Last week, students in grades nine through 11 gathered in Brauer Auditorium for Prize Day, an annual Upper School assembly honoring student achievements. As the rising seniors of the Class of 2027 filed in, they took their seats for the first time in the front section of the auditorium, the space reserved for the senior class. Melanie Duffy, Dean of the Class of 2027, welcomed everyone to the assembly.
While we recognize many accomplishments throughout 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.
Living the Mission Awards
Melanie Duffy, Dean of the Class of 2027, Nicole Trueman Shaw, Dean of the Class of 2028, Chris Ludbrook, Dean of the Class of 2029, and Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning & Upper School Community Service, presented the Living the Mission Awards.
Leadership: Sienna Snyder ’27, Kevon Phillips ’28, Caroline Foss ’29
Respect: Elizabeth Wickham ’27, Eva Crissman ’28, Zion Perry ’29
Perseverance: Caleb Otten ’27, Reid Caruthers ’28, Wilson Froehlich ’29
Service: Sadie Keech ’27, Sireen Tanoli ’28, Soham Gadi ’29
Volunteer Service Awards
Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning & Upper School Community Service, presented Volunteer Service Awards to students who completed a specified number of service hours over a 12-month period.
Class of 2027
| Myra Arain ’27 | Forest Gong ’27 |
| Reina Banerjee ’27 | Grace Griffin ’27 |
| Isha Bogachenchu ’27 | Maddie Karr ’27 |
| Rithvik Bogachenchu ’27 | Sadie Keech ’27 |
| Abhinav Dugaputi ’27 | Amey Parwal ’27 |
| Kaan Caliskan ’27 | Ananya Ravikumar ’27 |
| Lola Compton ’27 | Kaviya Senthilkumar ’27 |
| Kevin Ghobadi ’27 | Jonathan Weiss ’27 |
Class of 2028
| Aleena Ahmad ’28 | Joseph Glasser ’28 | Andrew Mills ’28 |
| Krish Avirneni ’28 | Yosiyah Griffin ’28 | Samuel Muthuraj ’28 |
| Nicolas Benson ’28 | Tyhren Hinkle ’28 | Luke Peritore ’28 |
| Aniket Bhogaraju ’28 | Hassaan Khan ’28 | Sravani Tarapareddy ’28 |
| Maha Devrapally ’28 | Joey Lawson ’28 | Audrey Taves ’28 |
| Bruce Elvin ’28 | Nolan Ma ’28 | Neel Thilak ’28 |
| Elle Faerber ’28 | Sanjay Malhotra ’28 | Emmaus Tzeng ’28 |
Class of 2029
| Qasim Aslam ’29 | Soham Gadi ’29 | Cori Levin ’29 |
| Vihari Battula ’29 | Reid Haffenreffer ’29 | Abby Masiel ’29 |
| Alyssa Cowley ’29 | Lilian Huynh ’29 | Sloane Schwendinger ’29 |
| Max Fehniger ’29 | Charlotte Kinney ’29 | Cate Wagner ’29 |
| Samuel Gabrielson ’29 | Will Kreikemeier ’29 | Audri Willeman ’29 |
Class Awards
Student Council Co-Heads Ellemieke Ferguson ’27 and Amey Parwal ’27 presented these awards, which were determined by the vote of each class.
R.S. Beasley Eleventh Grade Award: Forest Gong ’27
J.E. Beasley Tenth Grade Award: Shiv Prahalathan ’28
Wilma Jean Messing Ninth Grade Award: Katherine Speckhals ’29
Athletic Director Josh Smith, on behalf of the Athletics Department, presented the McKelvey Award for leadership in athletics to juniors Tyler Ray ’27 and Justyce Sanders ’27.
The Ryan D. Seed ’95 Leadership Award was presented by Hannah Tepper Taylor ’95 to CeCe Mileusnic ’29.
Jay Rainey, Head of School, presented the John E. Mackey Leadership Award to Ellemieke Ferguson ’27.
Department Grade-Level Academic Awards
Department grade-level academic awards were presented by the respective department chairs and their representatives, including Diane Broberg (Mathematics), Patrick Huewe (World Languages), Chris Rappleye (English), Dr. Bonnie Carpenter (Fine & Performing Arts), Carla Federman (History & Social Sciences), and Paul Zahller (Science).
Mathematics & Computer Science: Nathan Kura ’27, Jeremy Wang ’28, Nico Cox-Garleanu ’29
World Languages: Jackson Hunter ’27, Kristiana Rogan ’28, Jen Estrada ’29
English: Grant Krainik ’27, Kennedy Newman ’28, Sam Taylor ’29
Fine & Performing Arts: Cam Cozad ’27, Tess Thompson ’28, Crystal Su ’29
History & Social Sciences: Alexandra Smith ’27, Devin Garner ’28, Mia Matzsiw ’29
Science: Forest Gong ’27, Sanjay Malhotra ’28, Mrinali Kaswan ’29
College Book Awards
The ceremony continued with the presentation of the College Book Awards. These awards are given by local alumni associations of colleges and universities to promote interest in their schools and 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: Kaviya Senthilkumar ’27
Brandeis Book Award: Lola Compton ’27
Brown University Book Award: Navya Reddy ’27
Dartmouth Book Award: Katherine Schott ’27
Princeton University Book Award: Myra Arain ’27
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal: Eric Zhang ’27
St. Lawrence College Book Award: Grace Griffin ’27
Tulane Book Award: Kaan Caliskan ’27
University of Pennsylvania Book Award: Reina Banerjee ’27
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.
The Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology: Dhruv Avirneni ’27
The Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award: Daniel Haas ’27
Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities and Social Sciences: Collin Walker ’27
The George Eastman Young Leaders Award: Amey Parwal ’27
University of Virginia Jefferson Book Award: Fatima Abosalem ’27
Yale University Book Award: Lilah Pronger ’27
Distinguished Scholar Award
Dr. Sally Maxwell, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, presented the Distinguished Scholar Award:
Maddie Karr ’27
Anna Ko ’28
Audri Willeman ’29
Head of Upper School Scott Small closed the assembly with final remarks to students, and said, “As our MICDS Mission Statement exhorts us: ‘More than ever, our nation needs responsible men and women who can meet the challenges of this world and embrace all of its people with compassion.’ So today we gather to honor every noble attribute and aspiration that elevates our humanity and affords us the opportunity to meet these challenges with clarity and confidence. We have recognized members of our community for critical, creative, and compassionate thinking, insatiable curiosity for all forms of knowledge, and the selfless commitment to serve the community, both on this campus and beyond. And, for every student we have celebrated, we have missed so many of you whose deeds have as of yet gone unheralded. This afternoon’s ceremony is, at its heart, an affirmation of the vital role that intellectual curiosity, reflective awareness of self, and the pursuit of warm-hearted knowledge of others play in ensuring a life of purpose and service. These virtues will gird each and every one of you in your commitment to be the leaders this world yearns for who will, again as our Mission Statement calls us, resolve to stand for what is good and right, and uphold and uplift each other in the process.”
Congratulations to all our 2026 Prize Day recipients!