06/15/2026
Fifth grade friends and families gathered in the Prep School theater on June 2 to celebrate our youngest graduates!
The Class of 2033 took the stage for a special orchestra and chorus performance before receiving their certificates and officially being promoted to Middle Schoolers. Attendees also enjoyed video segments featuring students discussing their favorite Grammar School memories, from exploring the origins of democracy in the U.S. during their recent trip to Philadelphia to enjoying some friendly competition during Lions Day.
After receiving their certificates, students headed over to the Prep School cafeteria to celebrate their hard work in the Grammar School with Leo the Lion!
Congratulations to the CGPS Class of 2033! 🦁
06/09/2026
On Wednesday, June 3, families, faculty and friends gathered in the North Gym to celebrate our eighth graders finishing Middle School and moving on to Prep School!
The event began with remarks from MS Director Michelle Schackman, Dean Olivia Salzano ’04 and student speaker Brandon C. Then, each student crossed the stage to receive their diploma and officially graduate from the Middle School. Later, everyone enjoyed a slideshow with photos of the Class of 2030’s time at CGPS, some going back to their Pre-K years. The ceremony served as a meaningful reminder of how much each student has learned and grown during their CGPS journey so far.
Congrats to the CGPS Class of 2030! 🎉
View more 8th Grade Promotion photos: bit.ly/49OFmg2.
06/08/2026
Congratulations to the CGPS Class of 2026!
On Friday, our community came together at Alice Tully Hall to celebrate the hard work, dedication and achievements of our graduates. The commencement activities included inspiring remarks from Head of School William N. Moseley, Prep School Director Dr. Scott Wilson, four members of the graduating class and the keynote speaker, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. Among the student speakers were top-ranking scholars Ariella Alexander and Bella Iosilevich, as well as Josie Peller and Eve Neimeth, who were selected by their teachers and peers, respectively, to speak during the ceremony.
Way to go, graduates! We can’t wait to see what lies ahead for you.
See the full list of colleges and universities the Class of 2026 will be attending and view more photos: bit.ly/49Olh9P. 🎓
06/03/2026
Prep School students and faculty recently celebrated their annual Moving Up Day! ☀️
The event began with the presentation of this year’s departmental awards, honoring students for their excellence in each subject area. Interspersed throughout the morning were performances from the Prep School Chorus, inspiring speeches by seniors Caylin B. and Wilson L., and lightning-round House activities hosted by Dean Andy Chappell to give everyone one last chance to earn points. In the end, the 2025–2026 House Cup went to Green Ivy. 🍃
Seniors Ari A., Bella I., Zac P. and Henry S. were also recognized as this year's top scholars, and the yearbook editors unveiled this year’s edition: "A Tale of Columbiana."
MUD concluded with the official promotion of all students to the next grade, followed by the Alumni Induction Ceremony, where seniors were welcomed into our alumni network.
Congrats to our Prep School community on another fantastic year, and we look forward to coming together in two days to honor the Class of 2026 at graduation! 💙
05/29/2026
During the final days of the year, seventh and eighth grade civics students presented their capstone research projects to families, faculty and peers. The goal of the new two-year program, which begins with Civics Foundations in seventh grade and continues with Civics Engagement in eighth, is for students to build foundational knowledge of government and democracy and become active and informed citizens.
In Civics Foundations with Ms. Waldman, seventh graders explore the roots of American government. At Thursday’s culminating event, "Civics Morning: Passing the Torch," students presented final projects focused on the evolution of voting rights in the U.S. They examined whether the women’s suffrage movement was necessary or if voting rights should have been extended earlier, assessed the Voting Rights Act’s significance among civil rights achievements, evaluated the impact of poll taxes, debated whether gerrymandering should be banned and more.
In Civics Engagement, eighth graders worked with Mr. Johnson to apply their growing knowledge of civics to their own communities. Through in-depth data collection, firsthand interviews, literature reviews and more, they researched and proposed community engagement initiatives that deal with one of the four service-learning areas pursued in the Prep School: elderly communities, people with disabilities, underserved populations and the environment. Enthusiasm was strong during class presentations last week, with students eager to continue this work.
Congratulations to everyone on a job well done!
➡️ Read the full article: bit.ly/43H7YUQ.
05/28/2026
On Thursday, May 21, we held our seventh annual Advanced Science Research (ASR) Symposium, showcasing the work of students in our three-year science research program!
ASR, which takes place in grades 10–12, guides students in completing original, primary research projects. Each participant chooses their own subject and designs their own experiment. Over the course of the program, ASR students have explored a wide range of topics, including machine learning, data science, aerospace technology, genetics, environmental science and much more, often diving deep into complex questions typically explored only at the college level or beyond.
As part of the evening's ceremony, each graduating senior was recognized with a personalized ASR diploma and ceremonial white lab coat—a tradition marking the culmination of three years of dedication to scientific inquiry. The event also featured a keynote address from ASR alumna Mia Grasso ’24, a current Applied Economics and Management student at Cornell.
The Symposium concluded with slide presentations by the seniors and poster presentations by all students. The event offered families, faculty and peers the chance to engage with student work and celebrate the intellectual curiosity and ambition that define our ASR program.
Congratulations to all!
➡️ Visit the virtual ASR Symposium page to learn more about these projects: bit.ly/3Ptklkf.
05/22/2026
Today, Pre-K and kindergarten students met with their senior buddies to congratulate them on their upcoming graduation, concluding the inaugural year of Cubs to Lions! This cross-divisional initiative connects our youngest learners with senior mentors, creating meaningful relationships that mirror the full arc of a CGPS education and provide our littlest Lions with role models they can look up to.
Cubs to Lions also offers seniors an opportunity to step up as leaders and give back to a community that, for many, has supported them since they were in the Grammar School themselves.
Throughout the year, the Class of 2026 and their younger buddies were all smiles as they spent time getting to know each other while coloring, talking about life at CGPS and reading some of their favorite childhood books.
This exciting new tradition represents CGPS at our best, bringing to life our schoolwide commitment to connection and belonging, and cultivating a nurturing community where students support each other and grow together, from Cubs to Lions. 🦁💙
05/21/2026
Madison C. and Brij K., two seniors in our Advanced Science Research (ASR) program, represented NYC at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest science and engineering competition for high school students!
Over 1,700 scientists and engineers were selected from more than 60 countries, regions and territories to attend ISEF in Phoenix, Arizona. In March, Madison and Brij received first-place distinctions in their respective categories at the Terra NYC STEM Fair, the only high school STEM research event in NYC affiliated with ISEF, and their projects were chosen to represent NYC at the global competition.
Each year, only 13 students from the city go to ISEF (from about 140 finalists). This is the sixth year in a row that CGPS has been among them and the first time that two of our students advanced.
For her project, “Habituation and Associative Learning in Hydra vulgaris,” Madison studied learning in hydra, tiny freshwater animals with very simple nervous systems, and did the entire project at home.
For his project, “Perceived Negative Energy Density Hawking Radiation Near Black Holes: A Tensorial Derivation,” Brij studied Hawking radiation, a very faint kind of radiation that black holes are predicted to give off but that cannot be directly measured on Earth.
Congratulations, Madison and Brij! 🔬
05/28/2026
05/22/2026
05/21/2026