Student Standouts: Cox-Garleanu ’26, Okohson-Reb ’26, I. Chao ’28, Li ’28, and Red Cross Club
Faculty Feature: Miller
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.
Senior Selected as Coca-Cola Scholar Semifinalist
A big congratulations to Isabelle Cox-Garleanu ’26 for being selected as a Coca-Cola Scholar Semi-Finalist! Isabelle is one of 1,230 students chosen from over 107,000 applicants nationwide—that’s an acceptance rate of 1.15%! She was selected for her leadership, service, and academic excellence.
“I am excited to keep engaging with my community passionately and purposefully as I continue growing as a changemaker,” said Cox-Garleanu. “I look forward to the next phase of the selection process!” Way to go, Isabelle!
Senior Luke McGinness & His Band Perform at Blues Home Opener
Let’s go, Blues! Let’s go, Luke McGinness ’26!
McGinness and his band, Raised on Radio, had the incredible honor of performing at the Blues Home Opener at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, October 9. They were featured in the official Blues puck drop video that will play before every home game this season.
McGinness himself opened the night with a blazing guitar solo and on-ice guitar smash—a once-in-a-lifetime moment in front of thousands of fans.
Additionally, this summer, the band was voted Best Cover Band in St. Louis in St. Louis Magazine’s A-List. They are the youngest band to ever win this award.
Way to go, Luke and Raised on Radio!
Senior Interviewed by “St. Louis Magazine” about Priorities, Passions, and Life After High School
Our very own Evita Okohson-Reb ’26 was recently interviewed by St. Louis Magazine in conjunction with fellow seniors from other local schools. Read about what it means to be a Gen Z student from her and fellow senior perspectives. In the article, Okohson-Reb talks about her passion for healthcare, the impact of AI on education, her interest in traveling, and more.
Photo credit: Ann White
Sophomore Makes 500th Kill at Volleyball Game
Congratulations to varsity volleyball player Izzy Chao ’28 for making her 500th kill at the volleyball game on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. What an incredible accomplishment!
Sophomore Coxswain Leads Rowing Team to Bronze Medal
Coxswain Andrew Li ’28 and his rowing team won a bronze medal in the Men’s Youth 8+ U17 group at the 2025 Music City Head Race Regatta in Nashville, Tennessee on October 11.
There were 10 boats in total in the group. Each boat went through the course of 5,000 meters on Cumberland River and compared the time. Li’s team won third place with a time of 16:44.6.
This is the fourth season for Li to practice with St. Louis Rowing Club at Creve Coeur Lake. The regatta is the first one for the 2025-26 season that the club has planned to compete in. The medal means a great start and brings enthusiasm to the team. Way to go, Andrew!
Red Cross Club Hosts Blood Drive
The MICDS Upper School Red Cross Club hosted a blood drive through the American Red Cross in the North Gym on Monday, October 13. They collected 20 units.
Did you know that every day, blood donors help save the lives of patients of all ages—including burn victims, organ transplant recipients, and individuals battling cancer? Someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds. Just one donation can save up to three lives.
Thank you to all those who donated this week!
Dr. Miller's New Edited Collection to Publish in January: Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop
This January, Bloomsbury will publish a new edited collection by Middle School English Teacher Nick Miller called Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop. Dr. Miller serves as both editor and contributor to the project, which brings together an international group of scholars to examine how K-pop is reimagining narrative, media, and fan participation globally. Here is a description of the collection as listed on the Bloomsbury website:
In Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop, contributors present a variety of compelling case studies to argue that K-pop has evolved beyond a musical genre into a global cultural phenomenon with a growing influence on contemporary media practices, highlighting its transmedia ecosystem in which complex narratives unfold and engage audiences across formats and platforms.
An impressive roster of contributors assembled by editor Nicholas E. Miller explores how different artists and companies within the industry have constructed expansive storyworlds through a variety of media to draw fans into participatory, interpretive engagement. These analyses cohere to demonstrate how the narrative universes of K-pop have transformed cultural boundaries, industry economics, and global fan culture by strategically employing non-traditional elements and technologies that establish collaborative meaning-making and emotional investment as the basis of compelling fan experiences. As a result, this volume positions K-pop’s transmedial approach as not merely a marketing strategy, but as a sophisticated artistic framework which redefines the relationship between music, narrative, and performance in the digital age.
Dr. Miller brings K-pop into his teaching here at MICDS—through being a Faculty Sponsor of the Middle School K-Pop Club and his Winter Term course on K-pop storytelling which he will be teaching for the third year in a row this January.
Way to go, Dr. Miller!
