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Gilmour Academy Announces Valedictorian and Salutatorian
Gilmour Academy is proud to announce the valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2025. This year’s top academic honors go to Ian Miller ’25, of Gates Mills, and Carter Richmond ’25, of Pepper Pike. Miller and Richmond both delivered remarks at the school’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 25.
Miller, the valedictorian, earned the highest grade point average not just in his class, but in the last eight years at Gilmour. He was named a National Merit Finalist, scored just a few points shy of a perfect SAT score, had a perfect score on the PSAT and earned a perfect score on every one of his AP exams to date. He has been named an AP Scholar of Distinction by the College Board.
Miller has been recognized by his teachers with awards for excellence in math, English, Latin, science and social studies. He is the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Award, the Oliver Seikel Award for Excellence in Science, the University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Science Award and the Yale Junior Book Award. He received Highest Honors all four years at Gilmour, and has been inducted into the National Honor Society and the Cum Laude Society.
In completing Gilmour’s Catalyst program, Miller worked as part of a research team in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Cleveland State University, where he focused on loading and measuring the efficiency of polymer nanoparticles infused with blood pressure medication. He also participated in Gilmour’s VECTOR program in the Engineering & Design cohort, where his capstone project combined creativity and cutting-edge Meta AI technology to develop a Gen Alpha slang translator.
Miller served as captain of Gilmour’s Academic Challenge quiz bowl team, which won the season championship, and he earned first place individually at the 2024 National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) Northeast Ohio Fall Tournament. He was an active member of Gilmour’s robotics team, and served as co-president of the St. Adalbert’s Service Club, accruing more than 80 hours of community service during his four years.
He will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, where he plans to study
chemical engineering.
The salutatorian, Richmond, also demonstrated exceptional dedication in the classroom, earning top grades while actively participating in campus life. He was named a National Merit Commended Scholar. His transcript reflected 11 AP courses along with Multivariable Calculus and completion of the Catalyst program, where he worked in Case Western Reserve University’s Two-Phase Flow and Thermal Management Lab, focusing on the cryogenic fluids used in space missions. He is a member of National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society and is a three-time recipient of the Head of School Award. Over the years he has been awarded for his achievements in AP Spanish, Biology, AP Physics C and AP US History. He was the recipient of the Paul Primeau Award in Science, the Br. Richard Keller Service Award, the Basil Moreau Award, and Robert B. Tomaro Award, which recognizes a student for their keen mind, sense of justice and passion for doing what is right. At the Senior Awards ceremony, Richmond was presented with Gilmour’s highest honor for a graduating senior, The Gilmour Trophy.
Richmond is passionate about flight and spent a summer at Brown University studying space travel systems and space tourism. As a member of the Gilmour VECTOR program’s Engineering & Design cohort, he built a sonar system for his senior capstone that is capable of detecting an object’s direction and distance.
Outside of the classroom, Richmond was a four-year starter for the varsity soccer team and served as team captain. He served as president of the Jewish Heritage Club, sharing his Jewish culture and tradition with the Gilmour community, and was a co-president of the Investment Club, whose investment fund of real dollars outperformed the S&P 500. He also served as a member of the school’s Honor Council.
This fall, Richmond will continue his education at the University of Virginia, where he will major in aerospace engineering.
Members of Gilmour’s Class of 2025 were admitted to 20 of the Top 30 colleges and universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. These include Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, University of Chicago, UCLA, Rice, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, UC San Diego, NYU, University of Florida and University of Texas. Ten members of the class earned full-tuition scholarships. Additionally, 34 students, or 26 percent of the class, made commitments to continue their athletic careers at the next level in baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, track and field and volleyball.
