The Pennington School held its 185th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 30. Head of School William S. Hawkey, PhD, conferred diplomas and certificates on the 115 members of the Class of 2026, including students from six states and over a dozen countries outside the United States. The Commencement speaker was Dr. Lisa C. Espinoza, MD, a member of Pennington’s board of trustees and founder of LaChele Medical Aesthetics. Yanxin Wu and Zara Meehan-Ritter, both of Princeton, NJ, were valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. The cool, blustery weather did not dim the enthusiasm of the crowd, who cheered loudly for the seniors and for the faculty who have guided them along the way.

Yanxin Wu won the Dr. E. F. Hann Memorial Award for Excellence in World Languages in Latin and was also a recipient of the Gateway Prize, which is given to the students who best exemplify Pennington’s core values of honor, virtue, and humility. Additionally, Wu earned a Global Studies Certificate. Zara Meehan-Ritter was awarded The Dr. Ralph Appleton Memorial Award for Excellence in History and Social Studies, and The Pennington School Award for Distinguished Achievement in Applied Science, as well as a certificate in Pennington’s Applied Science program. Both young women were inducted into Pennington’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society this past October. In the fall, Wu will attend Princeton University, and Meehan-Ritter will attend the University of Virginia. 

On Friday evening, preceding graduation, a separate award ceremony was held for seniors presided over by Head of Upper School Scott Peeler. The complete list of award winners can be found here.

Following the Senior Prize Ceremony, the Class of 2026 and their families attended a special Baccalaureate Service at Pennington Presbyterian Church, followed by the traditional Senior Dinner back on campus under a spectacular tent. Jordan Gray '91 P'21 P'26 introduced the event and set the stage for a wonderful celebration of Pennington's seniors and their families.

Several teaching prizes were presented to faculty members during the Commencement ceremony. The Henry and Selma Otte Distinguished Teacher Award, presented annually to a full-time teacher with at least five years of teaching experience at The Pennington School, was presented to Karen Balerna. Shawn Nicosia won the Robert E. Martini Award for Distinguished Teaching, given to one whose teaching takes students’ individuality into account and who makes a significant impact on students’ lives. In addition, Suzanne Houston was given the Kie and Hija Ahn Award for Peace and Global Understanding for exemplifying excellence in teaching, civility, and concern for students and colleagues, and for demonstrating commitment to value-centered education and service to students, to Pennington, and to the community. Lastly, David Hallgren was awarded the United Methodist Church Exemplary Teacher Award for a demonstrated commitment to value-centered education and service to students, the institution, and the community.

The members of the Pennington School Class of 2026 (alphabetical order):

Esther Gyamah Aboagye, Evangelina Anna Argiropoulos, Henry Francis Mitchell Armstrong, Saniya Bhanote, Emily Jane Birkenstock, Louise Eva Bourgoin, James Carlos Bradley, Ava Marie Brochon, Tait Shanti Brown, Amelia Jane Buck, Lola Rey Burd, Sebastian James Calderon Chubb, Anthony Joseph Cartusciello, Sean Pierre Chandrasaputra, Chenyu Chou, Sara Ann Chrnelich, Eleanora Tiernan Close, Robert Lekh Austin Connor, Saskia Cooper, Amanda Jennifer Cordone, Lina Carys Cortés, Grace Lola Craig, Olivia Gabriella Craig, Aiyan Dipal Doshi, Katherine Elizabeth Dwyer, Sarah Meier Dzwonkowski, Karys Elizabeth Elmore, Cecelia Jane Embleton, Sydney Rion Epstein, Dimitri Andrey Espinoza, Raquel Bejosa Lee Frankel, Shubh Gangrade, Finn Andrew Thomas Garner, Elle Gerstman, Alexander Giller, Emma Grace Goodrich, Cynthia J. Graham, Arthur Jordan Gray, Colin Harkleroad, Kyle James Harvey, Samuel Michael Heaton, Caroline Joyce Hendrickson, Logan Henry, Andrew Patrick Hofacker, Anna-Kaisa Maria Hokkanen, Elizabeth A. Holstein, Allison Marie Howe, Seth Vincent Hoyer, Monte Lewis Huffman, Kai Itakura-Prepscius, Ishaan Sameer Khetarpal, Jiwoo Kim, Sofia G. Kulp, James M. Lay II, Olivia Seoyun Lee, Braeden Elliott Leeds, Eliana Michele Lewis, Angelyn Li, Qiyuan Li, Alexander Wilson Loh, Ami Ly, Mariah Antoinette Lynch, Nisaiah Manuel Maldonado, Hayden J. Malmros, Madeline Stafford Mandzij, Gianni M. Manning, Seamus Peters Manning, Natalie Grace Maschler, Logan Matthews, Zara Meehan-Ritter, Zoya Chatha Mehra, Norah Rose Mehta, Brooke Avery Miller, Emery Jade Miller, Michael J. Miller, Leonardo R. Momo, Samik Mookherjee, Kerri Michelina Moran, Jordan Anthony Murray, Dylan Ronald Napoleon, Lolita Tatiana Nechay, Emma Renée Normand, Caiden James O’Connell, Logan Caleb Oster, Janelle M. Owusu, Jonathan Partridge, Kian Phillips, Sanjana Ramalingam, Rishabh K. Ramaswamy, Malea Reilly, Kendall Aisha Sands, Beyla Shah, Ella Joyce Sichel, Brett William Sirolly, Julia Sperry-Fernandez, Thomas James Surtz, Shuhe Tie, Connor Bryce Tirendi, Brianna Turner, Nicholas Daniel Tuzza, Geneviève Solange Vallières, Alexandra Lauren Van Arsdale, Catherine Nora Roy Vincent, Nishka Nehal Vyas, Ciaran Andrew Walsh, George Frederick Hackl Ward Jr., Becket Mount Washburn, Zoey Evelyn Webster, Bryce T. Werner, Bryce D. Williams, Yanxin Wu, Cheng Xu, Xinglin Yi, Norah Celeste Youngblood, and Yitong Zhang.

Congratulations to all members of the Class of 2026!

A Flickr album with photos from all Senior Week events can be found here.

Commencement photos by Mike Schwartz Photography of all graduates receiving their diplomas will be available on May 31 here.

A video recording of the Commencement ceremony can be downloaded here.