It was a beautiful evening for the Academy Club Induction Ceremony. The inductees were introduced by those that know them well...their faculty. As is tradition, the audience was kept in complete suspense as to whom the teachers were honoring until the very end of each speech. Before being given the Academy Club ribbon, speeches laid out the character of each senior using clues and riddles. Who deeply impacts our community by participating in hours of community service? Who unbelievably is an EMT in their “free” time?  Who treats everyone with a great amount of kindness and respect?  In short, who is a complete Patriot?  The answer is simple—each one of these inductees.

A GA tradition since the class of 1924, Academy Club members are given the responsibility for keeping their class in touch with each other and the school.  Diana Rodgers ’03 P’31 ‘36, the current president of the Academy Club, began the evening. One-by-one teachers spoke introducing the inductees, using stories from even more teachers.  Sara Krupnick-Ritz, Upper School sculpture teacher and Truesdell House Head, said of Zoe Hersh ’22, “...her House Head says, ‘I find her to be a force for good at GA, from generously producing a yearbook filled with memories...to tirelessly working (mostly behind the scenes) fundraising for our community, so that her peers can have fun and at the same time do good in the world.”  Dr. Molly MacKean, Head of Upper School, painted a fantastic picture of why Matt Andress ’22 was honored with, “What I will say about him, in an attempt to capture what this inductee wields, is that he is a kid who unapologetically exercises joy.”  Each teacher was able to define what each Academy Club inductee brings to GA.

In all there were 17 students who joined the Academy Club following a full year during which they prepared to be alumni leaders.  They helped plan the first Senior Break Party in the Goodman House parking lot, created holiday care packages for the Class of ’21 in November, attended an Alumni Society Board meeting, and more!

As Academy Club members, these students are role models for capitalizing on the broad GA alumni network and its innumerable connections. Said Ms. Rodgers, “What I hope I leave you with tonight is that serving as a member of the Academy Club is about far more than planning reunions and soliciting Annual Fund donations. It’s about being the person who makes the phone call, sends the email, or offers support to other alums, even if you haven’t spoken since graduation.”

 

Here are the Academy Club inductees along with their faculty speakers:

Fore Abinusawa - Michelle Friedman 

Clara Alger - Becca Burnett 

Kwabena Ampomah - Ben Tinsley 

Matt Andress - Molly MacKean 

Alexa Baer - Matt Dolan 

Sangeetha Bhuyan - Dan St. Jean 

Sydney Cameron - Dion Lehman 

Will Cooper - K. Richardson 

Henry Getson - Dick O’Hern 

Alex Goodridge - Chris Nelson 

Walker Goodwin - Jay Wright 

Zoe Hersh - Sara Krupnick-Ritz 

Zach Kotik - Mary Fraser 

Jack Luviano - David Martin

Cory Miller - Susan Merrill 

Riya Palkar - Jon Na 

Casey Traina - Carol Peery Ayers