Student Standouts for August 30

Student Standouts: Boppana ’20, Duchars ’20, Perry ’20, Oliver ’22, Birkel ’25, Messey ’26, Field Hockey, Football and Soccer in the News

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 Earns Research Award at STARS Program

A big congratulations goes to Nishanth Boppana ’20 for earning a Partnership of Research Institutions Award for Excellence in Research at the Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) Program. Nishanth was one of 88 rising high school seniors in the area to participate in this six-week program during summer which “pairs high school students with prominent area scientists to conduct undergraduate-level research in the fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, engineering, environmental science, medicine and psychology.” He was paired with Dr. Uthayashanker Ezekiel of Saint Louis University and was awarded for his research on the “Synergistic Effects of Curcumin and Silibinin B on Cancer Cell Migration.” Boppana will be formally recognized for this outstanding achievement at our awards ceremony later this fall. Congratulations, Nishanth!

Duchars Highlighted in STL Today Article

MICDS senior and field hockey captain Mia Duchars ’20 is highlighted in a recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch article that talks about her field hockey career and the upcoming field hockey season. After the varsity team advanced twice to the Midwest Tournament championship and came up short by one goal, Duchars is hopeful that the Rams will rise to the top this fall.

The team is composed of five Upper Schoolers who have committed to playing field hockey at the college level: Duchars (University of Louisville), Molly Christopher ’20 (Villanova), Caroline Carr ’20 (Dartmouth), Reagan Calcari ’20 (New Hampshire) and Kate Oliver ’22 (Stanford).

With the new water turf field and a mindset of determination, the Rams are excited to give this next season their all!

Post Spotlights Perry in Anticipation of Golf Season

Parker Perry ’20 is highlighted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which looked ahead to the fall golf season. As an All-Metro second-team performer who medaled in District and Sectional tournaments, we can’t wait to see Perry’s and the full golf team’s performance this fall!

Field Hockey Player to Watch

Kate Oliver ’22 is a field hockey player to watch according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The sophomore tied for having the most goals in the area (29) and expects to build upon her defensive action this fall.

7th Grader and Girl Scout Awarded for Making a Difference

Caroline Birkel ’25 earned the Girl Scout Silver Award by taking on an issue that she is passionate about and using it to make a lasting difference in the community. Her Girl Scout troop wanted to increase the number of butterflies in the area. With support from St. Louis County Parks and Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center, they worked to design, budget and plant a native pollinator garden at Queeny Park. The Scouts hope to inspire others to plant pollinator-attracting flowers in their gardens as well. Caroline earned this award with her former Girl Scout troop at Rossman School, and she will be joining an MICDS Girl Scout troop this year. Way to make a difference, Caroline!

Messey Represents Midwest Region at NTIS USA Baseball Championship Cup

After advancing through several rounds of tryouts, Drew Messey ‘26 was selected to represent the Midwest Region in the NTIS USA Baseball Championship Cup at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina August 7-11. These games determined which players were selected to train and compete for the USA National Baseball Team.

Rams Full of Potential for Fall Football Season

The MICDS football team is featured in an article by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The article shares the preseason rankings and gives a glimpse at the successes of our returning Rams football players while also noting the potential of the newer members of the team. This will be Head Varsity Football Coach Matt Buha’s fifth season of coaching the Rams.

Highlighted football players in the article include Joe Condie ’20, Reagan Andrew ’22, Will Kacmarek ’21, Gerald Bentley ’20, Garrison Moody ’20 and Crawford Bundy ’21. Check out the full article here. Let’s go Rams!

Soccer Starting with the Metro League Tournament

West Newsmagazine looks ahead to the opening of the soccer season with the Metro League Tournament, formerly known as the MICDS Tournament. Head Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Jack Fischer is included in the article, sharing the history of the starting soccer season tournament and his insight on the anticipation of the team being in action starting today as part of the league opener. Here we go, #RamNation!