A Newton Country Day School student earned the highest score in her division on the National French Contest in spring 2026.
Lexi Borcherding, a member of the Class of 2029, received the Médaille de Platine, or Platinum award, for posting the top score in her level and division. That means a national rank of 1, according to the American Association of Teachers of French. Borcherding also earned a Gold award on the National Spanish Exam, scoring at or above the 95th percentile.
She was one of 148 Newton Country Day students recognized on the 2025-26 World Language National Exams in French, Latin and Spanish, the school announced Tuesday, Sept. 15. The exams are administered to students worldwide each spring.
The breakdown: 47 students earned honors in French, 30 in Latin and 71 in Spanish.
Four students scored 37 or higher out of 40 on the National Latin Exam to earn the Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude distinction. Molly Papazian, Class of 2029, led the Upper School honorees. Middle schoolers Marian Emans (Class of 2031), Annie Mitchell (Class of 2031) and Olwen Davis (Class of 2030) also earned the top Latin honor.
Two more Latin students earned Silver Medal, Maxima Cum Laude recognition for scoring 35 or 36 out of 40: Luella Lam (Class of 2029) and Valerie Luxieo (Class of 2028) in the Upper School. Middle schoolers Carmen Anna and Giada Cownie, both Class of 2031, also earned Silver.
In Spanish, Grace Goodman (Class of 2027), Izzy Lemberg (Class of 2029) and Casandra Ortiz Gonzalez (Class of 2028) joined Borcherding at the Gold level. Each scored at or above the 95th percentile nationally, according to the National Spanish Exam's award criteria.
Additional French Gold recipients included Zoey Bekarian (Class of 2029), Mia Binggeli (Class of 2028) and Izzy Lucibello (Class of 2026) in the Upper School, along with Emans in the Middle School.
Newton Country Day, an all-girls school on Centre Street serving grades 5 through 12, is ranked the No. 2 Catholic high school in Massachusetts by Niche.
Emans, a middle schooler, earned Gold in both French and Latin in the same academic year.
