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Eleven Students Inducted Into Cum Laude Society

Eleven Students Inducted Into Cum Laude Society
Eleven Students Inducted Into Cum Laude Society
On April 9, 2026, 11 students in the senior and junior classes were inducted into the school’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society, marking the 62nd anniversary of Cum Laude at RPCS. Cum Laude member and RPCS alumna, Christine Vaile Boyd 2013, delivered the Margareta A. Faissler Lecture at the induction ceremony.​
 
“You have worked incredibly hard to earn this honor, and you should be so proud of yourselves. But as you move forward, whether that's to college, to a career, or to whatever comes next, I want you to remember that you don't need to have it all figured out,” Mrs. Boyd told the inductees. “You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need to know exactly who you're going to be. What you need is the confidence to make decisions for yourself, the honesty to admit when you don't have the answers, and the resilience to change course when something isn't right. Because if there is one thing I’ve learned since I sat where you’re sitting thirteen years ago, it’s this — you will never have all the answers. But you will always be the best person to make the right decision for yourself.”
 
Dr. Abram W. Harris, Director of the Tome School in Port Deposit, Maryland, founded the Cum Laude Society in 1906 to honor scholastic achievement in secondary schools. Since Dr. Harris and his associates believed that chapters should be established only in schools of superior academic quality, the group moved slowly in granting new chapters. In 1963, Roland Park Country School became the first girls’ school in Maryland to establish a chapter of the Cum Laude Society.
 
The motto of the Society stresses excellence, justice and honor in the broadest sense and students who are elected have demonstrated good character, honor and integrity in all aspects of their school life. In addition to students’ academic achievement, other factors for membership include rigorous academic progress, intellectual curiosity, love of learning and the desire to seek academic challenge.
“Those of you who are members of Cum Laude have joined, last year as juniors, or are joining today, a fellowship of scholars whose purpose is to recognize and celebrate excellence in academic work,” Head of School Mrs. Joan Smith told the inductees. “It is the expectation of the Regents and the Society as a whole that you will pursue a lifelong love of learning and that you will accept the honor of membership in this society as a responsibility to make some contribution to the ongoing search for a greater understanding of humans and society.”
The following juniors were inducted into the RPCS chapter of the Cum Laude Society:
 
Class of 2027
  • Rosemary Claire DeLong 
  • Cleo Dahlia Folda Houston
  • Morgen Mary Carol Kunhardt
  • Sutton Mary Nicolini
  • Anne Garrett Randolph 
  • Hadley Ann Root
 
The following seniors were inducted into the RPCS chapter of the Cum Laude Society:
 
Class of 2026
  • Megan Marie Bealefeld
  • Hannah Grace Brown
  • Morgan Nicole Megginson
  • Caroline Grace Scharpf
  • Samantha Lauchaire Spensieri

These seniors were inducted last year as juniors:

Class of 2026
  • Ella Gridley Clapp
  • Lila Angelica Falcon
  • Isabel Sigrid Insley 
  • Audrey Evelyn Pierre
  • Catherine Kenny Rivers 
  • Emily Jordan Zentz
 
 
Charter Members
  • Margaret Amig*
  • Gilberte Darmon*
  • Anne Healy, HA*
  • Jane Marbury Keggi, 1954
  • Marguerite Kelley, HA
  • Adrienne Rich, 1947*
 
Honorary Members
  • Dr. Celeste Woodward Applefeld, 1964*
  • Jean Waller Brune, 1960
  • Holliday C. Heine, 1962*
  • Josephine Jacobsen, 1926*
  • J. Sydney King*
  • Courtney Jones McKeldin, 1958
  • Nancy Norris-Kniffin, 1957*
  • Dr. Hiltgunt Zassenhaus*
 
*Deceased