St. Margaret’s honored its seniors and juniors and their pursuit of excellence in academics, community and athletics in an Upper School Awards Ceremony this week in Hurlbut Theater, which include the Upper School’s annual Cum Laude Society induction.

 

The Upper School faculty awarded academic prizes from distinguished colleges and universities to nine juniors, academic department awards of distinction, and special senior awards that were presented to students in the Class of 2023 by faculty who shared personal remarks about each student.

 

St. Margaret’s also inducted 12 seniors, 12 juniors and two professional community members into the Cum Laude Society, an international organization which recognizes and celebrates academic achievement. The Tartan inductees join 11 current seniors inducted in 2022 as juniors.

 

The Cum Laude Society limits membership to 20 percent of a school’s senior class, with only 10 percent eligible for induction as juniors. In addition to academic achievement, students must demonstrate good character, honor and integrity. The new inductees join more than 400 St. Margaret’s students who have been inducted since 1986.

 

Congratulations to all the Tartans who were recognized!

 

The complete list of honorees for the Cum Laude Society as well as the senior and junior awards is as follows:

 

 

 

Liesel Blau

Alexis Bullock

Alden Copps

Ella Etchandy

Emma Griffin

David Jiang

Amelia Kerr

Sabrina Kim

Jonathan Lee

Keyon Namdar

Ryan Namdar

Ashley Shanahan

 

Avery Ainsworth

Sophie Bredall

Kaden Chen

Radley Copps

Kate D’Amaro

Camryn Fisher

Tai Guo

Rianne Ke

Alexander Kim

Rishabh Mallela

Rain Xie

Kaylynn Yang

 

Simon Fellowes

Dr. Eric Trumbauer

 

Roy Cheng

Alexis Lindenfelser

Vanessa Liu

Tina Mai

Malcolm Matthew

Nadia Momtaz

Charlotte Newman

Kaitlin Tam

Devin Thomas

Kian Vargo

Lisa Zhang

 

 

Senior Awards

 

The Founder’s Award – Recipient: Alexis Lindenfelser. Awarded to the senior who has maintained the highest grade point average in the class. Presented by Beth Clemmons.

 

Salutatorian Award – Recipient: Kian Vargo. Awarded to the senior who has maintained the second highest grade point average in the class. Presented by James Harris.

 

The Father Ernest D. SIllers Award – Recipient: Devin Thomas. Awarded to the senior who has set an example of overall achievement, combining an excellent academic record with exemplary service to the school, citizenship and leadership. Presented by Lora Allison.

 

The Board of Trustees’ Award – Recipient: Maddie Bendzick. Awarded to the senior who has grown the most both as a person and as a student, and has taken advantage of the many opportunities for involvement. Presented by Jennifer Ross-Viola and Joyce Lee.

 

St. Margaret’s Award – Recipient: Wyatt Fales. Awarded to the senior whose academic work is distinguished by the love of scholarship and who, by example, has contributed most to the academic morale of the school. Presented by James Harris.

 

PTF Service Award – Recipient: Charlotte Quintanar. Awarded to the senior whose leadership embodies the spirit of selflessness through commitment and involvement. Presented by Alexandra Jennings and Jessica Klausner.

 

Faculty Achievement Award – Recipient: Malcolm Matthew. Awarded to the senior who has maintained high academic standards through an exceptional combination of achievement, resilience and perseverance. Presented by Amy Warren.

 

Faculty Plate – Recipient: Nadia Momtaz. Awarded to the senior who has made the most of their St. Margaret’s experience and who clearly manifests the Latin inscription on the award plate, suo Marte or “by one’s own prowess,” in their years of endeavor in the St. Margaret’s community. Presented by Jennifer Ross-Viola.

Principal’s Cup – Recipient: Luciana Varkevisser. Awarded to the senior who has grown to exemplify the ideals of Honor, Diligence and Decency. The senior has questioned the application and meaning of these ideals in their involvement at St. Margaret’s as a student and as a leader, and has made this school a better place by living life courageously, consistently and compassionately. Presented by Jeneen Graham.

Academic departmental awards

 

A Departmental Book is awarded to seniors who have achieved excellence in an academic discipline.

Latin, presented by Alexandra Jennings: Charlotte Newman
Chinese, presented by Esther Hsu: Audrey Harrington
Spanish, presented by Bryan Cristobal Sullivan: Gaby Velazquez
Computer Science, presented by Angela Mackenzie: Malcolm Matthew
History and Social Science, presented by Kristina Taylor: Vanessa Liu
English, presented by Peter Clark: Tina Mai
Math, presented by Elizabeth O’Shea: Jonathan Lee
Science, presented by Edmund Herlihy: Charlotte Quintanar
Performing Arts: Winston Verdult
Visual Arts, presented by Jesse Standlea: Sabrina Kim

JUNIOR COLLEGE BOOK AWARDS 

The Harvard Book Prize – Recipient: Rishabh Mallela: Awarded to an outstanding junior who exhibits superior academic, personal and extracurricular achievements.

The University of Pennsylvania Book – Recipient: Avery Ainsworth. Awarded to a high school junior who best exemplifies the qualities and characteristics of Benjamin Franklin—a scholar, innovator and server of the community.

The Princeton Book – Recipient: Marisol Guillena. Awarded to an outstanding junior who exhibits intellectual promise and academic excellence; exemplary service or extracurricular activities; and outstanding personal character.

The Saint Lawrence University Book – Recipient: Alexander Kim. Awarded to a junior who, like the St. Lawrence University community, values a commitment to the service of others.

The Smith College Book – Recipient: Camryn Fisher. Awarded to an outstanding junior female who exemplifies academic achievement, leadership qualities, and concern for others.

The Williams College Book – Recipient: Chris Ramos. Awarded to a junior who has demonstrated intellectual leadership and has made a significant contribution to the extracurricular life of the school.

The Yale Book – Recipient: Rain Xie. Awarded to a junior who demonstrates “lux et veritas,” enlightenment and truth, the motto of Yale College, combining outstanding personal character—the “lux” – with outstanding intellectual promise, the “veritas.”

JUNIOR AWARDS

Dominic Ondryas Memorial Award – Recipient: Dania Arteaga. Awarded to the junior who has exercised leadership during their years at St. Margaret’s and who has shown a willingness to improve the community and the world by leading others through personal example and commitment. Presented by Geovanna Besikof and Mr. and Mrs. Ondryas.

 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal-- Recipient: Tai Guo. Awarded to a junior who excels in advance math and science, adheres to rigorous academic standards, and exhibits a well-rounded interest and involvement in the community. Presented by Edmund Herlihy.

 

ATHLETICS AWARDS

CIF Scholar Athletes – Recipients: Liesel Blau and Keegan Carnell. Presented by Patrick Bendzick.

Jon Balak Award – Recipients: Luke Reinkensmeyer and Lauren Lam. Presented by Chris Nordstrom and Megan Armes.

Athletes of the Year: Recipients: Andrew Miehe and Brady Moseley. Presented by Scott Wallis and Bob Yoder.