Student Standouts for May 15, 2026

Student Standouts: Zimmer ’26, Elvin ’28, Yearbook Club, Cycling, Boys & Girls Track & Field, and Middle School Squash

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 Wins Spotlight Award in Annual Ken Page Awards

Bravo to Lainie Zimmer ’26 for winning the Spotlight Award, a specialty award given during the annual Ken Page Awards program (formerly the St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards)! Adjudicators came to the Upper School musical, Beetlejuice Jr., and selected Lainie for a Spotlight Award for her role as Miss Argentina. A Spotlight Award honors individuals in non-adjudicated roles, both on and off stage, who go above and beyond. According to the KPA website, this award “honors individuals in non-adjudicated roles (onstage or backstage) who go above and beyond (nominated by adjudicators).” Lainie has worked hard in the MICDS Theater program throughout her Upper School career and is Co-Head of the Arts Council this year. Lainie will receive the Spotlight Award at the Awards Show on Thursday, May 28, at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

A round of applause for Lainie!

Photo by Skyler Dastgah-Bradford '29
Photo by Skyler Dastgah-Bradford '29

Sophomore Places in Congressional Art Competition

Congratulations to Bruce Elvin ’28 for placing in second in this year’s Congressional Art Competition! He created a colored pencil drawing entitled Oh, The Places You’ll Go. Visitors to Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s Washington, D.C. office will soon be able to view his detailed drawing there!

 

Yearbook Reveal and Announcing Next Year's Yearbook Editors

The MICDS Yearbook Club, also known as The Phoenix, gathered on Thursday, May 14, in McCulloch Library for the grand reveal of the 2025-2026 MICDS Upper School Yearbook. After all their hard work this year in gathering photos, assembling spreads, and designing layouts, smiles were all around as the Yearbook Club members saw the culmination of their efforts in the gorgeous keepsake books! Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Yearbook Club members and their faculty sponsors, Upper School Librarians Katie Voss and Colleen Williamson, on a job very well done! Below is the list of our 2025-2026 editors and photos from the yearbook reveal!

Editors-in-Chief: Claire Hofer ’26, Rose Sabalvaro ’26, and Navya Reddy ’27
Student Life Editor: Olivia Hill ’26
Academics Editor: Maddie Karr ’27
Clubs Editor: Navya Reddy ’27
Sports Editor: Morgan Macam ’26
People Editor: Maha Devrapally ’28
Seniors Editor: Claire Hofer ’26 

 

After the reveal, they also announced the new editors for next year’s yearbook. Here are the 2026-2027 editors:

Editors-in-Chief: Navya Reddy ’27, Maddie Karr ’27, and Maha Devrapally ’28
Student Life Editor: Grace Goggins ’28
Academics Editor: Aleena Ahmad ’28
Clubs Editor: Lucy McKean ’28
Sports Editor: Skyler Dastgah-Bradford ’29
People Editor: Lina Saracco ’28
Seniors Editor: Lucy Pickett ’27

Go Rams!

A Weekend of Racing for our Cycling Team

It was a busy weekend of racing for the Rams Cycling team. On Saturday, the team raced a flat, fast course at Route 66 State Park. Sawyer Huffman ’29 and Will Kreikemeier ’29 took first and second in the Junior Division. Ash Falk ’26 pulled down a 13th-place finish in the Men’s 4/5 division. The team was back at it again on Sunday in the St. Ann Grand Prix. Navigating speeds of over 30mph and a really tricky turn, Catherine Dawson ’26, Falk, and Huffman took first place in their respective age groups with Kreikemeier taking second.

Two Track Stars Earn Three First-Place Finishes at Recent Races

At the Mark Twain and Becky Thatcher Relays, Frances Applegate ’27 took home first in the 3200-meter run 11:52.36, and Heru Bey ’27 raced to first in both the Boys’ Mile with a time of 4:32.34 and the 800-meter run with a time of 2:01.48. Way to run like the wind, Rams!

A Fabulous Finish for Middle School Squash

The 13th edition of the Middle School Squash Championships concluded on Monday, bringing the season to a close and crowning this year’s boys’ and girls’ champions. The one-day tournament featured a double-elimination format for both divisions and showcased competitive matches and excellent sportsmanship throughout the afternoon.

In the boys’ draw, Colin McDonough ’30 made his way through a competitive field to claim the championship title. Theo Cohan ’30 earned runner-up honors after several impressive performances during the tournament. Archit Saravanan ’30 claimed third place. The Round of 16 consolation bracket also featured competitive matches, with James Brogan ’30 finishing as champion and John Plaxco ’31 as runner-up.

The girls’ tournament delivered another strong showing from the program’s rising players. Abigail Amos ’30 returned to the finals for the second consecutive year and this time captured the championship title after finishing as runner-up in 2025. Clare Maher ’30 earned second place after a series of well-played matches, while Rama Alakkassery ’30 secured third place with strong play during her matches. In the Round of 16 consolation bracket, Mariam Zaid ’31 took top honors, with Samara Sisson ’30 finishing as runner-up.

The tournament concluded the Middle School Squash season, and thanks are extended to all players for their effort, sportsmanship, and commitment throughout the season.

Tournament Results:

  • 2026 Middle School Champions – Colin McDonough ’30 & Abigail Amos ’30
  • 2026 Runners Up – Theo Cohan ’30 & Clare Maher ’30
  • 3rd Place – Archit Saravanan ’30 & Rama Alakkassery ’30
  • Round of 16 Consolation Winners – James Brogan ’30 & Mariam Zaid ’31
  • Round of 16 Consolation Runners Up – John Plaxco ’31 & Samara Sission ’30