomed the GSI students to the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs for the past two years.
Dr. Smith spoke about his academic and career path; how he was led to a career in International Relations in part by having a randomly assigned roomate freshman year who was the son of a foreign diplomat. He reminded the student body (but mainly the seniors) that we never know what college - or the future - holds. That we can't even yet dream about what awaits us.
Congratulations to the 16 members of the Class of 2017 who earned membership in the Cum Laude Society and were awarded pins and certificates of membership:
Watch the full ceremony on Facebook, here. (Student inductions begin just after the 27 minute mark.) - Multy O
- Olivia R
- Kyle H
- Courtney M
- Zack S
- Nicole L
- Clay D
- Matt L
- Shannon H
- Ben P
- Remy B
- Neha R
- Max K
- Chris J
- Jordan J
- Libby H
In addition, two members of our esteemed Staff who recently obtained their doctorates were inducted as well, Dr. Jean Spencer-Carnes and Dr. Anna Baralt.
Dr. Jean Spencer-Carnes joined the Shorecrest faculty in 1995. She played a variety of teaching and administrative roles in the Lower and Middle School before becoming the first Director of Shorecrest’s Learning Center, the TLC. She subsequently became the Director of Admissions, the position she holds today. Dr. Spencer-Carnes earned her Doctorate of Education and used her dissertation to investigate the effectiveness of a learning center model that delivered academic interventions on measures of academic achievement and students’ sense of themselves.
Dr. Anna Baralt joined the Shorecrest faculty in 1995 as a teacher in the Lower School. She was an early adopter of technology in the classroom and became both an advocate for its use at Shorecrest and a mentor for colleagues who were eager to incorporate technology into their own instruction, things she continues to do in her present role as Director of Technology. Dr. Baralt’s dissertation explored how digital scaffolds were used during collaborative problem-solving in the pre-school classroom and contributed to her earning her Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a specific focus on educational technology. Thanks in great part to Dr. Baralt, Shorecrest is an Apple Distinguished School today. The Apple Distinguished School designation is reserved for programs that meet criteria for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence, and demonstrate a clear vision of exemplary learning environments.
View photos here.
