Cum Laude Society Inducts New Members

Cum Laude Inducts New Members, Celebrates Seniors 

On a beautiful spring evening, seniors sat on the front patio for a ceremony honoring their induction into Penn Charter's chapter of the Cum Laude family and their families of seniors sat at Covid-safe distance under the Treaty Elm.

A national honor society established in 1908, Cum Laude celebrates Areté, Diké, Timé – Excellence, Justice, Honor.

Head of School Darryl J. Ford and math teacher Jen Ketler, secretary of Penn Charter's chapter, presented and introduced each senior inductee to the audience. 

The following 11 seniors were newly inducted: Lily Aparin-Buck, Makayla Fradin, Milla Frieman, Cornelius Lynch, Kailei Makhija (not pictured), Peter Proenca, Haydn Sage, Averie Schnupp, James Tanner, Jonah Wade-Millison and Camille Weiss.

Though not at the ceremony, the following 11 juniors were inducted: Amanda Ehrenhalt, Darcy Felter, Jackson Handler, Charlotte  Hodgson, Alexis Melchiorre, Lane Murray, Danielle Ohemeng, Gabrielle Polite, Madaline Puma, Jerry Rullo and Grace Turner.

These 13 seniors were inducted last year as juniors: Daniel Bach, Michael Comisky, Evelyn Eisenstein, Patrick Isztwan, Liam La Barge, Peyton Parker, Daniel Rodriguez, Olivia Schwartz, Jacob Siani, Margaret Turner, Daniel Will, Jessica Wolfe and Sydney Wood.

As the 2021 Cum Laude laureate, Rachel Gallagher Rempell OPC '96 spoke to the gathered crowd. She fondly recalled a variety of experiences that were similar to those of the inductees. For example, the Sine Curve Project in Liz Flemming's Advanced Pre-Calculus class is one that Rempell remembers well and several students commented on as a memorable project during their high school career. Rempell also spoke about Charles "Chuck" Cooper, her Penn Charter Spanish teacher. Cooper had a significant impact on her life, even though she did not realize it right away. When Rempell was presented with the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to work with women who had AIDS in an effort to prevent transmission to their unborn children, using her Spanish skills and having the opportunity to help with the AIDS epidemic — the cause of Cooper's death — were two key factors in her decision to go. Similar to the students who were inducted, Rempell has lived a life that makes a difference.

Rempell was inducted into the Cum Laude Society as a Penn Charter senior. Assistant Head of School Beth Glascott Hon. 1689 recalled that Rachel was smart, interested in all subjects, worked and competed hard, and was quick to laugh or make others laugh. She was a standout in an excellent group of young women in Penn Charter’s early days as a coeducational institution. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, she went on to earn her degree in medicine from Weill Cornell Medical College. She is currently an associate professor of clinical pediatrics and works in the emergency department at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Congratulations to the 2021 inductees to the Cum Laude Society. See more photos.