Kingswood Oxford Honor Society Welcomes 19 New Members

A dozen years after he graduated from Kingswood Oxford, West Hartford resident Christopher Shea ’02 returned as the keynote speaker at the school’s Cum Laude Society induction and dinner on Feb. 19.

Shea, a graduate of Middlebury College and UConn Law School and an attorney with the Hartford firm of Cohn Birnbaum & Shea, encouraged the 19 new inductees to “continue your strong performance in the classroom, but be aware that there will be so much more (outside the classroom) that can further your education once you get to college; take advantage of every opportunity.”

The Cum Laude Society is a national honor society for independent schools. To qualify, students must be in the top 20% of the class by the end of the first semester of senior year and must have demonstrated good citizenship.

Founded in 1906, the Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring academic achievement in secondary schools by promoting the ideals of excellence, justice, and honor. Modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, the Cum Laude Society comprises 382 chapters in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

The seniors who are now the newest members of KO’s Cum Laude Society are:

• Taryn Braz, daughter of Tamara and Tony Braz of Simsbury
• Tucker Charette, son of Lynn Mather Charette ’82 and John Charette of West Hartford
• Mary Colliton, daughter of Dr. Felice Colliton and Dr. Matthew Colliton of Bloomfield
• Catherine Eatherton, daughter of Helen and James Eatherton of Windsor
• Peter Fisher, son of Helen and Eric Fisher of Manchester
• Natalie Goldstein, daughter of Candice Devey and Charles Goldstein of Farmington
• Grace Jarmoc, daughter of Karen and Stephen Jarmoc of Enfield
• Caroline Kaufman, daughter of Charna Bortman Kaufman ‘85 and John Kaufman ’85 of West Hartford
• Hope Kim, daughter of Crystal Kim and Dr. Uriah Kim of Hartford
• Sophia Kruger, daughter of Dr. Riva Lewinter and Dr. David Kruger of West Hartford
• Keenan Line, daughter of Cathleen and John Line of Glastonbury
• William Martin, son of Lisa and Douglas Martin of Wethersfield
• Abhilash Panthagani, son of Dr. Indira Panthagani and Dr. Prasad Panthagani  of Avon
• Sophie Pennoyer, daughter of Dr. Jennifer White Pennoyer ’85 and Dr. William Pennoyer of West Hartford
• Samantha Pinkes, daughter of Suzanne and Andrew Pinkes of West Hartford
• Alexandra Stanton, daughter of Dr. Claudia Coplein of West Hartford and Gerald Stanton of Farmington
• Thomas Wilson, son of Helene Kvale and Dr. Richard Wilson of West Hartford
• Samuel Wiseman, son of Dr. Lisa Kugelman and Roy Wiseman of West Hartford
• Natasha Wolman, daughter of Julie and Mark Wolman of West Hartford

"We are so pleased to honor these students who are committed to doing an outstanding job in all their classes, in addition to the many other activities that make their lives so full,” said Ann Serow, Ph.D., chair of KO’s history department and president of KO’s Cum Laude Society. “The Cum Laude students are very bright and very motivated; they have wonderful futures ahead of them."

 Kingswood Oxford has long been known for producing resourceful problem-solvers, innovative leaders, and clear, confident communicators. For information about enrollment, contact the Admissions Office at 860-727-5000.