Due to the devastating storm that rolled through St. Louis on Friday, May 16, and the impacts it had on our community, Senior Night was unfortunately canceled. The Class of 2025 deserves its accolades, so please enjoy this “run of show” program. Our thoughts are with all those affected by the storm. Congratulations to our honored seniors.
Class of 2025 Opening Video for Senior Night
Class President Remarks
Click here to read the remarks drafted by Class President Taha Syed ’25.
Salutatorian Remarks
Salutatorian Mac Froedge ’25 was also slated to speak at Senior Night. Click here to read her remarks, as delivered at Commencement on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Class of 2025 Dean Remarks
Chris Ludbrook, Dean of the Class of 2025, wanted to share his thoughts on his experience with this class over the past four years. Read them here.
ATHLETIC AWARDS
James A. Baur Award
The James A. The Baur Award was established by the Class of 1969 to honor James Baur. It is given to one member of the graduating class. Brian Gould ’25 receives this award for his sportsmanship and selfless dedication to school athletics, having made an outstanding contribution to the school.
Coach Bouchard shared that: “One of our playoff opponents said Brian was the most dynamic offensive player they played against, was one of the best defenders they faced, and also had to be accounted for on special teams. A complete player.”
From Coach Kraatz, “Brian has recreated the standard for MICDS baseball players. He encourages everyone around him to rise to the occasion daily. Baseball is in Brian’s blood, and we are blessed to have him as part of our program.”
Mary Elizabeth Burlingame Award
The Burlingame Award is named for a well-respected athletic teacher from Mary Institute, Mary Elizabeth Burlingame. The 2025 Burlingame Award is presented to Grace Coppel ’25 for her determination, leadership, sportsmanship, and dedication to the athletic program, and for the outstanding contribution she has made to the School. Coach Lohr shared that Grace is one of the best competitors and captains he has seen in his 30 years of coaching, and that Grace is leaving a legacy in the track and field program thanks to her talent and leadership.
From Coach Fulton: Grace is a young woman of integrity, compassion, and respect. Her leadership and humility have had a positive impact on our swim program, which has been awesome to observe.
Grace receives this award for her determination, leadership, sportsmanship, and dedication to the athletic program, and for the outstanding contribution she has made to our School. Grace is also receiving a Golden Ram award, which we present to a senior for the completion of 12 seasons of athletic competition for MICDS.
Senior Athletic Awards
The following members of the Class of 2025 are being recognized with a Senior Athletic Award, sponsored by the MICDS Sports Boosters:
| Elliott Bauer ’25 | Andrew Haas ’25 | Peyton Simon ’25 |
| Bennett Baur ’25 | CeCe Harris ’25 | Hattie Sloane ’25 |
| Brooke Bernstein ’25 | Alyssa Harris ’25 | Addie Small ’25 |
| Alexander Bierling ’25 | Sophia Huddleston ’25 | Henri Sokolich ’25 |
| Caroline Bryan ’25 | Evan Kamat ’25 | Jason Song ’25 |
| Cameron Cooper ’25 | Caroline Koman ’25 | Oscar Sorkin ’25 |
| Grace Coppel ’25 | Luke Koman ’25 | Samantha Sullivan ’25 |
| Ace Derdeyn ’25 | Lilly Loeb ’25 | Maximilian J.E. Thomas ’25 |
| Will Frank ’25 | Oliver Marks ’25 | Joe Walsh ’25 |
| Ben Gelven ’25 | Sawyer Merlin ’25 | Revathi Warrier ’25 |
| Sophia Goodwin ’25 | Simra Qayyum ’25 | Jack Wienstroer ’25 |
| Brian Gould ’25 | Carli Salazar Estrada ’25 | Norah Wright ’25 |
PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS
Each year, MICDS recognizes students who have achieved a certain number of volunteer hours during a 12-month period with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This program is led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light. The goal of this award is to encourage more people to live lives of service and celebrate the spirit of volunteerism. Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic engagement, and inspires others to make service a part of their lives. All of this aligns with MICDS’ mission to prepare students for lives of purpose and service.
Ace Derdeyn ’25 receives a President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award for more than 250 hours of community service.
Five seniors earned the President’s Volunteer Service Bronze Award for 100 or more hours of community service:
- Elyse Abramov ’25
- Ian Boon ’25
- Diya Makkapati ’25
- Jai Patel ’25
- Amisha Poojari ’25
HEAD OF SCHOOL AWARDS
The Head of School Award was established in 2021 and is conferred at the discretion of the Head of School to a student or students whose exceptional character, contributions to community, accomplishments, and promise embody the aspirations and Mission of the Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School. Five members of the Class of 2025 are being recognized with the Head of School Award:
- Tyler Enyard ’25
- Sanjana Gandhi ’25
- Claire Giokas ’25
- Jackson Vetter ’25
- Ethan Waymire ’25
EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS AWARDS
Saivi Gadi ’25 has been instrumental in the arts community here at MICDS. A gifted musician, she has brought leadership, harmony, and talent to all her artistic endeavors. Saivi’s major legacy is that she has been a driving force in the development of the orchestras: in fact, many of Saivi’s peers credit her directly for finding their own artistic family in the orchestra, ensuring each member felt in tune with each other. Of even greater importance is how Saivi has recognized the power of the arts to bring our community together in celebrating our rich cultural diversity.
Joe Intagliata ’25, a model for any aspiring artist, possesses both a generous spirit and an inquiring mind. He acts as a quietly effective leader across his work with the arts. In Art History last year, Joe consistently engaged with a wide array of artworks, thoughtfully considered the ideas of his classmates, and made meaningful connections between the art, his other studies, and the world around us. In theater, Joe has been an unassuming yet powerful leader, evident in his stage management and his vital contributions to the Seldom Scene.
The dedication of Evie Strope ’25 to the visual arts is clear through her diverse coursework in design and photography, where she consistently excels. Her passion extends beyond the classroom with external classes and volunteer work at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, and her artistic achievements have been recognized in regional exhibitions. As a leader in the MICDS Arts Council, Evie has demonstrated a commitment to the community, notably through the student art exhibition and support for arts-related events. We wish her well in her artistic future.
Joe Walsh ’25 has challenged himself time and again to become a better musician, performing with the Tenor/Bass Choir & Chamber Choir, and being selected to perform with the St. Louis Metro District Honors Choir, Last fall, he was chosen as Alternate Bass #1 to the 2025 Missouri All-State Choir. Joe was a Spring Pops Concert Featured Soloist during his junior and senior year, wowing the audience by accompanying himself on the guitar and piano. Joe’s musical curiosity led him to audition for Hadestown this spring, where he captivated the audience with his deep bass voice in his role as Hades.
MITCHELL SCIENCE AWARD
Andrew Haas ’25 is the 2025 recipient of the Mitchell Science Award, which was established to honor Edson A. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell began his teaching career at CDS in 1959 and retired from MICDS in 1994. The senior science award has been named in his honor at the request of some of his former students.
Andrew exemplifies the highest ideals of MICDS through his curiosity, passion for learning, and dedication to mentoring others. He seeks out challenges and finds joy in problem-solving and learning new things. Andrew looks for patterns and connections, applying what he already knows to develop solutions to unique problems. As a leader on the robotics team, he prioritizes collaboration with peers and serves as a thoughtful mentor to younger students. His blend of academic excellence, generous mentorship, and cooperation embodies the spirit of scientific inquiry and community at the heart of MICDS.
NADIA DANETT FOREIGN LANGUAGE PRIZE
Hale Foster ’25 receives the 2025 Nadia Danett Foreign Language Prize, established to recognize Ms. Danett’s many wonderful years at MICDS. This award is given to a senior who, over their career at this school, has been a superior language learner and who has gone beyond the classroom to participate in other programs and activities involving those languages.
With a palpable love for the Spanish language and its cultures, Hale Foster is an exceptional student driven by a constant curiosity to practice and improve. He leads in the classroom by encouraging his peers to aim for greater proficiency. Hale seeks out opportunities to use his Spanish, connecting with others globally to expand his knowledge. Notably, Hale embraced the new MICDS Spanish Book Club, where he became an avid participant as well as the de facto leader. His love for the language is not only inspiring but contagious.
FREDERICK N. WERREMEYER MATHEMATICS AWARD
The family of Frederick N. Werremeyer established the Werremeyer Mathematics Award to commemorate Mr. Werremeyer’s 41 years of service to the School as a math teacher and head of the math department. This year’s award goes to Jason Song ’25.
Jason is frequently described as insightful, thoughtful, determined, focused, and persistent. In addition to his natural talent for mathematics, Jason has an innate ability to link different academic areas, enabling critical thinking across disciplines. Jason may be reserved in large groups, his insights are always significant, and his patience and empathy foster collaboration. As one teacher aptly noted, “Jason talks least, but says the most.” His unlimited potential as a scholar and leader make him an exceptional young man.
KALISH HISTORY & SOCIAL SCIENCES AWARD
Ralph Kalish, class of 1968, established the Kalish Award in honor of his father, Ralph W. Kalish Sr., Class of 1934, a lifelong historian. This year’s Kalish History and Social Sciences award goes to Sophia Huddleston ’25.
Though Sophia might claim that she’s “not a History person,” her work in the Social Sciences tells a different story. She has immersed herself in a wide range of courses, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to understand how systems shape our world. Sophia brings a rare blend of intellectual rigor, leadership, and heart to the classroom. Her ability to form thoughtful connections makes her a natural guide in discussions and a welcome presence in the halls and classrooms of Olson. Her passion for the intersection of government and economics is both inspiring and contagious, and her presence has elevated every room she’s been part of. Our department will miss Sophia, but we have no doubt that she will continue to ask big questions and make meaningful contributions wherever she goes in the future.
RYAN GUILLIAMS CREATIVE WRITING AWARD
The Class of 1990, in memory of Ryan Guilliams, a National Merit Scholar and cum laude graduate, gives the Ryan Guilliams Creative Writing Award. His friends and classmates established this award in his memory because of Ryan’s love of writing and appreciation of the writing process. This year’s award goes to Nina Schuerer ’25. Nina’s work invites her reader to reconsider the humanizing power inherent in written language. She channels a crackling, kaleidoscopic curiosity about the world and a genuine, abiding sense of empathy into an uncommon facility for noticing and stepping inside the small, quiet moments that make us human. In a 2024 submission to Greenleaves, she reflects on a nondescript summer night when she stumbles upon
one of those moments
when the background shimmers in silence
the gears clicking to a stop
and in the clarity is a wisp of a feeling
This is what you are alive for
It’s not a new feeling
and not exceedingly rare
or hard to come by.
For sharing her gifts and using her creative writing to bring clarity to those wisps of feeling with humility and humanity that is indeed exceedingly rare and hard to come by, we honor Nina Schuerer.
EAGLETON ENGLISH AWARD
Sophia Goodwin ’25 is the recipient of the 2025 Eagleton English Award. The Eagleton English Award is named after Senator Thomas Eagleton, Class of 1946. It is given by MICDS to that senior, who during their career at the School, has excelled in written and spoken English, and through their enthusiasm and participation has been a leader in the English classroom.
Sophia has demonstrated sustained, sophisticated, and generative curiosity about the intentions behind and impacts of language. Sophia set an intention to use her words for a positive purpose. During her years in the Upper School, Sophia has put this intention into practice, and she modeled for everyone around her that valuing precision is not the same as perfectionism, that seeking the right word for the moment is a form of responsible risk-taking, that an open exchange of ideas can occur only with appropriate boundaries. Her care for the people around her and for herself drives her desire to choose her words with care. And so it is with care, intentionality, and joy that the English Department celebrates Sophia.
MARY EDDY KLEIN SPIRIT OF LEARNING AWARD
The Mary Eddy Klein Class of ’38 Award is the Senior Spirit of Learning Award established by John Klein in 1993 in memory of his mother. The award celebrates the character and personality of Mary Eddy Klein through her superior academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, and range and depth of interests and accomplishments. The award goes to MacKenzie Froedge ’25.
Mac’s thoughtful and engaged approach to learning significantly elevates the academic environment. Her teachers consistently praise her insightful contributions and perceptive listening skills, recognizing her as “an extraordinary student who combines great insight and curiosity with tremendous focus and drive.” With a voracious work ethic, Mac not only excels academically but also inspires her peers to reach higher. Her kindness and leadership further enhance the learning community, as she readily supports those around her. Mac embodies a powerful spirit of learning, marked by both her intellectual depth and her ability to foster the success of others.
MORSE FAMILY TWELFTH GRADE AWARD
Each year, the Class of 2025 has recognized one of its own with an award they selected. This year, the Class of 2025 selected Grant LaMartina ’25 to receive the Morse Family Twelfth Grade Award was established by Mr. Lucas Morse and the Class of 1952 in honor of Meredith Baker Morse.
The Morse Family Twelfth Grade Award is chosen by the members of the senior class and given to someone because of their respect for others, generous nature, devotion to the School, and for making significant and lasting contributions to our community.
AURELIAN PRIZE
The Aurelian Honor Society of Yale awards a prize each year to a student who is outstanding in sterling character, high scholarship, and forceful leadership. This year’s Aurelian Prize recipient is Reagan Hamilton ’25.
Reagan is a confident leader who has admirably served her class as a Student Council representative. Reagan is a truly curious learner: her dedication to her studies and impressive academic achievements serve as an inspiration to us all. She treats those around her with care and kindness, modeling interpersonal grace. Her wry sense of humor thoughtfully provokes smiles and laughter. Reagan’s leadership is a natural extension of her character—thoughtful, not forceful.
BENECKE AWARD
During his years at MICDS, James Andrew Benecke, Class of 2006, distinguished himself as a scholar and a student leader. An individual of great integrity, Andrew inspired the student body by confronting adversity with courage and by leading a life of purpose and service. Highly revered by the MICDS community, he had been the only student elected for two consecutive years to head the Honor Council. The James Andrew Benecke award is presented to a student or students who embody the values of the honor statement by acting with respect, responsibility, honesty, and compassion. Through leadership and dedication to the MICDS community, these individuals have consistently modeled integrity and mental fortitude. The recipient of the James Andrew Benecke award is Lilly Loeb ’25.
It is with great pleasure that we recognize Lilly with the Benecke Award. A smart and deeply thoughtful student, Lilly’s kindness and consistently respectful nature make her a genuine pleasure to have in our community. She has a mature and graceful approach to every situation, and a warm and considerate spirit. These qualities allow her to forge positive relationships with everyone she encounters.
WOOD HUMANITARIAN AWARD
The Wood Humanitarian Award was established by the class of 1961 to honor their classmate, James Schenler Wood, who gave his life in service to our country. With this award we, too, honor those students who have made sacrifices in the service of others. Tonight we are proud to name Diya Makkapati ’25 as the recipient of the Wood Humanitarian Award.
Diya embodies the spirit of quiet strength and profound impact. She is not someone who seeks the spotlight, but her contributions shine brightly. Diya volunteers with numerous organizations, but it is her commitment and the genuine connection she forges with several causes that truly set her apart. She doesn’t just lend a hand; she invests her heart, proving that true leadership isn’t about being the loudest, but about authentic dedication and profound impact. Diya, for your quiet dedication, humble spirit, commitment and the heartfelt way you serve our community, it is our distinct honor to present you with this award.
FACULTY PRIZE
One of the most important relationships at a school is the one between faculty and students. Thus, it makes sense to have an award at Senior Night where the Upper School faculty collectively recognizes a senior for contributions to the MICDS Community. By the vote of the full MICDS Upper School faculty, the Faculty Prize recipient in the Class of 2025 is Ace Derdeyn ’25.
This award is given to a senior who is responsible and prepared to meet the challenges of life with confidence, a student who has shown respect and compassion, a person of purpose and promise, one who has stood up for what is good and honorable and represents the best that this institution strives to instill in its students. While our School has strong ties to the past, with this award, we bring to mind hopes for the future.
Ace exemplifies the best of what MICDS strives to instill in students. Their insatiable curiosity, witty personality, and energy bring so much to the community. Ace approaches learning not as a requirement, but as a genuine opportunity for discovery. Their compassion for peers and faculty, coupled with the moral courage to stand up for what is good and right, makes them a natural community builder who brings people together in the classroom and across campus.
Class of 2025 Roll Call
Congratulations, Class of 2025!