Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

On June 5, The Peck School’s Class of 2026 accepted their diplomas from Head of School Andy Delinsky and President of the Board of Trustees Charles Sorrentino.

Forty-three eighth-grade students from towns across northern New Jersey participated in the commencement as they formally graduated from Peck and prepared to begin the next chapter of their educational journeys.

Delinsky welcomed parents, family, and friends on campus for this momentous occasion and spoke of the various accomplishments of this year’s graduating class.

“What I’ll remember most about this class is not simply the years they spent at Peck or their remarkable accomplishments, but the way they chose to spend them,” said Delinsky. “This is a mature class. They embraced the responsibility that comes with being the oldest students on campus and leaned fully into their roles as leaders. But their leadership was never defined solely by titles, positions, or recognition. Instead, it was revealed in the way they cared for one another.”

Alumni Speaker Christopher Fu '22 (Philips Academy Class of 2026) returned to his alma mater to deliver the alumni address.

“If I've learned anything at Andover, living in a dorm with a dozen friends, it is to be happy for other people's accomplishments,” said Fu. “Class of 2026, as the days pass after your graduation, and you begin to fully process these memories, I encourage you to look back on the people who made you who you are now. Thank them, and as you wade through your memories, soak yourself in all this time, all that you have experienced, all that you are experiencing, and all the dazzlingly new things that you will experience.”

This graduating class has made its mark on the Peck community. To commemorate their time at Peck, Student Council President Arjun Wadhera presented the Class of 2026’s gift: new game tables and chess sets for the CT Commons.

“We hope these tables and sets will become a place where future classes can gather, sit across from each other, and create memories that they can carry with them long after their time at Peck,” said Wadhera.

“Just as we built long meaningful memories through everyday moments, we hope these boards will inspire meaningful relationships through friendly competition, quiet conversations and laughter, and learning lessons through both victory and defeat.”

Following the presentation, graduates Norah Carifa, Maggie Donnelly, Maddie Foreman, Hardy Lee, Aarav Shah, and Eva Zarro presented this year’s Eighth-Grade Address. Each reflected on their memories at Peck and what our community and our school have meant to them.

The ceremony included announcements of academic honors and special awards for the Class of 2026:

The John L. Hopkins Memorial Award is named in honor of a former Peck parent and acknowledges outstanding performance in English composition. The award was presented to Lydia Pester and Reese Lysiak. This fall, Pester will attend Kent Place School, and Lysiak will attend Summit High School.

The History Prize recognizes an eighth-grade student whose scholarly achievement in history is matched by a genuine enthusiasm for understanding the human experience. This year’s History Prize was presented to Eric Jia, who will attend Delbarton School.

The Caspersen Family Mathematics Award recognizes effort, intuition, and creative talents in exploring mathematical concepts and in understanding analytical procedures. This award was presented to Eric Jia and Declan Weng. In the fall, Weng will attend The Academy for Math, Science, and Engineering.

The Malcolm E. McAlpin Memorial Science Award recognizes a high level of curiosity, scientific reasoning, and a commitment to excellence in science. This year, the award was presented to Julieta Ambrogio and Declan Weng. Ambrogio will attend The Pingry School in the fall.

The World Language Prizes are awarded in memory of Yvonne Tyson, a former faculty member. The Foreign Language Prizes honor student effort, interest, enthusiasm, and academic performance in the study of languages. This year’s recipients are Norah Carifa for Spanish, Thijs McCormick for French, and Arjun Wadhera for Latin. In the fall, Carifa and McCormick will attend The Pingry School, and Wadhera will attend The Hotchkiss School.

The Peck School Technology Award honors students who demonstrate talent, innovation, and creativity with technology and who promote and support the respectful use of technology. Recipients are Joseph Heck, Eric Jia, and Declan Weng. Heck will attend Morristown Beard School.

The Eighth Grade Art Prize, given in honor of Marion Turrell Francis, recognizes outstanding artistic talent and a genuine love of art. This year’s award was presented to Sonia Dadheech and Maddie Forman. Dadheech will attend The Academy for Government & Legal Studies (at Madison High School), and Forman will attend Kent Place School in the fall.

The Alys H. Olney Music Award is given for a dedicated interest in music classes and programs, and a genuine love of performance. This year, the award went to Declan Weng.

The Norman R. Lemcke, Jr. Memorial Drama Award honors the talent, commitment, and a sense of creativity that results in outstanding accomplishments in dramatic arts. Milly Bolton and Patrick Machir are the recipients of this year’s award. Bolton will attend Millbrook School, and Machir will attend Delbarton School in the fall.

The Lyndsley E. Wilkerson Award is given to students who have enthusiastically built a foundation for future success, who have demonstrated genuine curiosity about the world, and who have led by example. This year’s award went to Milly Bolton and Gray Shields. Shields will continue on to The Pingry School.

The Nina Sharma Award for Leadership in Service Award was presented to Joseph Heck. Sharma, who served as Head of the Lower School for nearly 20 years, returned to Peck to present the award, which is given in recognition of leadership in serving others through their commitment to service on campus and in the community.

The Rudolph H. Deetjen Jr. InDeCoRe Award, named for a former Head of School, is presented to the graduating student who best demonstrates Consideration of Others and the school’s core values. The award winner, as voted by eighth-grade students in May, was Arjun Wadhera.

The F.C. Reynolds Memorial Sportsmanship Award is presented to students who present an outstanding sense of leadership, fair play, and good sportsmanship. This year’s recipients were Julieta Ambrogio, Reese Lysiak, Joseph Heck, and Thijs McCormick.

The Peck Loyalty Prize is given in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Lorraine T. Peck, leaders of The Peck School for 27 years. The prize is presented to students in the graduating class who, in the estimation of the faculty, best exemplify “consideration of others” and consistently demonstrate the qualities of leadership, loyalty to the school, and other attributes that make for successful academic, athletic, and personal relationships. This year, the Peck Loyalty Prize was awarded to Scarlett Steenberg and Arjun Wadhera. Steenberg will attend Morristown Beard School in the fall.

Ten students were recognized for high scholarship, which acknowledges those graduates who have earned an overall grade point average of 93 or better for the year. These students are Julieta Ambrogio, Hadley Bendelius, Douglas Breaks, Aria Brooks, Norah Carifa, Emma Ceberio, Sonia Dadheech, Maggie Donnelly, Maddie Forman, Eric Jia, Jaida Lagos-Clay, Alex Lin, Reese Lysiak, Thijs McCormick, Hartley Orenstein, Lydia Pester, Layla Sakr, Alex Sanford, Aarav Shah, Scarlett Steenberg, Arjun Wadhera, Declan Weng, and Eva Zarro.

The Harriet Stratemeyer Adams Award for Highest Scholarship acknowledges the graduating student who has maintained the highest scholarship average for the year, including final exams. This year’s award recipient is Arjun Wadhera.

After all the recipients of student awards had been announced and presented, Delinsky announced the recipient of The Walker D. Kirby Faculty Award. The Walker D. Kirby Faculty Award honors a member of the faculty whose dedication to the school, its students, and its mission is an exemplary inspiration to the graduating class and the entire Peck community. Each student in our graduating class votes to determine the recipient. This year’s award went to Head of Upper School Virginia Savage '05, who has stepped down from her administrative role to return to graduate school. She will continue to teach English at Peck for 2026-27 school year.

“In a way, we are graduating together—taking steps forward and away, though the exact path remains hidden, and carrying the lessons learned here with a mix of excitement, joy, and bittersweet nostalgia for all we leave behind,” said Savage.