Student Standouts: Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Track, Baseball, Football, Field Hockey, STARS Program & Theater Successes, plus Individual Accomplishments for Coumba Diallo ’22, Samantha Iken ’22, Justin Jan ’22, Kate Oliver ’22, Ishaan Handa ’23, Nathan Yao ’23, Nicole Green ’25, James Karslake ’25, Arjun Puri ’25, Taehee Ha ’30, Evan Smith ’31
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.
Boys Lacrosse Takes Home 7th Straight State Championship
Our Boys Lacrosse team claimed its 7th successive MSLA championship with a win over De Smet. With a 10-6 victory, MICDS held DeSmet to its lowest goal output of the season. Read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recap here. Congratulations, Rams!
Boys Lacrosse Post-Season Accolades
Big congrats to Will Kacmarek ’21, who was named All-Metro Player of the Year! In addition, Cam Curry ’21, Will Kacmarek ’21, and Landon Gelven ’22 landed on the All-Metro 1st Team, PJ Behan ’22 and Grant Purdy ’21 made the 2nd Team, and Crawford Bundy ’21 made the 3rd team. Check out the All-Metro team recaps here.
Cameron Curry ’21 was named St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Athlete of the Week. Cam finished the season as the area’s top-scoring midfielder, totaling 56 goals and 17 assists for 73 points. Way to go, Cam!
Congrats also to Landon Gelven ’21 and Will Kacmarek ’21, who earned All-American status by USA Lacrosse, and to Grant Purdy ’21 for earning Academic All-American.
PJ Behan ‘22 Represents at National All-Star Games
In July, PJ Behan ’22 represented the Mid America region at the Lacrosse National All-Star Games in Maryland. Way to go, PJ!
Girls Lacrosse Undefeated Season and State Championship
On May 29, the MICDS Girls Lacrosse team, with a 16-0 record, took home an 11-6 victory against Villa Duchesne and won its sixth championship in the past eight seasons. The team also completed its first undefeated championship season since 2014. Their team motto, “Never Done,” saw them through to the finish! Read the full recaps here and here. Congratulations, Rams!
Girls Lacrosse All-Metro Team Honorees
Congratulations to our All-Metro Girls Lacrosse team honorees!
First Team: Livie Warren ’21, Olivia Rickers ’22, Ella Durrill ’21, and Kendall Curry ’23
Second Team: Anna Lochhead ’22
Third Team: Amber Petersen ’22
Read more here!
Boys Track Claims 2nd Place at State
Boys Track & Field claimed 2nd at the Missouri Class 3 Track & Field State Championships! Below are highlights of the individual accomplishments. Read more from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch here. Way to fly, Rams!
- Shawn Putman ’21 claimed 1st place in the Long Jump with 6.81m
- Aaron Hendricks ’21, Winston Moore ’23, Tony Nunn ’22, and Novo Onovwerosuoke ’22 took 1st in the 4×400 with a time of 3:28.58
- Harrison Brown ’22, Winston Moore ’23, Tony Nunn ’22, and Novo Onovwerosuoke ’22 claimed 2nd in the 4×200 with a time of 1:30:55
- Novo Onovwerosuoke ’22 finished in 4th in the 200m dash with a time of 22.43
- Steven Hall ’23, Winston Moore ’23, Novo Onovwerosuoke ’22, and Nathan Smith ’21 came in 4th in the 4×100 with a time of 43.64
Additional congrats to Novo Onovwerosuoke ’22 for making the All-Metro Third Team for Track and Field.
Girls Track Spring Accomplishments
In spring post-season play, the Girls Track & Field team finished in 6th place in the Girls Class 5 State Championships. Below are highlights of the individual accomplishments!
- Alexis Bellamy ’21 finished 4th in the 100m hurdles with a 15.00
- Zoe Carter-Konate ’22 threw 11.39m in the shot put for a personal record and took 8th
- Ellie Gira ’22 earned 8th in the 400m with a time of 1:00.77
- Amani Hendricks ’22 came in 15th in the Long Jump with a jump of 4.94m
- Maya Anderson ’23 achieved 2nd in the 300m hurdles with an impressive time of 44.54, the 2nd best in school history, and took home 2nd place in the 100m hurdles with a new school record of 14.02
- Julia Ray ’23 claimed 2nd in the 3200m, beating the original school record by 47 seconds, and took 6th in the 1600m
Congratulations also to our All Metro Track and Field Team Honorees: Maya Anderson ’23 for Second Team and Julia Ray ’23 for Third Team. Way to go, Rams!
Baseball All-Metro Team Placements
Congratulations to the following student-athletes (and alumni) for being honored by the All Metro League for Boys Baseball! See the full team roster at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch here.
Reagan Andrew ’21 – 1st team UTILITY
Jack Niedringhaus ’22– 1st team LHP/INF
Eric Podgorny ’23 – 1st Team RHP/INF
Gordon Walker ’22 – 2nd team RHP/INF
Five Seniors Nominated for American Cancer Society All-Star Football Game
Congratulations to Reagan Andrew ’22, PJ Behan ’22, Nat Bilderback ’22, Jack Hayes ’22, and Bjorn Sjogren ’22 who have been nominated for consideration for the American Cancer Society Missouri All-Star Game to be held later this year! Way to go, Rams!
USA Field Hockey Club Championship Placements
Seven current and former MICDS students placed second in the USA Field Hockey Under 19 National Club Championship, a competition of the best 16 teams in the country. Congratulations to Reagan Calcari ’20, Mia Duchars ’20, Lily Baker ’21, Brecken Calcari ’22, Anna Lochhead ’22, Greta Wolfsberger ’22, and Kendall Curry ’23. Read more about the championship game here. Congratulations to all!
Students Excel in STARS Program
Five MICDS students participated in the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ annual Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) summer program. The students, all rising seniors, get paired with local scientists in the fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, physics, and psychology, and gain firsthand experience doing research during the six-week program. A total of 36 students from 15 different schools in the St. Louis area participated.
The students attended lectures over Zoom rather than in person with scientists from various research backgrounds and coordinated their own research projects under the direction of one of 18 primary investigators from the faculty at UMSL, Saint Louis University, or Washington University in St. Louis. They researched electrochemistry, gastroenterology, machine learning, pollinator biology, and robotics. In addition, they received insight into the college admissions process and how to craft a solid essay to accompany their applications.
Congrats to Siri Battula ’22, Shelly Bhagat ’22, Ellie Gira ’22, Emma Scally ’22, and Sasha Shanker ’22 for their accomplishments in the STARS Summer program!
Coumba Diallo ‘22 Artwork in the Young Artist Exhibit at SLAM
Coumba Diallo ’22 recently had her artwork accepted into the Young Artist Exhibit at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The exhibition is entitled Metamorphosis: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow and her piece, Finding Justice, will be on display through February 2022. Reflecting on her work, Coumba shared, “I created this piece as a response to the events of last summer [2020] that sparked the upsurge in protests surrounds the Black Lives Matter movement. These protests have shown that changes can come through hard work, transformation is possible, and the fight towards justice is not in vain.”
Additionally, Coumba was accepted into and participated in the Early College Program in Art History and Curatorial Studies, a co-educational program at Spelman College designed to encourage rising junior and senior high school students of color to pursue undergraduate studies in art history and curatorial studies. She participated in classes, presented an artist talk, wrote visual analysis, heard from practitioners who worked in different aspects of the art world, and co-curated a show (with classmates) at the High Museum entitled Identity and Transformation within the Black Experience, with objects drawn from the High Museum of Art, the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, and the Robert W. Woodruff Library Atlanta University Center. Congratulations on your artistic accomplishments, Coumba!
Samantha Iken '22 Excels at Berklee School of Music Summer Program
Samantha Iken ’22 spent five weeks this summer studying commercial music, songwriting, music business/production, and vocal performance at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. At the end of the summer term, Berklee produced a showcase that opened with a 30-minute condensed performance of Hamilton in full costume. Over 100 students auditioned to take part in the production, they cast 12, and Samantha was cast as Angelica Schuyler. Additionally, this summer, Samantha was the honored guest soloist at the Missouri Medal of Valor ceremony honoring police officers who were the recipients of the medals. She sang God Bless America and the Star-Spangled Banner a capella. CDS and MICDS alumni Chris Kerber ’90 and Tom Ackerman ’93 served as the keynote speaker and emcee, respectively.
Justin Jan ‘22 Named All-Metro Tennis third Team
Congratulations to Justin Jan ’22 on being named to the All-Metro Tennis Third Team in post-season spring play by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Justin finished third in singles in the Class 3 singles State tournament.
Kate Oliver ‘22 Selected to Stars & Stripes Team
Congratulations to Kate Oliver ’22 on her selection to the 2021 U-19 Girls NXC Stars & Stripes Elite Girls Field Hockey Team. The Stars and Stripes Game is an elite all-star game featuring the top athletes from around the country as identified throughout the event by the USA Field Hockey Junior High Performance selectors. Congratulations, Kate!
Rhythmic Rams Featured in Ladue News
Congratulations to Sasha Shanker ’22, Ellie Gira ’22, and Hailey Kim ’22, who were featured in the Ladue News for their community service club, Rhythmic Rams. The Rhythmic Rams seek to boost the health of senior living facility residents through dance and enjoyable exercise and to help them make meaningful connections with students, both in-person and virtually. The club has reached out to many senior living communities worldwide. They hope they can help spread the joy of Rhythmic Rams outside of the metro area – especially necessary during these difficult times. Thank you for serving our committees in this way!
Summer Muny Successes
Several Upper School students enthusiastically participated in theater productions at the Muny this summer. Harrison Brown ’22, Zoe Clark ’22, Benjamin Iken ’24, Noah Macam ’23, and Thomas Woodrow ’24 were involved with a variety of onstage shows, as well as the touring troupe. From Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and On Your Feet to Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Chicago, they acted, danced, and sang their hearts out for delighted audiences. Congratulations, young thespians!
Ishaan Handa ‘23 Launches Coding Company for Kids
Congratulations to Ishaan Handa ’23 for launching a company in 2020 to help younger children build an interest in coding. Ishaan is passionate about coding and believes it will be an integral part of our future. He wanted to introduce it to children in a fun way to spark their interest and as a way for parents to find a low-commitment, cost-effective way for their child to learn to code. Thank you, Ishaan, for wanting to help others develop skills in this way! Learn more here.
Nathan Yao ‘23 Named to St. Louis CITY SC Inaugural U17 Team
Nathan Yao ’23 recently joined the inaugural St. Louis City Soccer Club Academy U17 team as a defender. The St. Louis City SC Academy is a boys professional development academy seeking to develop top soccer talent in the St. Louis region and beyond. Nathan’s prior soccer experience includes time with FC United Pre-Academy, Saint Louis FC Academy, and the Minnesota United Academy. Congratulations, Nathan!
Nicole Green ‘25 Earns All-American Medals
This summer, Nicole Green ’25 competed at the AAU National Track & Field Club Championships in Florida. She earned four All-American medals and set personal records in three events. She placed 4th in Shot Put (37′), 3rd in Long Jump (16’6″), 4th in the 100 hurdles (15.63), and 4th in the 200 hurdles. Nicole also competed in the AAU Junior Olympics in Houston, TX, and earned 8th place in the 100 hurdles. Way to go, Nicole!
James Karslake ‘25 Receives President's Environmental Youth Award
James Karslake ’25 received the President’s Environmental Youth Award as a culmination of the work he started five years ago as a 4th grader. The award recognizes his work on four large projects that involved 200+ volunteers and more than 2,000 hours of service. The President of the United States bestows one youth, grades 6-12, within the four-state area of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska this award each year. James shared, “I would like to thank my teachers at MICDS and Community School for supporting me and nurturing my love for the environment. And, a huge thank you to Ms. Bambenek for being my sponsor.” Read more about James’ work here. Congratulations, James! We can’t wait to see what you do next!
Arjun Puri ‘25 Places 10th in National Chess Tournament
This past summer, Arjun Puri ’25 was invited to represent Missouri in the Dewain Barber National Chess Tournament of Middle School State Champions. The tournament is a free event that invites a nominee from each state to compete for the 2021 Barber National Champion title. Arjun placed 10th out of the 48 students participating. Congratulations, Arjun!
Rowan Wright ‘27 Competes Nationally
Rowan Wright ’27 competed in her first U.S. National Irish Dancing Competition. She came in 62nd place in her age group. Later this fall, Rowan heads to Oireachtas, the Mid-America Regional Championships in Illinois. Way to go, Rowan!
Taehee Ha ‘30 Honored by Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Taehee Ha ’30 was recently honored as one of the brightest students in the world by The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY). Taehee was one of nearly 19,000 students from 84 countries who joined the 2020-21 Talent Search year. Less than 20% of participants qualify for CTY High Honors Awards. “We are thrilled to celebrate these students,” said Virginia Roach, CTY’s executive director. “In a year that was anything but ordinary, their love of learning shined through, and we are excited to help cultivate their growth as scholars and citizens throughout high school, college, and beyond.” Congratulations, Taehee!
Evan Smith ‘31 Track and Field Accomplishments
Congrats to Evan Smith ’31 for achieving 1st place for his division in the 100m dash at the AAU Xplosion Mother’s Day track meet on May 30. Thirty teams from across the Midwest competed at the meet. Evan also recently won the gold in the javelin and the shot put in the Ultimate Track Event AAU Invitational on June 26. Twenty-five groups from around the region participated. Way to go, Evan!