The Pennington School held its 184th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, June 7. Head of School William S. Hawkey, PhD, granted diplomas and certificates to the 116 members of the Class of 2025, which includes students from six states and nine countries outside the United States. The Commencement speaker was Scott O’Neil P’22 ’25, CEO of LIV Golf. Senior prizes were awarded on June 6. Dingtong Zou of Princeton and Nina Rose Feder, also of Princeton, were valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.
Dingtong (Aimee) Zou was acknowledged for her participation in the Applied Science Certificate Program. Her remarkable academic record, which has been recognized at Pennington in many ways over the years, includes many external achievements as well, like International Biology Olympiad medals, American Computer Science League championships, a National Latin Exam medal, and AP Scholar Distinction. She served as Co-President of the Biology Club for three years and honed her research skills on extracurricular projects investigating social mobility in China, solar-powered cell phone chargers in Malawi, and leukemia drugs. Away from school, she has pursued pre-professional ballet at the Princeton Ballet School and the American Repertory Ballet since 2019, where she has performed soloist roles in the school’s summer and spring performances.
Nina Rose Feder earned The Pennington School Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, which is awarded for exceptional dedication and positive contributions to community service and improving the lives of others through innovative projects and volunteerism. She also received the Edgar B. Roesch Award for Excellence in English and a Global Studies Program Certificate. Both young women were inducted into Pennington’s Chapter of Cum Laude Society this past October. In the fall, Zou will attend Princeton University, and Feder will attend Georgetown University.
On Friday evening, preceding graduation, a separate award ceremony was held for seniors presided over by Dean of Academic Affairs Scott Peeler. The following prizes were awarded:
The Edgar B. Roesch Award for Excellence in English to Nina Rose Feder
The Terry Burns Award for Citizenship and Commitment to the Pursuit of English to Shreya Mookherjee
The Dr. E. F. Hann Memorial Award for Excellence in World Languages to Mari Sita Grandbouche (for Spanish)
The Pennington School Award for Citizenship and Commitment to the Pursuit of World Languages to Lucas Samuel Medina (for Spanish) and Bacary Kebe Tandjigora (for French and Chinese, ELL)
The Howard Cressman Memorial Award for Excellence in Mathematics to Siyi Yang
The Pennington School Award for Citizenship and Commitment to the Pursuit of Mathematics to Benjamin
Samuel Pearlberg
The George Parnos Award for Excellence in Science to Moyang Zou
The Pennington School Award for Citizenship and Commitment to the Pursuit of Science to Siyi Yang
The Dr. Ralph Appleton Memorial Award for Excellence in History and Social Studies to Caleb Peter Collins
The Pennington School Award for Citizenship and Commitment to the Pursuit of History to Sophia Catherine May
The Pennington School Award for Excellence in Computer Science to Jinxuan Qi
The Pennington School Award for Excellence in Religion to Adrianna Maria D’Agati
The William Alford Award for Distinctive Service in Music to Lucas Samuel Medina
The Kersey Award for the Student Showing Most Promise in Art to Shreya Mookherjee (visual artist) and
Evan Martin Glassner (lens-based)
The G. Arthur Campbell Award for Distinctive Service in Drama to Mari Sita Grandbouche
The Pennington School Award for Excellence in Technical Theatre to Anna Mira Sisserson Basile
The William Mastrosimone ‘66 Award for Excellence in Writing and Directing an Original Play to Madeleine G. Carr, Mari Sita Grandbouche, Mykaela Kennedy Sanders, and Siwen Zhao
The Pennington School Award for Distinguished Achievement in Applied Science to Xiaona Zhu
The Pennington School Award for Distinguished Achievement in Global Studies to Chelpang Khadijah Sulemana
National Merit Finalist Recognition to Shreya Mookherjee, Anirudh Suren, and Siyi Yang
National Merit Mary E. Beyerle Scholarship to Shreya Mookherjee
The Charles G. Bennett ’59 Memorial Award for School Spirit to John Louis Fermo and Michela Giada McCagg
The Pennington School Award for International Citizenship to Zachary Max Parpel
The Pennington School Award to the Senior Outstanding in Volunteer Service to Nina Rose Feder
The Pennington School Award to the Senior who exemplifies the Development of Individual Excellence to Adrianna Maria D’Agati
The Pennington School Award for Outstanding Citizenship to Gabrielle Hall and Matthew Kern Passalacqua
The Brigid Kilfoyle ’91 Memorial Award to the Senior Female Making the Greatest Contribution to Pennington School Athletics to Isabelle Marie Augustine and Megan Elizabeth Balerna.
The William E. Long Award to the Senior Male Making the Greatest Contribution to Pennington School Athletics to Bacary Kebe Tandjigora
The Monique Visser ’88 Memorial Award to Chisom Bianka Okeoma
The Community Life Award to Lia Brunetti-Carroll, Zachary Max Parpel, and María García Rodríguez
Gateway Prizes, which are given to the students who best exemplify Pennington’s core values of honor, virtue, and humility, were awarded to six seniors: Olivia Marie Cano, Destine F.E. Evans, James Leighton Friedman, Shermel Danelia Morgan, José Maria Ponce de León, and Siwen Zhao.
The Head of School Prize for the Best All-Around Student to Xiaona Zhu
Cume Laude Society students were acknowledged in two groups: Fall 2024 initial inductees: Olivia Marie Cano, Caleb Peter Collins, Nina Rose Feder, Olivia A. Kaczynska, Sophia Catherine May, Shreya Mookherjee, Benjamin Samuel Pearlberg, Jinxuan Qi, Siyi Yang, Xiaona Zhu, Dingtong Zou, and Moyang Zou; and Spring 2025 inductees: Lia Brunetti-Caroll, Adrianna Maria D’Agati, John Louis Fermo, Arden Tajal Galvelis, Axel Gonzalez Sandin, Mari Sita Grandbouche, Praslin Chaelee Hayes, Lucas Samuel Medina, Dhruv Ramaswamy, Vanessa Samayoa-Ramos, Matthew Luke Sanderson, Anirudh Suren, and Siwen Zhao.
Applied Science Certificate Students were recognized at the award ceremony: Graydon Calloway Adams, Isabelle Marie Augustine, Sarah Birkenstock, Ava Lee Burns, Alexander Thomas Burton, Olivia Marie Cano, Caleb Peter Collins, Adrianna Maria D’Agati, Arden Tajal Galvelis, Maria García Rodríguez, Benjamin David Gibson, Praslin Chaelee Hayes, Olivia A. Kaczynska, Deethya Karthikvatsan, Jeongmin Lim, Dustin Hanbo Liu, Alexander R. Marinzoli, Sophia Catherine May, Lucas Samuel Medina, Shreya Mookherjee, Shermel Danelia Morgan, Benjamin Samuel Pearlberg, Nathan Jerry Rabe, Dhruv Ramaswamy, Vanessa Samayoa-Ramos, Mykaela Kennedy Sanders, Matthew Luke Sanderson, Brian Asher Schwartzman, Chelpang Khadijah Sulemana, Anirudh Suren, Bang Tran, Myla Nicole Tudor, Juliet Walton, Siyi Yang, Xiaona Zhu, Dingtong Zou, and Moyang Zou.
Global Studies Certificate Students were also acknowledged: Joshua Anchia, Simonne Amina Blunt, Brody Ernest Bock, Darius R. Brown Jr., Lia Brunetti-Carroll, Caelin R. CheeWah, Zahra Darwish, Riley Edge, Nina Rose Feder, John Louis Fermo, Mari Sita Grandbouche, Gabrielle Hall, Sasha Hanewald, Tess Hanewald, Layten Samuel Hoffman, Jiarong Jiang, Declan George Karp, Reese Ryan Kimmel, Julia Karolina Klukowski, Xinran Li, Michela Giada McCagg, Nathaniel Darwin Mendez, Chisom Bianka Okeoma, José Maria Ponce de León, Aidan J. Prestigiacomo, Oleksandra Rogankova, Ryaan Kekul Shah, Thomas William Sharkey, Lydia Sperry-Fernandez, Chelpang Khadijah Sulemana, and Devan Rose Tirendi.
Several teaching prizes were presented to members of the faculty. The Henry and Selma Otte Distinguished Teacher Award, given annually to a full-time teacher with at least five years of teaching experience at The Pennington School, was given to Blair Thompson. Cathi Pappano was presented 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, Peter Chase was given the Kie and Hija Ahn Award for Peace and Global Understanding, and Joselle Lamoutte 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 2025 from New Jersey and Pennsylvania:
NEW JERSEY
Belle Mead: Lisa Rousha Wang
Bordentown: Anirudh Suren*
Burlington: Jordan Eliot Owusu
Ewing: Isabelle Marie Augustine*, Lia Brunetti-Carroll*
Flemington: Riley Edge*, Olivia A. Kaczynska*
Hamilton: Gabrielle Hall*
Hillsborough: Mykaela Kennedy Sanders*
Hoboken: Ryan Duke
Jersey City: Kae E. Kilic, Chelpang Khadijah Sulemana*
Lambertville: Myla Nicole Tudor*
Lawrence Township: Estel Leon Justus IV
Lawrenceville: Sarah Katherine Birkenstock*, Olivia Marie Cano*, Caelin R. CheeWah*, Caleb Peter Collins*, Nathan Jerry Rabe*, Juliet Walton*
Maplewood: Joshua Anchia*
Marlton: Makai A. Crawford
Morristown: Nathaniel Darwin Mendez*
Newark: Darius R. Brown Jr.*
Paramus: Raymond Alexander Valdez
Pennington: Marie Ancil, Megan Elizabeth Balerna*, Anna Mira Sisserson Basile*, Simonne Amina Blunt,* Ava Lee Burns*, Alvaro Carnicer, Landon Hallett, Declan George Karp* Deethya Karthikvatsan*, Dustin Hanbo Liu*, Lucas Samuel Medina*, Shreya Mookherjee*, José Maria Ponce de León*, Dhruv Ramaswamy*, Lydia Sperry-Fernandez*
Plainfield: Chisom Bianka Okeoma*
Princeton: Alexander Thomas Burton*, Adrianna Maria D’Agati*, Nina Rose Feder*, Mari Sita Grandbouche*, Sasha Hanewald*, Tess Hanewald*, Alexander R. Marinzoli*, Jinxuan Qi*, Ryaan Kekul Shah*, Thomas William Sharkey*, Alice-Mithali Unger Singh, Xiaona Zhu*, Dingtong Zou*
Princeton Junction: Caroline Aisling McGraw
Skillman: Kayla Jasmin Capuzzi
Stockton: Benjamin David Gibson*, Evan Martin Glassner*, Sophia Catherine May*, Matthew Kern Passalacqua*, Devan Rose Tirendi*
Trenton: Destine F.E. Evans*, Praslin Chaelee Hayes*, Vanessa Samayoa-Ramos*
Wenonah: Jayson N. Bentum
West Windsor: Jiarong Jiang*, Henry Ryan Kim
PENNSYLVANIA
Fort Washington: Landon Steell MacArthur
Glenside: Francis William Marchese
Huntingdon Valley: Joseph William Lifsted
Langhorne: Arden Tajal Galvelis*
Levittown: Julia Karolina Klukowski*
Media: Brian Asher Schwartzman*
Morrisville: Kayla Ann Raghunandanan, Maya Kiera Raghunandanan
New Britain: Aidan J. Prestigiacomo*
New Hope: Christopher Mathieu Kelley, Reese Ryan Kimmel*, Michela Giada McCagg*
Newtown: Brody Ernest Bock*, Michael Fingerman, Eliza Grace O’Neil, Matthew Luke Sanderson*
Philadelphia: Keon D. Kenner, Dwayne R. Snead, Jr.
Shillington: Makayla Marie Ledo
Washington Crossing: Madeleine G. Carr*, Layten Samuel Hoffman*
Yardley: Graydon Calloway Adams*, John Louis Fermo*, James Leighton Friedman*, Shermel Danelia Morgan*, Benjamin Samuel Pearlberg*
