The Ranney School Cum Laude Society inducted 12 new students, one faculty member and one distinguished member of the Ranney community into its chapter during a ceremony in RSPA Panther Hall on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.
Founded in 1906, the national society known as Cum Laude recognizes the scholastic achievements of students in academically superior secondary schools. Since Ranney's introduction to Cum Laude, made possible by its founder Head of School Lawrence S. Sykoff, Ed.D. in 2001, the school has inducted approximately 105 seniors and 16 faculty members into its chapter. According to Chapter President and Head of the Middle School David Fischer, this induction represents the highest academic honor Ranney School can afford its students.
Following a family breakfast in Panther Hall Gallery, the day’s 14 proud inductees proceeded to Panther Hall where they were greeted by family and friends, and an opening procession played by Sabrina Park ’15 on violin and Performing Arts Chair Tess Nielsen on piano.
The ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Student Council President Yasmin Meleis ’12 and an opening reflection on scholarship from Judicial Review Board member Maura Guyler ’12, who began with a quote from Vince Lombardi: “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” She later added, “Striving to be a scholar is a lifelong commitment.”
Dr. Sykoff could not agree more on the value of perfecting scholarship, as he noted in his welcoming address that this year’s inductees “make excellence and perseverance a habit in their lives.” While only 20 percent of a school’s graduating class is eligible for membership within the Cum Laude Society, he announced that the entire Class of 2012 — consisting of artists, performers, musicians, humanitarians and scientists — depicts a perfect blend of scholarship, character and integrity.
As Lower School Dean of Students Doreen Fowlkes approached the podium, she recalled the growth and transformation seen in many of the unique and well-rounded students now graduating this spring. In closing, she added that she considers herself not only proud, but also lucky to have been instrumental in molding many of the ceremony’s inductees as they worked hard to prepare for the completion of a journey that would lead them to where they stand today.
With that, Mr. Fischer, Dr. Sykoff, and Fine Arts Chair and Chapter Secretary Kate Greenberg presented Jamil Ahmed, Philip Allen, Melissa Cantave, Natalie Cantave, Patrick Glodkowski, Lauren Harris, Sophia Lee, Jonathan Rosenthal, Christopher Schwake, Sanjit Shashi, Hannah Simpson and Craig Slater with pins, plaques and certificates signifying their induction into the Cum Laude Society.
A highly respected scholar, athlete, friend and inductee in the morning’s ceremony, Philip Allen explained to the audience what someone once told him, that the only way to stay on top of the ever-changing world around us is to be innovative. This versatile student, who studied nine Advanced Placement courses and eight Honors courses as well as joined four Honor Societies during his career in the Upper School, left his peers with one final piece of advice: “Explore the opportunities around you to the fullest,” he said. “These experiences make you not only a scholar, but an innovator too.”
Inductee and recent Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, — an honor shared by only 15,000 students nationwide — senior Lauren Harris prompted each student in attendance to discover what motivates him or her to succeed while striving to be innovative. “Knowing I’m learning more about the world around us every day I go to school, that’s my motivation,” Lauren said.
While for Lauren, motivation comes from the desire to learn more, for others, motivation comes from skilled teachers such as Michael Ling, who was granted faculty induction into this year’s Cum Laude Society. During his acceptance speech, he reminded the audience to always remember those mentors who have helped them along the way. “Scholarly achievement lies in our support structure,” said Mr. Ling. “Do not forget those who have encouraged, guided or inspired you.”
Constantly guiding others, including his three children Vahak ’15, Paris ’21 and Charentz ’23, to be successful is Shant S. Hovnanian — Ranney’s 2012 honorary inductee of whom Dr. Sykoff noted “perfectly represents Ranney’s core values of Knowledge, Vision and Honor.” As the creator of Project HeartRox, Founder of iHopeUSA and Chairman of Zargis Medical Corp., Mr. Hovnanian (also a previous Ranney School student) said that an education is a house that needs a solid foundation. “Mine, in math, English, science and history, was forged on this campus,” said Mr. Hovnanian, who advised all students to also take advantage of their education at Ranney by challenging themselves and asking questions.
In closing, one of Ranney’s fluent Mandarin Chinese students, a member of the Judicial Review Board and inductee in this year’s Cum Laude Society Patrick Glodkowski said to those approximately 60 seniors who will graduate in the next few months, “Scholarship can be applied to an infinite number of situations. No matter what field, it will always require a desire to learn and better oneself. From here on, we define who are and what we will become.”
Afterwards, all families were invited to refreshments and celebration in the Searle Library.
Michael Ling MS History Teacher Inducted into Cum Laude Society
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Michael Ling joined the Ranney School faculty in 2000 and has since distinguished himself as a gifted and passionate history teacher, a talented and dedicated coach, and a consummate professional. He is sought after by peers and students alike for his wisdom, warm nature and scholarly talents.
Dedicated to his love of history and working with young people, Mr. Ling earned his undergraduate degree from Eastern University in 1990 and is finalizing work on his Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Teaching and Educational Leadership at the University of New England. Before coming to Ranney, he taught courses in World History, American History and the Humanities for 10 years in schools spanning Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
As a devoted and knowledgeable teacher of adolescents, Mr. Ling has taught American and World History to seventh and eighth graders since joining Ranney School. Widely recognized as a master teacher by both his peers and his students, he was awarded the Carol Ann Presley Award for teaching in 2006, and continues to be a leader in curriculum development and technological innovation in the classroom. Mr. Ling has not only mastered the teaching of his subjects, but also appreciates how knowledge in history is linked to other disciplines and applied to real world settings. In addition to teaching and advising, Mr. Ling has served as activity advisor, most recently for Middle School Digital Photography, as well as a number of others during his tenure, where he willingly shares his interests in such pursuits with his students. Since joining the Ranney community, Mr. Ling has also served as varsity soccer coach, where he has worked to develop individual skill, team work and honorable game play for countless scholar-athletes. One of the most successful coaches in Ranney history, he led his team to a Patriot Conference championship in 2008 and earned his 100th career win during the 2010 soccer season. Ever-seeking to challenge his athletes, Mr. Ling has been a constant supporter of the advancement of the athletics program through joining the NJSIAA and Shore Conference. Devoted year-round to Ranney’s mission and philosophy, Mr. Ling spends his summers working with the Ranney-in-the-Summer Day Camp program and has acted as Assistant Camp Director for the past 10 years.
During his tenure at Ranney School, Mr. Ling has played key roles in the development of the Middle School’s curriculum and atmosphere, as well as the future of Ranney athletics. He resides in Tinton Falls.
Shant S. Hovnanian Honorary Inductee Inducted into Cum Laude Society
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Shant S. Hovnanian is active in the areas of technology innovation, real estate development, utilities, and construction. Mr. Hovnanian has been Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of Speedus Corp. since 1991. Under his leadership, Speedus was recognized by the FCC as a pioneer of the broadband wireless service called LMDS, and received design awards from Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines.
Prior to joining Speedus, Mr. Hovnanian served as a Managing Director of the V. S. Hovnanian Group, a real estate interest group comprised of land development, home building, mortgage banking and private utility operating companies. Mr. Hovnanian also founded iHopeUSA, an organization dedicated to the preservation of home ownership, and recently created SunParx, a solar power generation company currently developing 30 Mw of clean green solar energy on farms.
In addition, Mr. Hovnanian co-founded Zargis Medical Corporation — a global medical device company focused on improving health outcomes and cost-effectiveness through listening software and products — together with Speedus Corp., a division of Siemens AG known as Siemens Corporate Research, and 3M Company in 2001. Since then, Zargis Medical Corp. has produced medical equipment so innovative that it was honored with a 2009 Popular Science “Innovation of the Year” award, a 2010 Thomas Edison “Best New Product Award” after beating out the runner-up, Google’s Android Smartphone, a Medical Design Excellence Award, and a 2010 “Red Dot: Best of the Best” award as part of the largest and most renowned design competition worldwide.
Using his award-winning diagnostic support products and services, such as the Zargis Cardioscan, Mr. Hovnanian created Project HeartRox — an organization dedicated to ending Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) at educational institutions. A next-generation listening device featuring Bluetooth technology, the Cardioscan software created by Zargis and used in Project HeartRox, wirelessly transfers heart, lung and other body sounds to software for further analysis. Together, the Bluetooth scope and software mark a breakthrough in computer-aided auscultation that has the potential of identifying those at risk for certain types of heart disease. Both Mr. Hovnanian and his wife, Hilde Jenssen Hovnanian, not only donated two Bluetooth-enabled stethoscopes powered by Cardioscan software to Monmouth Medical Center, but also introduced the Zargis Cardioscan to varsity athletes at Ranney, who took part in voluntary scans to detect heart anomalies last spring. Ranney was the first school to take part in the Project HeartRox outreach program to eliminate SCD among athletes in schools nationwide.
Mr. Hovnanian served as an FCC Special Rulemaking committee member in Washington D.C. and also served as a U.S. State Department Delegate to the World Radio Conference of the International Telecommunications Union in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mr. Hovnanian received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, with graduate finance studies from the Wharton School of Finance. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Hovnanian School located in New Milford, New Jersey and the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey.
Mr. Hovnaian resides in Red Bank with his wife, Hilde, who is a founding partner of Skyview Investment Advisors, and their children Vahak ’15, Paris ’21 and Charentz ’23, who all attend Ranney School.