Windward Communications
Windward would like to extend its congratulations to alum Elyse Forman ’19, who was recently recognized as District Winner for The Cum Laude Society Paper—2019. The Cum Laude Society, which looks for evidence of superior scholarship and original thought in recognizing and celebrating outstanding academic achievement, invited over 380 Cum Laude Schools to submit. In the end, Elyse’s research paper, written in her Honors History Capstone while she was a Senior at Windward, was named as the winner of her district, one of only eight such honors nationwide. This marks the second year in a row that a Windward student has taken home the honor, following Maui Simon ’18 last year. Elyse was awarded a $500 prize for her win, as well as the continued admiration of her Windward community.
Regan Buck Bardeen, Elyse’s capstone teacher, had this to say on the achievement: “Elyse’s essay on the ways in which public opinion informed United States Supreme Court decisions on the death penalty was exemplary historical research. She was thorough and meticulous in her reading on the topic; she conducted interviews with leading experts in the field and waded through dense primary sources in order to tell an intricate story about changing attitudes towards the death penalty. I was so impressed by Elyse’s persistence in figuring out this complicated legal narrative. As she began learning about the use of the death penalty in the US, she was appalled by the unjust and racist way in which it was applied, and that knowledge inspired her research. I am proud of Elyse for turning her concern into an excellent historical essay!”
Great job, Elyse!
