Ninth-11th Graders Honored at Prize Day

Ninth, 10th, and 11th-grade students gathered in Brauer Auditorium on Thursday morning for Prize Day, the annual Upper School assembly that recognizes students in a variety of ways. Aniket Joshi ’25 played the grand piano on the stage as audience members took their seats and prepared for the program. The rising seniors of the Class of 2024 took their seats for the first time in the front of the auditorium, the space reserved for the senior class. Note: several awards were presented during Upper School assembly on Friday, as the recipients were taking tests or otherwise engaged on Thursday.

While we recognize many accomplishments through the year in athletics, community service, and in 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

Chris Ludbrook, Dean of the Class of 2025, Daniel George, Dean of the Class of 2022, Diane Gioia, Dean of the Class of 2023, and Nicole Trueman Shaw, Dean of the Class of 2024, presented the Living the Mission Awards.

Leadership: Shil Penilla ’26, Ian Boon ’25, and Camden Miller ’24
Respect: Steele Crissman ’26, Grant LaMartina ’25, and Isabel Phillips ’24
Perseverance: Andy Zheng ’26, Lucas Starks ’25, and Kelly Zhao ’24
Service: Layla Gilbert ’26, Amisha Poojari ’25, and Ana Estes ’24

Class Awards

Student Council Co-Heads Camden Miller ’24 and Devon Catsavis ’24 presented the Class Awards:

Wilma Jean Messing Ninth Grade Award: Cade Miller ’26
J.E. Beasley Tenth Grade Award: Sanjana Gandhi ’25
R.S. Beasley Eleventh Grade Award: Mikaela Mikulec ’24

Department Grade-Level Academic Awards

Department grade-level academic awards were presented by the respective department chairs, including Patrick Huewe (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: Isabelle Cox-Garleanu ’26, Oliver Ashman ’25, and Sameer Shafqat ’24
English: Evita Okohson-Reb ’26, Nina Scheurer ’25, Agatha Curylo ’24
Nash Poetry Award: Haya Hussain ’24
Fine & Performing Arts: Ellie Chen ’26, Sam Matisziw ’25, and Wyatt Dickherber ’24
History & Social Sciences: Taylor Nuzum ’26, Mac Froedge ’25, and Genesis Starks ’24
Science: Dalton Costick ’26, Arjun Puri ’25, and Bing Su ’24
Mathematics: Bella Anadkat ’26, Jackson Vetter ’25, and Armaan Chandak ’24

On Friday during Assembly, the Ryan D. Seed ’95 Leadership Award was presented to Robyn Davies ’26.

Jay Rainey, Head of School, presented the John E. Mackey Leadership Award to Madison Sineff ’24.

Josh Smith, Director of Athletics, presented the McKelvey Award for leadership in athletics to Henry Cordes ’24 and Mikaela Mikulec ’24.

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: Zoe Zlatic ’24

Brandeis Book Award: Devon Catsavis ’24

Brown University Book Award: Rachel Phillips ’24

Dartmouth Book Award: Ameer Hajji ’24

Harvard Book Award: Ananya Kamineni ’24

Princeton University Book Award: Shivani Devrapalli ’24

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal: Henry Clay ’24

Rhodes College Book Award: Kenny McDile ’24

Smith College Book Award: Ishika Kanjerla ’24

St. Lawrence College Book Award: Abby Gray ’24

Tulane Book Award: Agatha Curylo ’24

University of Pennsylvania Book Award: Madison Sineff ’24

University of Virginia Jefferson Book Award: Thomas Woodrow ’24

Yale University Book Award: Camden Miller ’24

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: Sonia Oulamine ’24

The Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award: Jeffrey Ge ’24

The Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology: Andy Mai ’24

The George Eastman Young Leaders Award: Zoie Tolson ’24

Spirit of Learning Award

Dr. Sally Maxwell, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, presented the Spirit of Learning Award:

Harrison Foster ’26
Saivi Gadi ’25
Devon Catsavis ’24

Congratulations to all our 2023 Prize Day recipients!