Cum Laude Members Inducted from Senior Class
Source/Author: Richard Beaton, Director of Global Scholars Initiative
April 13, 2018
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. that bestow this honored distinction. Of each graduating class, a maximum of 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 academic excellence as expressed in scholarly habits of mind and behavior: passion for learning, openness to new ideas and interpretations, active partnering with teachers and students to enhance everyone’s learning, seeking connections between different academic disciplines, and applying book learning to real world situations. Diké includes the concept of what is legally just as well as doing “justice” to others, to the ideas of others, and to one’s own responsibilities. Timé includes the concept of respect and civility, as well as honor in its usual sense.
At the Induction Ceremony, the keynote speaker was Professor Jason Palmer, Professor of Law at Stetson University’s College of Law. Prior to his arrival at Stetson, Professor Palmer taught at the George Washington University College of Law and practiced law in Washington, D.C. Professor Palmer also has extensive experience in international arbitration having worked for the State Department as a team leader representing the United States in international arbitration cases before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. He also spent four years in Switzerland working as a claims judge for the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts, adjudicating the claims of victims of Nazi persecution; and for the United Nations Compensation Commission, coordinating reviews of Palestinian claims against Iraq as a result of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 2003.
The motto of the Society is Areté, Diké, Timé - Excellence, Justice, Honor. Areté includes the concept of academic excellence as expressed in scholarly habits of mind and behavior: passion for learning, openness to new ideas and interpretations, active partnering with teachers and students to enhance everyone’s learning, seeking connections between different academic disciplines, and applying book learning to real world situations. Diké includes the concept of what is legally just as well as doing “justice” to others, to the ideas of others, and to one’s own responsibilities. Timé includes the concept of respect and civility, as well as honor in its usual sense.
At the Induction Ceremony, the keynote speaker was Professor Jason Palmer, Professor of Law at Stetson University’s College of Law. Prior to his arrival at Stetson, Professor Palmer taught at the George Washington University College of Law and practiced law in Washington, D.C. Professor Palmer also has extensive experience in international arbitration having worked for the State Department as a team leader representing the United States in international arbitration cases before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. He also spent four years in Switzerland working as a claims judge for the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts, adjudicating the claims of victims of Nazi persecution; and for the United Nations Compensation Commission, coordinating reviews of Palestinian claims against Iraq as a result of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 2003.
Professor Palmer, a Charger parent, has also been generous with his time and expertise in support of Shorecrest’s Global Scholars Initiative, having met with the group almost exactly four years ago at which time he went into detail regarding international law and his work with the commission working to resolve the claims of Holocaust victims. At today’s assembly, Professor Palmer spoke about his own academic and career path; how he had entered law school determined to become a prosecutor - and how a summer work experience led to a change of direction professionally. He reminded the student body to be open to opportunities that present themselves, to learn from and build on failure, and to remember that we all have a responsibility to work for the good of all.
Congratulations to the 16 members of the Class of 2018 who earned membership in the Cum Laude Society and were awarded pins and certificates of membership on Thursday morning:
Sam Benjamin
Nick Brandt
Charity Chen
Ali Epstein
Sam Epstein
Sam Epstein
Melanie Friedman
Sofia Gonzalez
Elizabeth Hodgson
Hunter Holland
John Curtis Kaleel
Will Martin
Kyle Mullins
Shannon O'Shea
Luis Sarabia
Sylvia Smith
