Student Standouts: Gardner ’31, Jewett ‘31, Ava S. ’36, Robotics, Boys & Girls Basketball, Field Hockey, and Wrestling
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.
Gardner ‘31 Performs as Snow Maiden in the Nutcracker
Seventh Grade Baseball Star Plays in Perfect Game Main Event Prospect Gateway Over Break
Brandon Jewett ‘31 was selected to play in the Perfect Game Main Event Prospect Gateway in Fort Myers, Florida over the break. He was selected because he had a batting average of .462 in Perfect Game AAA/Majors tournaments in 2025. During the event, his team finished in first place, and he maintained a batting average of .500. The PG scouts had the following to say: “Brandon Jewett collected two hits including a barrel to the pull side. It’s a fairly compact swing and Jewett does a nice job repeating the swing.” Way to go, Brandon!
Second Grader's Writing Gets Published Online
Second grader Ava S. ’36 recently had her very first writing piece published publicly on Medium.com, which has been an exciting and meaningful achievement! Seeing her work shared on a real-world writing platform has given her a tremendous sense of confidence and motivation to continue developing her voice as a writer. Way to write, Ava!
Building and Belonging: A Weekend at the MICDS Robotics Competition
By Dr. Sally Maxwell, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning
In early December, 72 local middle school robotics teams competed in a regional robotics competition that MICDS has hosted for over a decade. The competition challenge, “Unearthed,” required teams to build a robot that could work on an archaeological dig and asked students to consider “What tools help archaeologists in their exciting work? And how can your ideas shape the future?” Robotics competitions teach STEM content and 21st-century skills as well as challenge students to work together, problem-solve, develop grit, and present their work. “We’re not building robots; we’re using robots to build the kids,” said Laura Roth, FIRST in Missouri Executive Director. “People find their people, and they find their passions.” With 450 visitors to the MICDS campus over the two-day event, the competition offers new opportunities to students across the region.
MICDS student Isha Bogachenchu ’26 said, “Robotics has something for everyone. It has become such a big part of my life, and I am always on campus for it.” This year, the FTC challenge is on projectile motion, and her team is building a robot that can throw balls in a bowl. Despite her own robotics team responsibilities and taking the SAT on Saturday, Bogachenchu volunteered to spend Sunday at the MICDS competition with the rest of the MICDS robotics team to help run the event. She worked at a robotics demonstration table, giving young children the chance to see and operate robots up close.
Fellow MICDS Upper School robotics team member and competition volunteer Daniel Kim-Krens ’26 thinks that his work in robotics has helped in his science and math classes at MICDS because they also include practical experiments, prototyping, and problem-solving. Beyond classroom content, Daniel’s biggest lessons have been about patience and precision. He shares, “You need to create algorithms, especially with an autonomous mode, so that it can complete specific actions. One mistake throws everything off.”
MICDS Upper Schooler Milton Duckworth ’26 emceed the robotics competition in a lab coat loaded with ribbons and pins. He enjoys having a leadership role in the MICDS competition. “I get to be very involved with the whole process and can answer people’s questions,” he said. “The closing ceremony is the best part because you get to see everyone’s hard work completed and the winning teams’ happiness. I’m giving back to the community that helped me, and I’m helping the kids who are now where I was.”
Varsity Basketball Teams Both Win Don Maurer Holiday Invitational
Our Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams were busy over break, hosting and competing in the MICDS Don Maurer Holiday Invitational. Both MICDS teams took home the championships. Way to go, Rams!
Boys Invitational Recap & Photos:
In the Boys Varsity Basketball team’s final championship game, as recapped by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brandon Clemens ’26 scored a season-high of 28 points. The Rams ultimately won the game against CBC, 66-50. This is the sixth time that the MICDS Boys team has won its own tournament and the first time doing so since 2021.
Girls Invitational Recap & Photos:
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article on MICDS’ championship victory over Ladue, 75-37. Check out the summary here! It shares information about top scorers Jordyn Haywood ’28 (26 points), Riha Obinegbo ’28 (17 points), and Lily Harris ’28 (13 points). This was the first time our Rams have won the invitational since 2021. Following the tournament, Haywood represented MICDS on the all-tournament team for the second year in a row.
Additionally, the MICDS Girls Basketball team has been ranked 13th in the state according to Sports Illustrated.
Amazing double wins, Rams!
Six Field Hockey Players Make All-Metro Field Hockey Teams
Congratulations to the following Rams who made the All-Metro Field Hockey teams that were announced by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch over Winter Break!
All-Metro First Team:
- Ellemieke Ferguson ’27
- Mallory Jerlecki ’27
- Victoria Noble ’28
All-Metro Second Team:
- Lydia Brown ’28
- Georgia Lochhead ’26
All-Metro Third Team:
- Amelia Mackin ’26
A Successful Varsity Wrestling Tournament
Congrats to our Varsity Wrestling team which competed at the North Point Developmental Tournament! They brought back some hardware!
- Cooper Newton ’27 – 1st
- Evan Struckman ’29 – 1st
- Joseph Glasser ’28 – 2nd
- Will Reding ’27 – 3rd
- Tommy Kastor ’28 – 3rd