On November 20, 2014, Beaver held its 57th Cum Laude Society Induction ceremony. Below is the speech from Head of School Peter Hutton introducing the event.
Good morning and welcome to our 57th Cum Laude Society induction.
We intentionally hold our Cum Laude induction right around the anniversary of the founding of Beaver Country Day School. Beaver was founded in November 1920 and very quickly gained a national reputation as a school committed to using the best and most forward looking educational practices of the day to shape our teaching and curriculum. Beaver was founded on the premise that schools should challenge students to develop their individual capacities in all areas of development, to develop a range of thinking skills, to be truly creative problem solvers.
Today Beaver continues to be known as a thought leader in the world of education. Beaver’s teachers are regularly asked to speak at local, national, and international – Mr. Adjout and Mr. Christie will present at Innovation 2015 in Sao Paulo – conferences, and schools from around the world ask to visit Beaver to observe our classrooms and learn about our programs. We remain the only school in the country to teach coding as a problem-solving tool within all disciplines.
We are members of the Cum Laude Society because its values are consistent with Beaver’s. The Cum Laude Society honors those students who have pushed themselves to attain the highest level of academic achievement and have distinguished themselves in developing sophisticated habits of mind, a deep and genuine attitude and approach to learning, and are known for their outstanding character.
Cum Laude is not just about what students know, but it is about what students might do with their learning and their knowledge to make a difference in the world. Consistent with the mission and values our founders envisioned for Beaver, Cum Laude is the highest academic honor a student can achieve.
I am now pleased to present members of the class of 2014 who are elected today to the Cum Laude Society. The Cum Laude Society permits Beaver to elect not more than 20 percent of our senior class.
Click here for the full list of students.