Student Standouts: Gould ’25, Cox-Garleanu ’26, Crall ’26, Green ’25, Leyland ’25, Glasser ’26, Kizer ’26, Haywood ’28, Noble ’28, Pacifico ’28, Speech & Debate Team, Girls Basketball
Faculty Features: Barker & Moody
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 Declared a High School Baseball Player to Watch this Season
MICDS senior Brian Gould ’25 has been declared one of the five high school baseball players to watch this season according to STL Today. Let’s go, Brian!
Junior Named a Bank of America Student Leader
Congratulations to Isabelle Cox-Garleanu ’26 who was recently named a Bank of America Student Leader 2025—a distinction awarded to only 315 students out of more than 12,000 applicants, making this year’s 2.6% acceptance rate the most competitive in the internship program’s history. The Bank of America Student Leaders program is an eight-week paid internship program for high school juniors and seniors, connecting them with local nonprofits and culminating in a week-long Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.
Cox-Garleanu shares, “Receiving this recognition is an incredible honor, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to engage in leadership development, service, and professional growth through this internship.” Way to go, Isabelle!
Three Upper School Students Recognized for Research at SLU's ASBMB High School Research Symposium
On Saturday, March 29, Saint Louis University’s American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) High School Research Symposium showcased scientific research from young scientists across the St. Louis region. The following MICDS students from the MICDS Research class were recognized for their research.
Oral Presentation Awards: Two of our students were invited to present an in-depth slide presentation.
- 1st Place: Noemi Crall ’26 – “Effect of High-fat Diet and White-eye Recessive Gene on Drosophila Melanogaster Mating Behavior”
- 2nd Place: Nicole Green ’25 – “Eutrophication to Equilibrium: Implementing Scientific Strategies for Cleaner, Healthier Campus Waters”
Poster Session Awards: Each student presented a poster on their research-selected topic and fielded questions from undergraduate SLU science students and SLU research faculty.
- 3rd Place: Emily Leyland ’25 – “Investigating the Effects of UV-Driven Soil pH Changes in Sugar Snap Pea Germination Rates”
“These achievements reflect hours of dedication, scientific curiosity, and hard work,” said Stephanie Matteson, Upper School Science Teacher. “We extend our sincere appreciation to all members of the research class for their peer support, to mentors for their direction and expertise, MICDS STEM, and family members who continue to support these young researchers.”
Congratulations, Noemi, Nicole, and Emily! We look forward to seeing your future contributions to the scientific community.
Junior Earns High School Character & Leadership All-American Award in Wrestling
The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the 2025 High School Character & Leadership All-American Award recipients and Samuel Glasser ’26 made this list. Congratulations, Samuel!
Owen Makes High School Boys Tennis Players to Watch List
Tennis standout Owen Kizer ’26 made the list for the “5 High School Boys Tennis Players to Watch” this season according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He helped the Rams earn the Missouri Class 2 team championship last season and earned second in Class 2 doubles at the state tournament in 2023. We can’t wait to cheer you on this season, Owen!
Field Hockey Freshmen Make Top 100 Players to Watch List
Congratulations to Mia Pacifico ’28 and Victoria Noble ’28 for making the Max Field Hockey’s Top 100 Players to Watch list for the class of 2028! Go Rams!
Freshman Invited to USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Minicamp
A HUGE congratulations to Jordyn Haywood ’28 who was invited to the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team minicamp, taking place April 3-6 in Tampa, Florida in conjunction with the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four®. Only 45 athletes were chosen to participate, selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee. Haywood will get on the court for drills and scrimmages, participate in a series of educational presentations, and attend the semifinal games on Friday night.
Additionally, Haywood was named Missouri Girls Basketball Freshman of the Year on the High School on Sports Illustrated website! She averaged 21.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.6 steals per game in her first varsity basketball season, leading the Rams to state.
Way to go, Jordyn!
Five Rams Qualify for Speech and Debate State Competition
By Yash Shelar ’26
Recently, the MICDS Speech and Debate Team competed at the MSHSAA District Tournament at Ladue Horton-Watkins High School. This came following an immensely successful season in which MICDS students achieved the top ranks in nearly every in-season tournament in both debate and speech events. Upper School History Teacher and Debate Team Coach Mr. Andy Cox, along with Co-Captains Arjun Puri ’25, Sanjana Gandhi ’25, and Yash Shelar ’26 helped transform the team into one of the best in the area. At the District tournament, six students were named quarterfinalists or better in their respective events, and of these, five will be moving on to the State tournament happening later this month from April 23 through 26 in Springfield at Missouri State University. These students are:
Policy Debate:
Siva Ram ’27 and Neel Goriparthi ’27 finished 4th
Public Forum Debate:
Arjun Puri ’25 and Sanjana Gandhi ’25 finished 3rd
Lincoln Douglas Debate:
Yash Shelar ’26 finished 4th
Radio Speaking:
Yash Shelar ’26 finished 2nd
Special shoutout to Fatima Abosalem ’27 who reached the quarterfinals in Lincoln-Douglas Debate!
Last year, Yash was the school’s first and only state qualifier in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, but now MICDS will be sending five students to the state tournament, which is a testament to how far this team has come. Go Rams!
MICDS Girls Basketball Takes 4th at State
On Saturday, March 15, the MICDS Girls Basketball team earned its first ticket to the final four since 2016. At the game, Jordyn Haywood ’28 scored 37 points, setting a new MICDS single-season scoring record. CeCe Harris ’25 also set a new record this season for the school’s single-season assists record. The Rams won the game, 76 to 46, against the Mexico Lady Bulldogs. Check out the game summary by STL Today here.
In the Class 4 Girls Basketball state semifinal in the Mizzou Arena against Doniphan, the Rams came up short but still had a strong season. Read the game recap from STL Today here which also includes interviews with CeCe Harris ’25, Jordyn Haywood ’28, and Upper School Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach Scott Small. This was the Rams’ third final-four appearance.
In the end, the Rams walked away proud of their 4th place finish at State. Congratulations, Rams!
Faculty Feature: Christopher Barker Talks Textbooks to Tricks in Podcast about Magic
Upper School Spanish Teacher Christopher Barker was recently interviewed on a magician podcast called “The Daily Magician: Of Sleights and Men.” This podcast is based in the United Kingdom and is one of the biggest in the magic community. Barker highlighted the magic course he taught during Winter Term, his story as a magician, and his Young Wizards Magic Academy. Enjoy listening to the podcast here!
Faculty Feature: Melanie Moody Shares her Derivita Power User Story in Interview
Our very own Upper School Math Teacher Melanie Moody was interviewed by one of our technology partners in March sharing her Derivita Power User story. Derivita is a math curriculum and assessment platform designed for educators. It offers questions, assignments, and assessments that provide immediate feedback to students. Moody has been using Derivita in her Intergrated Math 1 and AP Calculus classes since the pandemic.
Check out her interview here! Way to go, Ms. Moody!