A packed house of students, faculty, staff, and parents filled Thies Auditorium this morning, all dressed for a special occasion: the induction of 28 Charlotte Latin School juniors and seniors into the Edward J. Fox Chapter of the prestigious Cum Laude Society. The Cum Laude Society, founded in 1906, honors not only a high GPA but the ideals exemplified by the Greek words Areté (excellence), Diké (justice), and Timé (honor). The Charlotte Latin chapter was chartered in 1976, when the school was just six years old.

The attendees celebrated the academic achievements, the keen minds, and the upstanding character of some of Latin’s brightest lights. Students were inducted by their peers, with tributes that included phrases such as “a force to be reckoned with,” “a scholar-philosopher,” “dedicated to excellence,” “a certified polyglot,” and “our very own Sherlock Holmes.” Perhaps the highest praise of all was this description of a daily practice: “takes information and turns it into knowledge.”

“I love that the induction ceremony is a part of Charlotte Latin culture,” Upper School History Chair Chuck Edwards said afterwards. (He was inducted into the Cum Laude Society himself circa 1993, when he was a Latin student.) “It’s important that we set high standards and celebrate academic excellence in all its forms. It’s worth putting on a tie for.”

Fourteen members of the class of 2026 were inducted: Natalie Berman, Avery Bly, Luca Bravo, Emily Cao, Connor Cruz, Peter DiSciullo, Evelyn Haggstrom, Kabir Nawaz, Jackie Rao, Kelsey Sciacca, Angelina Yang, Isabel Yang, Avery Youse, Claire Zhang, and Lynn Zhao.

In addition, 14 members of the class of 2025 were inducted: Claire Addison, Zoe Bradley, Stella Burke, Haddie Hanson, Addie Hull, Phillip Hullinger, Hannah Hurden, Ethan Khouri, Evy Linker, Reese Morgan, Kenny Ogbata, Griffin Orsinger, Ryan Purdom, Charlie Sidman, and Max Thompson.

They joined the 14 members of the class of 2025 who were inducted last year and who collectively hosted the induction ceremony: Alison Archibald, Camille Becker, Rossi Bellavia, Andrew Chen, Grace Finn, Nishanth Gaddam, Natalie Gaslin, Cordelia Kim, Ryan Kim, Alessandra Martin, Joe McGirt, Adam Stone, David Tian, and Logan Yee.

The assembly concluded with remarks by Head of Upper School Lawrence Wall, discussing the primacy of language in human history and culture, and the dangers of regarding words neglectfully. “This peril concerns me not only for our language but also for thought itself,” he said, “because we cannot produce thought without words, and we cannot arrive precisely at complex thoughts which we author and own without those very tools of thought thoughtfully and precisely applied.”

He ended with an exhortation that complemented the inspirational quality of the induction ceremony: “I hope that you will go forward carrying out the Inlustrate Orbem charge of this great school to ‘enlighten the world.’”