Head of School Letter: Celebrating the Class of 2026

Saturday morning in the Janet Root Theatre, we will gather to celebrate and honor the members of Shorecrest’s Class of 2026. The individuals who make up this class have displayed impressive leadership and enormous talent in a wide array of endeavors, including academics, arts, athletics and other co-curricular activities. Who can forget their eighth grade musical "Annie," their enthusiastic cheer performance as ninth graders during their very first Homecoming week, leading our Shorecrest athletic teams to district and regional titles, and elevating the competitiveness of our robotics program? More recently, the Class of 2026 has exhibited leadership and support for others that serves as a model of how a senior class can positively impact the community of Shorecrest. These students have embodied the Mission of Shorecrest, as lifelong learners who value academic excellence, physical well-being, creative achievement and a commitment to social responsibility. I want to share some of the impressive accomplishments of the Class of 2026. 

These seniors have challenged themselves academically throughout their Shorecrest careers. Over the past four years in the Upper School, most have participated in Honors and Advanced Placement courses, culminating with a total of 487 Advanced Placement exams taken by the Class of 2026. More than a quarter of the class chose to be a part of Shorecrest’s Signature Programs. Seven Chargers will graduate with their Global Scholars Initiative (GSI) diplomas and 17 - a record number of seniors - will earn STEAM certificates in Computer Science, Engineering, Entrepreneurship & Design, Medical Engineering or Performing Arts. Students created and completed Independent Studies in subjects such as Computer Science Principles with C++, Competitive Coding, Nonlinear Control Systems, Selected Topics in Oceanography, Culture of the Francophone World, French Historical Cultural Comparison and Architecture: Revit and Building Information Modeling.

The Class of 2026 includes four National Merit Scholarship Finalists - with at least one named a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship winner - and eight National Merit Commended Students. This year, members of the Class of 2026 were accepted by a total of 167 different schools and will attend 42 colleges in 20 different states and 1 overseas country. Our seniors were accepted into highly selective colleges and universities including: 

American University, Bates, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western Reserve, The Citadel, Clemson, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Cornell, Denison, Duke, Durham University (UK), Eckerd, Emory, Florida State, Fordham, Franklin & Marshall, George Washington, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Howard, Macalester, Morehouse, North Carolina A & T, North Carolina State, Northeastern, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oberlin, Ohio State, Purdue, Rice, Rochester Institute of Technology, Skidmore, Southern Methodist, Syracuse, Texas Christian, Trinity (Dublin), Tulane, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Villanova, Wake Forest, Washington University in St. Louis, Wesleyan and the University of California at Davis, Edinburgh (Scotland), Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina at Chapel Hill,, Pittsburgh, Toronto (Canada), Vermont, Virginia and Washington, along with many other impressive colleges and universities.

For a complete listing of college acceptances and matriculations, please visit the Class of 2026 webpage: Shorecrest.org/2026

In addition, thus far the Class of 2026 has earned over $7.5 million dollars in scholarships for their college careers, with additional scholarship funds still being awarded for this fall. 78% of the senior class were eligible to receive a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship; 36 seniors have thus far been awarded Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholars and nine have earned the distinction as Florida Bright Futures Medallion Scholars, with more recipients forthcoming.  

The Class of 2026 includes numerous talented athletes who have been role models for the school’s younger students. Their involvement has supported the Chargers athletic program; their sportsmanship and participation leave a positive legacy. Over their four years of interscholastic competition, these students have been leaders in our athletic programs. Six seniors will be continuing their athletic careers in intercollegiate sports and will compete on the collegiate level in cross-country, golf, sailing, soccer, swimming and track & field programs. We will miss their talents at Shorecrest and wish them well on the next step of their athletic journey.  

Some amazing artists were a part of this senior class. There are Thespians who earned recognition and awards for their talents, including nominations for Outstanding Performance from the Broadway Star of the Future program. Presented by the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, this award honors artistic excellence from around the Tampa Bay Area and recognizes our students for their work in Shorecrest’s theatrical productions. Student artists sang, danced and acted in many productions this year and also performed in the Shorecrest concert band. Visual artists in this class also earned Gold and Silver Key recognition, along with Honorable Mention distinctions from the 2026 Pinellas County Art Region of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program for their writing, drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. A number of students will continue in the performing and visual arts on the collegiate level. We are delighted with their artistic pursuits and look forward to their successes on the stage and in galleries. 

An important pillar of our Mission is a commitment to social responsibility, which is developed in part by our service learning program. This year’s senior class completed 10,463 service hours. During their time at Shorecrest, our seniors traveled locally and across the nation for their Service Week commitments, venturing as far away as the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and the Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee, and internationally to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Some local nonprofit organizations served by Shorecrest students include Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Florida Holocaust Museum, Special Olympics, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Tampa Bay Watch, City of St. Petersburg Libraries and St. Petersburg City Theatre.

Family connections are an important component of community-building here at Shorecrest. The Class of 2026 includes five legacy students, with at least one parent who attended Shorecrest in the past. In addition, 17 students are “lifers” at Shorecrest. This senior class also includes 6 students who are children of current faculty/staff members.

Near or far, we know that the Shorecrest Class of 2026 will remain Chargers, committed to lifelong learning and to making a positive difference in the world. We are so proud of these accomplished individuals and look forward to watching them excel not only in colleges and universities, but also in their professional and personal adult lives.

Congratulations and best wishes, Class of 2026! We are honored to get to call you Shorecrest Alumni! 

All the best, 

Nancy

Learn more about the Class of 2026 or stream Commencement live:

Shorecrest.org/2026