Press Release

6/18/2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shaker Named Valedictorian

Kristen Lillian Shaker of Woodbury was named valedictorian of the Class of 2012 at the Taft School, which held its 122nd commencement exercises in May.

"Kristen has been one of our tremendously distinguished and disciplined students," said Headmaster Willy MacMullen. "In a wonderful class of scholars, she was remarkable!"

A total of 169 students received diplomas from Taft this year.

"They are a very talented class," said MacMullen. "They had a lot of really impressive and unselfish leaders, and they found original and interesting ways to lead. By any measure, they have achieved heights that will be difficult to match. They took more APs exams than at any point in our history and their GPA was one of the highest we have seen."

With a weighted senior year average of 98.45 percent, Kristen is also a member of the Cum Laude Society, a national scholarship society in secondary schools corresponding to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi in colleges and scientific schools. She excelled in both the humanities and the sciences, taking Advanced Placement courses in American Government and English Literature as well as in physics and biology.

The Taft School is an independent boarding and day school for 588 boys and girls in grades nine through post graduate. Founded in 1890 by Horace Dutton Taft, younger brother of President William Howard Taft, the school moved to Watertown in 1893. More than a century later, its motto of service—Not to be served but to serve—remains central to the school's mission today.

 

For more information, visit www.taftschool.org.

Media

Contact:

Julie Reiff
Communications Office
T (860) 945-7743
F (860) 945-7797
JulieReiff@taftschool.org

THE TAFT SCHOOL  | 110 Woodbury Road | Watertown, Connecticut 06795 | 860-945-7777 | Info@TaftSchool.org