Twelve More Seniors Inducted into Cum Laude Society

At the spring Cum Laude induction ceremony on April 4, 2025, 12 seniors were honored, completing the full class of Gilman’s Cum Laude chapter for 2025. (In the fall, 12 seniors joined the society, for a total of 24.)

Head of School Henry Smyth gave opening remarks, providing a history of the society, founded at the Tome School in Port Deposit, Maryland, in 1906, as well as the chronology of Gilman’s entrance into the society in 1952. The Cum Laude Society celebrates not only students’ scholastic achievement but also justice, dignity, and honor.

Before President of the Gilman Chapter of the Cum Laude Society and Upper School Spanish teacher Joe Duncan introduced guest speaker Dr. Theodore DeWeese, Grayson Mickel ’25, accompanied by Director of Music Ariel Dechosa, played Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Sonata for Oboe and Piano in D Major, Op. 166.”

DeWeese is the CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, among other roles. Recognized internationally for his work, he is the recipient of numerous awards, as well as parent to Upper School science teacher and alumnus Alex DeWeese ’11.

As he prepared his talk, DeWeese asked himself what advice he might have shared with his younger self. After a rough start in life — his father passed away when he was just 3 years old — he came to realize that “your circumstances certainly don’t define you. They influence you and they can shape you, but they do not define you.”

No one in his family had gone to college, so after high school, DeWeese went on to work as a mechanic, which had been his part-time job as a teenager. But then, inspired by a friend who was attending college, he decided to forge a different path for himself, and he enrolled at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he discovered his love of chemistry. “Never be afraid to reinvent yourself. … It’s okay to get off the … track that you’re on and to find something that truly brings you joy.”

As a Colorado native, he always liked hiking and climbing and aspired to one day climb Mount Everest. In 2014, DeWeese and six others set out for the journey. Tragically, a recent avalanche that caused 16 people to lose their lives shut down those plans when the mountain was closed to climbers for the first time ever. But the unfortunate circumstances led the group to instead summit three peaks around Everest, which provided an amazing experience. “There is going to be a rainbow or two if you focus on being open. … Keep pushing yourself because you just don’t know what surprises might come your way.”

As an extension of that advice, DeWeese’s last bit of guidance: “Be curious, not judgmental.” He encouraged the students to take advantage of opportunities presented to them, to develop values, and to be open to learning from others. “With the foundation that all of you have been given with a Gilman education, you are going to be the leaders of the future, and we depend on all you to be open-minded, to listen, to learn … and to work with all kinds of people, to find the common ground, to solve the problems that we have. … The future is so bright.”

Duncan, along with Sarah Miller, secretary of the chapter and Upper School classics teacher, presented certificates to the newest members of the Cum Laude Society.

Following their induction, Michael Edwards ’25 performed Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5” on piano, and member of the society and English teacher Justin Baker offered the benediction.

When Head of Upper School Brian Ledyard delivered closing remarks and congratulations to the students on the stage, he also acknowledged the adults in the room. “Our teachers, coaches, and advisors know, love, and challenge all of you to be your best selves. … They arrive early for extra help. They plan dynamic lessons. … They lead academic help sessions, clubs, teams, performances, and shows. They grade your assignments. They write thoughtful comments. They get very little sleep, and then they get up and do it again,” he said. “Our teachers believe in you and your growth. They help you stand tall and be sure.”