Student Standouts for December 17

Supporting a Great Cause and Earning an Award at the ACS All-Star Game

At this past weekend’s American Cancer Society All-Star Game, PJ Behan ’22 won the Jennifer Younkins Inspiring Champions award, which was presented after the game by Dr. Younkins herself! According to the organization, “PJ received this award for being the top fundraising individual player. He had the most donors (over 60) raising in total $6,453.00”

PJ was nominated a few months ago by Head Football Coach Fred Bouchard to play in the all-star game. “PJ’s athletic skillset earned him the nomination for this all-star game and it’s his character and drive to help others that earned him recognition as the Jennifer Younkins Inspiring Champions Award. The coaches who have worked with PJ these past couple of years are not surprised that he went above and beyond to make a difference. From our perspective, that’s the norm for PJ.” Not only did PJ get to play but he also got to help drive awareness for the American Cancer Society which hit home since his grandmother was diagnosed with Metastatic Squamous neck cancer in 2015. His grandmother has fortunately recovered.

Upon receiving the award, PJ shared, “It was an honor to receive this award knowing I was able to help others fight cancer! I felt being selected for this all-star game gave me a responsibility as well as an opportunity to ask others to donate to this great cause. I am grateful and feel blessed to have such a close and supportive network of friends and family who stepped up to support me and The American Cancer Society!”

Senior Wins Canadian National Championship in Junior Men's Foil

Bogdan Hamilton ’22 won the Canadian National Championship in Junior (under 20 years old) Men’s Foil on December 5. He then won the Bronze Medal in Senior Men’s Foil, losing a close bout in the semifinals to a two-time Olympian. This past weekend, Bogdan won the Bronze Medal in Junior Men’s Foil at the North American Cup held in Columbus, Ohio, finishing 3^rd out of 290 fencers. He then finished 25^th in Senior Men’s Foil at the tournament, losing to four-time US Olympian and the current world number 2 fencer Gerek Meinhardt in the round of 32. Bogdan’s next tournament will be the World Cup held in Paris in January where he will represent Canada.

Four Middle School Robotics Teams Compete in FLL

This past weekend, four MICDS Middle School robotics teams competed in the First Lego League Qualifying Tournament. The competition lasted all day long, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students engaged in a practice match, three actual competitive matches against other teams, and a 30-minute presentation in front of judges. They were not only judged on their robot performance but also on their Innovation Project (addressing this year’s theme of how to improve the transportation of cargo), Core Values, and Robot Design.

“While MICDS teams did not advance to the state championship in February, we did have two teams win the Core Values award, which recognizes each team’s embodiment of Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun,” shared Ms. Annie Tsai, Middle School Robotics Coach. “Most importantly, students had a great time!”

Mare Willie ’27 said, “The FLL Competition is a lot of fun. Our group grew together and made a lot of bonds as we worked on our robots, code, and innovation. I learned that winning isn’t everything, and that team bonds are very important in robotics.” Vishinsky White ’27 echoed this sentiment: “I think the competition was stellar. It was so fun to work together and participate in this event. It was very surprising at the end when our team was called out for an award, the core value award. At first, I was shocked along with my team but then we went up there and received the reward. Overall the robotics competition was a very fun experience for all of us.”

Way to go, Rams!