Class of 2020 Accepts Diplomas in Reimagined Milestone

Rather than attending a traditional “pomp and circumstance” Commencement ceremony to mark the end of their eighth-grade year, each member of the class visited campus individually, along with their immediate family, to receive diplomas, awards, yearbooks, and other mementos of their time at Peck. 

Having completed the final three months of their Peck journey in a distance learning format, this class experienced an eighth-grade spring like no other before them. Due to the statewide restrictions on gatherings of more than 25 people in place in early June, official Commencement event plans were postponed to Saturday, August 29.

“The Class of 2020 is one The Peck School will never forget,” remarked Delinsky. “They have positively impacted our school in so many ways, and they have shown grace, grit, and great school spirit throughout this entire situation. We look forward to celebrating them the way they deserve later this summer.”

Academic honors and special awards for the Class of 2020 were announced at a special all-school virtual assembly on Monday, June 1.

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 Ellie Kintiroglou and Shivani Shah. Kintiroglou and Shah will both be attending Kent Place School.

The Caspersen Family Mathematics Award recognizes effort, intuition, and creative talents in exploring mathematical concepts and in understanding analytical procedures. Co-recipients of this award were Owen Markowitz and Shivani Shah. Markowitz will attend Newark Academy.

The History Prize recognizes an eighth-grade student whose scholarly achievement in history is matched by a genuine enthusiasm for the study of the past. This year’s prize was presented to Adia Decker. Decker will join Choate Rosemary Hall.

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 Alex Calder and Thatcher Neville. Calder will attend Delbarton School and Neville will attend The STEM Academy at Morristown High School.

The Foreign Language Prizes were awarded in honor of Yvonne Tyson, who brought her love of languages to Peck in 1960. They acknowledge outstanding effort, interest, enthusiasm, and academic performance in the study of languages. Eve Carbeau was awarded the prize for French, Ellie Kintiroglou and Colin Pryma for Latin, and Shivani Shah for Spanish. Carbeau will attend Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child and Pryma will join Delbarton School.

The Peck School Technology Award honors the student who demonstrates talent, innovation, and creativity with technology, and who promotes and supports the respectful use of technology. This year’s award was presented to Thatcher Neville and Colin Pryma.

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 Kathryn Cepeda and Adia Decker. Cepeda will attend Kent Place School.

The Alys H. Olney Music Award is given for a dedicated interest in music classes and programs, as well as a genuine love of performance. This year, the award was given to Adia Decker and Zachary Kalafer. Kalafer will be attending The Lawrenceville School.

The Norman R. Lemcke, Jr. Memorial Drama Award honors talent, commitment and sense of creativity that results in outstanding accomplishments in dramatic arts. Alexis Bartoli and Alex Calder were the co-recipients. Bartoli matriculates to The Pingry School.

The Lyndsley E. Wilkerson Award is given as merited to a graduating student who has enthusiastically built a foundation for future success, who has demonstrated genuine curiosity about the world, and who has led by example. Karla Aouga and Eve Carbeau received the award. Aouga will join Phillips Academy Andover.

The Rudolph H. Deetjen Jr. InDeCoRe Award, named for a beloved former Head of School, is presented to the graduating student who best demonstrates “consideration of others” and the school’s core values. The award winners, selected by seventh- and eighth-grade students, were Eve Carbeau and Matthew Mastrangelo. Mastrangelo will attend Delbarton School.

The F. C. Reynolds Memorial Sportsmanship Award is presented for an outstanding sense of leadership, fair play, and good sportsmanship. This year’s recipients were Ellie Kintiroglou, Matteo Littman, Johnny Riley, and Shivani Shah. Littman will be attending The Pingry School and Riley will attend Delbarton School.

The Peck Loyalty Prize is given in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Lorraine T. Peck, leaders of The Peck School for 27 years. This prize is presented to that student in the graduating class who, in the estimation of the faculty, best exemplifies “consideration of others” and consistently demonstrates the qualities of leadership, loyalty to the school, and other attributes that make for successful academic, athletic and personal relationships. Four students shared the award this year: Summer Drayton, Matthew Mastrangelo, Paul Salerno, and Avery Santomassimo. Drayton will attend The STEM Academy at Morristown High School, while Salerno and Santomassimo will both attend The Pingry School.

In addition to the awards, 16 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 were Karla Aouga, Alexis Bartoli, Alex Calder, Eve Carbeau, Kathryn Cepeda, Adia Decker, Julien Dietrich, Noor Elassir, Ellie Kintiroglou, Owen Markowitz, Thatcher Neville, Heidi Pearce, Colin Pryma, Avery Santomassimo, Shivani Shah, and Alexandra Zardoya. Dietrich heads to Delbarton School in the fall, Elassir will attend The Pingry School, Pearce will matriculate to Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, and Zardoya will attend Montville Township High School.

The Harriet Stratemeyer Adams Award for Highest Scholarship acknowledges the graduating eighth grader who has maintained the highest scholarship average for the year. The award was presented to Adia Decker, Owen Markowitz, and Shivani Shah.

The Peck School congratulates the Class of 2020.