Ninth, 10th, and 11th-grade students gathered in Brauer Auditorium last week for Prize Day, the annual Upper School assembly that recognizes students. As a piano rendition of A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman played, the rising seniors of the Class of 2026 took their seats for the first time in the front of the auditorium, the space reserved for the senior class. Daniel George, Dean of the Class of 2026, welcomed everyone to the assembly.
While we recognize many accomplishments through the year in athletics, community service, and the arts, Prize Day is a celebration of academic growth and leadership, not only for the honorees but also for the hard work and determination shown by all MICDS students, each with his or her own special accomplishments.
Living the Mission Awards
Daniel George, Dean of the Class of 2026, Melanie Duffy, Dean of the Class of 2027, and Nicole Trueman Shaw, Dean of the Class of 2028, and Chris Ludbrook, Dean of the Class of 2025, presented the Living the Mission Awards.
Leadership: Riley Crawford ’26, Max Padratzik ’27, and Tripp Scanlon ’28
Respect: Georgia Lochhead ’26, Lucas Cheng ’27, and Eva Crissman ’28
Perseverance: Avery Henriksen ’26, Shrey Radhakrishnan ’27, and Kennedy Newman ’28
Service: Layla Gilbert ’26, Lola Compton ’27, and Max Jacoby ’28
Volunteer Service Awards
Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning and Upper School Community Service, presented the President’s Volunteer Service Awards to students who achieved a certain number of hours of service during a 12-month period. Awards are given to youth ages 15 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service (50 – bronze, 75 – silver, 100 – gold) and to individuals 16 and older who have completed 100 or more hours (100 – bronze, 175 – silver, 250 – gold).
Class of 2026
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Isabelle Cox-Garleanu ’26 | Layla Gilbert ’26 | Joy Chen ’26 |
| Shritha Devisetty ’26 | Shil Penilla ’26 | Sydney Durr ’26 |
| Oliva Hill ’26 | Samuel Glasser ’26 | |
| Angelina Hu ’26 | Aanya Handa ’26 | |
| Gigi Koster ’26 | ||
| Karthik Krishnaswamy ’26 | ||
| Lakshmi Madala ’26 | ||
| Keshon Mims ’26 | ||
| Cooper Myers ’26 | ||
| Rose Sabalvaro ’26 | ||
| Nihaal Satwani ’26 |
Class of 2027
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Fatima Abosalem ’27 | Lola Compton ’27 | Myra Arain ’27 |
| Isha Ahuja ’27 | Maahi Saini ’27 | Eddie Feng ’27 |
| Arissa Alpaslan ’27 | Kevin Ghobadi ’27 | |
| Reina Banerjee ’27 | Elise Hamelink ’27 | |
| Hawk Bergquist ’27 | Sadie Keech ’27 | |
| Connor Blake ’27 | Shrey Radhakrishnan ’27 | |
| Isha Bogachenchu ’27 | Elinor Verdine ’27 | |
| Rithvik Bogachenchu ’27 | Nick Weaver ’27 | |
| Kaan Caliskan ’27 | Vishinsky White ’27 | |
| Forest Gong ’27 | Ethan Zhou ’27 | |
| Grace Griffin ’27 | ||
| Rohaan Khan ’27 | ||
| Amey Parwal ’27 | ||
| Navya Reddy ’27 | ||
| Kaviya Senthilkumar ’27 | ||
| Jonathan Weiss ’27 |
Class of 2028
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Aleena Ahmad ’28 | Lucy Black ’28 | Bruce Elvin ’28 |
| Aniket Bhogaraju ’28 | Liam Hogan ’28 | Bella Froedge ’28 |
| Maha Devrapally ’28 | Sanjay Malhotra ’28 | |
| Yosiyah Griffin ’28 | Andrew Mills ’28 | |
| Aubrey Holdren ’28 | Luke Peritore ’28 | |
| Laila Holmes ’28 | Molly Rotskoff ’28 | |
| Max Jacoby ’28 | Asher Woodward ’28 | |
| Rohan Makkapati ’28 | ||
| Abby Walsh ’28 |
Class Awards
Student Council Co-Heads Carrie Clennan ’26 and Sean Hogan ’26 presented these awards, which were determined by the vote of each class.
R.S. Beasley Eleventh Grade Award: Cade Miller ’26
J.E. Beasley Tenth Grade Award: Kaan Caliskan ’27
Wilma Jean Messing Ninth Grade Award: Kevon Phillips ’28
Department Grade-Level Academic Awards
Department grade-level academic awards were presented by the respective department chairs and their representatives, including Lily Childs (World Languages), Lynn Mittler (English), Dr. Jo Nardolillo (Fine & Performing Arts), Carla Federman (History & Social Sciences), Paul Zahller (Science), and Diane Broberg (Mathematics).
World Languages: Olivia Hill ’26, Elena Garcia ’27, and Bella Froedge ’28
English: Gabriel Weaver ’26, Grace Griffin ’27, and Nandini Warrier ’28
Nash Poetry Award: Isabelle Cox-Garleanu ’26
Fine & Performing Arts: Gigi Koster ’26, Avery Brooks ’27, and Michelle Chao ’28
History & Social Sciences: Amelia Mackin ’26, Daniel Haas ’27, and Lucy McKean ’28
Science: Harper Carnahan ’26, Myra Arain ’27, and Ryan Moore ’28
Mathematics & Computer Science: Ian Zar ’26, Forest Gong ’27, and Andrew Li ’28
The Ryan D. Seed ’95 Leadership Award was presented by Chris Bade ’95 to Yosiyah Griffin ’28.
Jay Rainey, Head of School, presented the John E. Mackey Leadership Award to Sean Hogan ’26.
Marshall Newman, Assistant Director of Athletics, presented the McKelvey Award for leadership in athletics to Gabriel Weaver ’26 and Amelia Mackin ’26.
College Book Awards
The ceremony continued with the presentation of the College Book Awards. These awards are given by local alumni associations of the colleges and universities in order to promote interest in their schools, and also to recognize the achievements of outstanding high school juniors. MICDS selects these students based on the descriptions of the awards provided by the colleges, not on the basis of any perceived ranking of students or institutions. All College Book Awards carry equal value.
Bowdoin College Book Award: Charlie Mills ’26
Brandeis Book Award: Rose Sabalvaro ’26
Brown University Book Award: Shil Penilla ’26
Dartmouth Book Award: Morgan Macam ’26
Harvard Book Award: Bella Anadkat ’26
Princeton University Book Award: Siboney Oviedo-Gray ’26
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal: Nihaal Satwani ’26
Smith College Book Award: Akira Washington ’26
St. Lawrence College Book Award: Dalton Costick ’26
Tulane Book Award: Cade Miller ’26
University of Pennsylvania Book Award: Nolan James ’26
University of Virginia Jefferson Book Award: Harrison Foster ’26
Yale University Book Award: Dunnen McGaughey ’26
The University of Rochester recognizes four students: one with an award in social sciences and the humanities, one in science, one in Innovation and Information Technology, and one in leadership and academics.
Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities and Social Sciences: Evita Okohson-Reb ’26
The Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award: Andy Zheng ’26
The Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology: Celia Swiston ’26
The George Eastman Young Leaders Award: Carrie Clennan ’26
Distinguished Scholar Award
Dr. Sally Maxwell, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, presented the Distinguished Scholar Award:
Clyde Siow ’26
Navya Reddy ’27
Sanjay Malhotra ’28
Head of Upper School Scott Small shared some wisdom with his address to the students. Read his remarks here.
Congratulations to all our 2025 Prize Day recipients!