Student Standouts: Reddy ’27, Senthilkumar ’27, Yaqub H. ’36, TEAMS, and Girls Tennis
Faculty Feature: Mittler
Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.
Two Rams Declared Finalists in Gilder Lehrman David McCullough Essay Contest
Out of 753 entries in the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s 2025 David McCullough Essay Contest, only 23 students were selected as finalists, including our very own Navya Reddy ’27 and Kaviya Senthilkumar ’27. Congratulations to both Navya and Kaviya on this remarkable achievement!
This week, Reddy was announced as having earned third place in the Research category of the 2025 David McCullough Essay Prize. The program manager shared, [Navya’s] essay was widely recognized for its quality, argument, and attention to historical detail by our panel of Master Teacher judges and college professor judges.” She will receive a check for her prize.
Congratulations, Rams!
Second Grader to Participate in Real Madrid Foundation Soccer Training Program in Spain
This October, Yaqub H. ’36 will travel to Madrid, Spain, to participate in the Real Madrid Foundation Training Program, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offered through Avanza Sports and the Real Madrid Foundation.
During the 10-day program, Yaqub will train at Real Madrid City in Valdebebas, the official headquarters where Real Madrid’s first team practices. He will take part in intensive training led by official Real Madrid coaches, friendly matches against top Spanish academies, and a special Avanza tournament showcasing international talent. This position is not offered to everyone; he was chosen through the Real Madrid camp he attended this summer.
Beyond soccer, the program emphasizes the Real Madrid values of teamwork, respect, initiative, self-control, and hard work, lessons Yaqub looks forward to bringing back to his school and community. We are so proud to celebrate Yaqub as he represents both MICDS and the United States on the international stage!
MICDS Has Strong Presence at National TEAMS Competition
The National Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) Competition took place in Nashville, Tennessee from June 27 to July 1.
The following six MICDS students and two alumni attended the competition:
- Dhruv Avirneni ’27
- Eric Zhang ’27
- Siva Ram ’27
- Abhinav Dugaputi ’27
- Shaurya Maru ’28
- Sanjay Malhotra ’28
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Nina Bhayani ’25
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Baishali Biswas ’25
The competition includes four components:
- Design Build Challenge
- Multiple Choice Exam
- Presentation
- Mathematical Modeling
One of our MICDS Teams, composed of Abhinav, Shaurya, and Sanjay earned a top 10 placement in the Design/Build Challenge. Abhinav took the time to share about this challenge: “In the Design/Build Challenge, we were tasked with constructing a miniature green roof using only simple materials such as cardboard, tape, and pencils. Marbles were used to simulate rainfall, and the objective was to direct as many marbles as possible into a collection bowl.
“The real difficulty came from the constraints: strict limits on things like height, weight, and surface area, along with harsh penalties for going over. Knowing that a huge emphasis was placed on those constraints, our team prioritized efficiency and constraint management. While our design did not capture every marble, it excelled at staying under the limits, which is what ultimately helped us place in the Top 10 nationally.
“For us, this challenge reflected engineering as a whole — it’s not simply about delivering results, but about balancing multiple constraints to create solutions that are efficient, sustainable, and practical.”
Abhinav also shared this reflection: “Placing in the Top 10 at Nationals showed me how much can be accomplished when a team works together under pressure. We took an unconventional path that didn’t capture every marble but excelled at balancing strict weight and size limits — proving that engineering is about efficiency, creativity, persistence, but most of all, being clever.”
Congratulations to Abhinav, Shaurya, and Sanjay on their placement and to all the Rams who competed at the National TEAMS competition!
Girls Tennis Wins Metro League Tournament
Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Tennis team for winning the Metro League Tournament on Wednesday, September 3. The doubles teams earned the first, second, and fifth spots which clinched the tournament win. Go Rams!
Coach Mittler's Historic 400th Field Hockey Career Win
MICDS Head Field Hockey Coach Lynn Mittler reached a historic milestone this season, recording the 400th win of her coaching career on Wednesday, September 3! The achievement marks another chapter in a career defined by excellence, leadership, and dedication to her players both on and off the field.
This most recent victory adds to a long list of accomplishments. In 2013, Mittler celebrated her 200th career win, and in 2018, she notched 300 victories with a commanding win over Nerinx Hall.
Beyond the numbers, Mittler’s coaching has left a lasting impact on her players. Known for blending discipline with encouragement, she has cultivated a program rooted in resilience, teamwork, and love of the game. Her recognition as Missouri State Coach of the Year by MAX Field Hockey in 2019 further underscores her influence on the sport.
As Mittler celebrates this 400-win milestone, all of which have taken place at MICDS, the Rams community celebrates alongside her, including current and former assistant coaches, honoring not just the victories but the countless hours of teaching, coaching, and inspiring that made them possible.
Mittler reflected, “It is an honor to be a part of this 105-year history of MI and MICDS field hockey. These 400 wins represent so many players and coaches over the years who have put their belief in the team over themselves. I’m grateful for their effort every season and proud of who they have become in the years beyond MICDS. Also, I would like to thank Margot Monser who has been our Varsity assistant for over 200 of these wins!”
Coach Mittler, we are so proud of you! Congrats!
