Montclair Kimberly commencement was first on campus since 1950s

Kelsey Freeman, vice president of the Montclair Kimberley Academy’s student government, receives her diploma after providing comments and reflections on her time at MKA. (Courtesy of MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY)

The Montclair Kimberley Academy graduated 113 seniors at the campus Van Brunt Field on Sunday June 13 – the first opening ceremony held on campus since the 1950s.

In his welcoming speech, senior high school principal David C. Flocco praised the class of 2021 for “not only helping us to be the community we are today, but also helping us to better endure and emerge from this pandemic when we entered it. ”

Flocco urged students to remember school as a home away from home that they will always be welcomed to, and to reflect on “the memories and community that this home will bring with you Head that will never be “leave you.”

Kelsey Freeman, vice president of the student government, told graduates that their lives at MKA are measured not by academic achievement, but by “unscripted and unpredictable moments that remind us of who we are and lead us on the paths we should always follow . Senior Jonah Barbin urged his classmates, “Get out there, be confident, take risks, and be the special people I know.”

Headmaster Thomas W. Nammack said he found inspiration and perspective in the work of student writers and artists in the latest publication of the literary magazine Stylus for high school students. He told the graduates that “what I have seen from you and the community in the past 15 months” [of the coronavirus pandemic] proves that you, we are all part of an extraordinary school. “

Student Government President Isa Luca and High School President Nate Corbett officially closed the ceremony with the ringing of the Academy Bell, which is nearly a century old. Honorary degrees were awarded to Nammack, who served his 16-year tenure as headmaster and will be replaced by Nigel Furlonge, and to George Hrab, an MKA faculty member who is retiring after his 52nd year at the school.

More from the 2021 graduation in Montclair

The 2021 seniors of Montclair are Charlie Abdulhayoglu, Vanessa Amsinger, Kiara Bhatia, Nyla Boynton-Jarrett, Robert Di Geronimo, Taylor Everson, Jake Gale, Leah Glaser, Madigan Gyves, Louise Halbert, Holden Hargrave, Rollins Heath, Sarah Hobbs, Caleb Hofmann, Will Horn, Kailee Joseph , Colin Kearns, Alex Korfhage, Bennett La Londe, Aidan Larish, Christine Lindholm, Isabel Lucas, Neil Maharishi, Stella Marshall, Matthew McCann, Riley Rendino, Emma Ruddy, Ignacio Sanchez Gomez-Alvarez, OB Sedransk, Sebastian Seebach, Zach Sevrens, Arjun Sharma, Daniel Stehr, Gabe Stocus, Caroline Turgeon, JP Vizzone, Ethan Williams, Oliver Winters, Leah Wohl.

23 students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, including the following Montclair residents: Taylor Everson, Alexander Korfhage, Aidan Larish, Isabel Lucas, Riley Rendino, OB Sedransk, Ethan Williams, Oliver Winters. Residents of other cities that were included were Lola Coleman, Julia Conforti, Nathaniel Corbett, Anthony DiMaggio, Jeremiah Druckermiller, Emani Fung, Spencer Goldberg, Madison Golodner, Nihaar Gopalji, Ariel Grossman, Zoe Lynch, Rohan Moniz, Isabella Szyfer, Sanaa Williams, Oliver Winters, Darren Zou.

The following awards were given: Marjorie Winfield Easter Prize: Jacob Gale; Ethel M. Spurr Prize: Isa Lucas; Rudolph Deetjen Prize: Sarah Hobbs; Robert C. Hemmeter Memorial Prize: Alex Korfhage; Dr. Peter R. Greer Character Award: Riley Rendino; Head’s Award: Vanessa Amsinger; Margaret Jenkins Osborne Prize for Excellence in Science: Sarah Hobbs; World Language Awards: Caleb Hofmann (Latin) and OB Sedransk (French); Fine Arts Award: Ethan Williams and Nyla Boynton-Jarrett: Louis Armstrong Jazz Award: Bennett La Londe; Dance Prize: Kailee Joseph; Mary K. Waring Scholars Award: Kiara Bhatia, Taylor Everson, Leah Glaser, Louise Halbert, Sarah Hobbs, Riley Rendino and OB Sedransk; Avery Barras Distinguished Scholar Award: Alex Korfhage and Isa Lucas; Presidential Service Award: Leah Glaser (Gold Award); Senior Community Engagement Award: Leah Glaser; Best Teammate Award from the Yogi Berra Museum: Rollins Heath (soccer, lacrosse); Essex County Scholar-Athlete Award: Taylor Everson (tennis, lacrosse); MKA Varsity Award: College letters during her MKA sports career: Sarah Hobbs (soccer, athletics, outdoor athletics).

Montclair Kimberley Academy graduates will attend the following colleges and universities: Bates College, Boston College, Boston University, Bucknell University (two students), Case Western Reserve University (two students), Champlain College, Colby College, College of Charleston (four students), College of William and Mary, Colorado College, Columbia University (four students), Connecticut College, Cornell University, Dartmouth College (two students), Elon University, Emerson College (two students), Emory University (two students), Fordham University (two students), Franklin and Marshall College, Furman University, George Washington University (two students), Georgetown University, Gettysburg College (two students), Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Johns Hopkins University, Kenyon College, Lafayette College (two students), Lehigh University (two students), Loyola University Maryland, Middlebury College, Monmouth University, Muhlenberg College, New York University (two students), Northeastern University (two students), Northweste rn University, Pratt Insti tute (two students), Princeton University, Providence College, San Diego State University, Savannah College of Art and Design, St. John’s University, Stanford University, Stevens Institute of Technology (three students), Syracuse University (three Students), The College of New Jersey, Tufts University (two students), Tulane University (five students), University of California Irvine, University of Chicago, University of Miami (four students), University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania (two students), University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California (two students), University of Tampa, University of Tennessee, University of Toronto (two students), University of Vermont, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, Villanova University (two students), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Wake Forest University (three students), Washington University in St. Louis, We Sleyan University (three students), Wester n University, Yale University (two students).

– Information provided by Montclair Kimberley Academy

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