The Cum Laude Induction was held during assembly on January 15, 2016.

According to the Williston student handbook, “the Cum Laude Society, is a national organization that recognizes high academic achievement in independent secondary schools. Students eligible for election are those seniors who, in the judgment of the faculty membership, combine academic excellence and achievement with honorable citizenship, sound character, and active participation in school life.”

One of the inductees of the Cum Laude Society, Teddy Wolfe ‘16, said, “The idea of representing Williston through Cum Laude pushed me to work harder and try to be the best student I could be, and winning made all the work and tough moments worth it.”

After the induction, Williston alumna Kate Nocera ’01 gave a speech to the school. She said that she underwent what adults like to call “issues” in her younger years, but managed to become an inductee of the Cum Laude Society. In the email interview with her she noted, “I learned a lot from making mistakes and went through growing pains as most normal teenagers do.”

Nocera continued, “I remember very clearly sometime during my sophomore year really wanting to be in honors English. I loved reading and writing and understood that I could do it if I applied myself. So I worked really really hard. Mr. Sawyer was my teacher and he ultimately made the recommendation that I could handle honors after I worked incredibly hard for a semester and proving that I could handle the work.”

She continued, “From there, I tried to take more AP classes in junior and senior year and just made clear to my teachers I knew I hadn’t been living up to my potential. They were SO supportive of me — like most of the faculty at Williston– and really made sure that I didn’t lose sight of my goals.”

Interestingly, both Wolfe and Nocera recommended similar methods to achieve academic success. Wolfe suggested to “find good ways to study, like making note cards and manage your time well and spend time on weekends to get ahead.”

Nocera added, “You should to “make sure a faculty member you like and trust knows about the situation. The people at Williston want you to succeed and will always go above and beyond to help you do your best.”