Last Friday, seniors and their families gathered in Brauer Hall to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2024. Senior Night gave the class as a whole the opportunity to connect one final time before graduation and honor the academic, athletic, and artistic contributions these students have made to their classmates and MICDS.
Nicole Trueman-Shaw, Dean of the Class of 2024, shared the podium with invited guests and department chairs as awards were handed out. “Senior Night was special from start to finish because it’s a more intimate way for the class to say goodbye to an era,” says Trueman-Shaw. “Special thanks to Dr. Tanya Roth, Upper School History Teacher, for her exceptional work in planning the evening!”
Before awards were presented, senior class president Willy Carpenter ’24 addressed his classmates. In a poignant speech about the transition from childhood to adulthood that accompanies senior year, he reminded his classmates, “If we are to walk off campus on Sunday and never look back, we won’t go very far. The people you’ve met, the challenges you’ve faced, and the experiences you’ve had at MICDS are formative.” Emphasizing the important role that MICDS has in the success of the senior class, he said, “We should recognize that MICDS is what grounds us. That having this institution as our foundation propels us forward.”
Josh Smith, Director of Athletics, presented the Senior Athletic Awards, which recognize participation in athletics throughout Upper School. These awards are sponsored by the MICDS Sports Boosters. Each year, two members of the senior class are also recognized for their athletic excellence. This year, the James A. Baur Award was given to Henry Cordes ’24 and the Mary Elizabeth Burlingame Award was given to Mikaela Mikulec ’24.
Jay Rainey, Head of School, presented the Head of School Award to seniors:
- Elle Brauer ’24
- Willy Carpenter ’24
- Agatha Curylo ’24
- Camden Miller ’24
- Genesis Starks ’24
Academic Awards were presented by Department chairs and their representatives: Dr. Jo Nardolillo (Arts), Paul Zahller (Science), Carla Federman (History and Social Sciences), Lynn Mittler (English), Robin Begley (World Languages), and Al Begrowicz (Math and Computer Science).
Excellence in the Arts Awards:
- Abby Wyckoff ’24
- Ben Iken ’24
- Greyson Brown ’24
- Carter White ’24
Eagleton English Award: Madison Sineff ‘24
Kalish History Award: Thomas Woodrow ’24
Ryan Guilliams Creative Writing Award: Haya Hussain ’24
Mitchell Science Award: Andy Mai ’24
Nadia Danett Foreign Language Prize: Isabel Phillips ’24
Frederick Werremeyer Mathematics Award: Henry Clay ’24
Faculty Prize: Kenadi McDile ’24
Aurelian Prize: Shivani Devrapally ’24
Mary Eddy Klein Spirit of Learning Award: Alana Doherty ’24
James Andrew Benecke Award: Bing Su ’24
Wood Humanitarian Award: Ana Estes ’24
Morse Family 12th Grade Award: Devon Carruthers ’24
The evening also included remarks made by the Class of 2024 Salutatorian, Ananya Kamineni ’24, and by the class-selected speaker, Madison Sineff ’24.
“This class set a wonderful tone for the US community all year,” said Scott Small, Head of Upper School. “I thought Senior Night was an important moment to both celebrate the class and just be in community with them one last time before their graduation.”