Thirty-nine Mercer County residents participated in The Pennington School’s Commencement exercises on June 1.
During the exercises Head of School Stephanie G. Townsend granted diplomas to 94 seniors and Osagie Imasogie of Phoenix IP Ventures in Philadelphia gave the Commencement address.
Valedictorian Sophia Su, of Ewing Township, spoke during the exercises. Su was presented with the Head of School’s Award for Scholarship and awards in Spanish, science, and journalism. She plans to attend Princeton University in the fall.
Collette King of Lawrenceville received a signal honor, the Head of School’s Award to the Best All-Around Student, which recognizes a senior whose distinguished scholarship and dedication to extracurricular activities has set a memorable example. She also received an award for excellence in the school’s peer leadership program.
Senior Class President Hope MacKenzie, of Ewing Township, received the Charles G. Bennett ’59 Memorial Award for School Spirit, as well as an award for excellence in English and the Stephen Crane Writing Contest Award for Poetry.
Devon Landis of Pennington and Grant Lawlor of Washington Crossing, Pa., shared the School Award for Outstanding Citizenship.
The school also awarded a faculty prize during Commencement.
Science department chair Thomas Horsley was given the Henry and Selma Otte Distinguished Teacher Award. Horsley joined the residential faculty as a chemistry teacher in 1994, after six years teaching at University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Horsley is set to assume a new position as the School’s director of academic technology in July.
Pennington School graduates from Mercer County are James P. Yeager of East Windsor, Hope S. P. MacKenzie, Jordan A. Page, DeAndre M. Santos, Sophia Su Jesse J. Van Marter and Jahmir A. White of Ewing Township, Matthew J. Butler, Averi J. Rosena and Colby M. Ross of Hamilton Township, Peter J. Manuelli of Hightstown, Ryan J. McGann of Hopewell, Andrew J. Agress, Alexis T. Cellars, Erica T. Harris, Collette T. King, Gianna L. LaLota, Megan A. McMichael, Jaclyn E. Moses, Frances S. Seiler, Marguerite M. Taylor of Lawrenceville, James A. Boozan Jr., Daniel J. Castranova, Devon E. Landis, Anders S. Nilsson, Anna E. Soccorsi, Samuel C. Spencer, John A. Steffens of Pennington, Theodore I. Darenkov, Leigh R. Honigman, Alexander D. Pecora, Christopher M. Pibl, Rebecca Reidy, Stephen T. Schreiber of Princeton, Adam R. Levi of Princeton Junction, Anna K. Gregg and Katelyn A. Smolar of Titusville Aaron D. George, Kayla J. Krause and Brittany T. Richards of Trenton.
More information is online at pennington.org.