Like so many school events that “went virtual” in this time of remote learning and social distancing, the time honored tradition of recognizing students who exemplify Poly’s pursuit of multi-faceted excellence continued unabated. 

The annual end-of-year Major Awards Ceremony honors and celebrates Middle and Upper School students for scholarship, intellectual curiosity, service, creativity, and athletics. Head of School Audrius Barzdukas P’20 thanked the Class of 2020 saying they had inspired us “to bring all of ourselves to what we do each day.”

Head of Upper School Sarah Bates noted that the Major Awards are “the highest recognition we give the graduating class.” She congratulated all winners and shared with them a quote from Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”

Head of Middle School Andre Del Valle P’29, ’33 congratulated the Middle School students who were honored saying they demonstrated “what we value most at Poly, the pursuit of excellence.” Members of the Class of 2020, who were past recipients of the Middle School honors, presented awards to our current Middle School students.

Congratulations to the following students for their achievements throughout their Upper School years or as they continue their education in Middle School.

UPPER SCHOOL MAJOR AWARDS

The Poly Cup
Bailey Chapin ’20
Presented by Emily Gardiner, Upper School Dean

Joseph Dana Allen Award
Emily Weinstein ’20
Presented by Charles Polizano P’18, Director of Technology and Computer Science Department Chair

Scull Plaque
Lauren Kauppila ’20 and Channing Austin ’20
Presented by Alexis Perez, Upper School Dean and Matt Roventini ’92, P21, ‘25, Varsity Baseball Coach

Williams Prize for Intellectual Curiosity
Nicholas Perez ’20
Presented by Maria DiCarlo P’23, Math Department Chair

Creativity Prize
Akil Foster ’20
Presented by Christy Hutchcraft, Upper School English teacher

School Service Award
Molly O’Connor ’20
Presented by Maggie Moslander, History Department Chair  

MIDDLE SCHOOL MAJOR AWARDS

Marie Corkhill Award (first ever)
Valentina Aberle ’27
Presented by Jayda Abrams, Middle School science teacher

Maryanna Sheller Spirit Award
Kaya Freeman ’26
Presented by Helena Elko, Middle School visual arts teacher

Ralph K. Dupee Award
Parsa Aghazadeh ’25
Presented by Rebeka Cabrera ’20

Myron Ruckstull Award
Katie Dolin ‘24 and Lucas Basham ‘24
Presented by Emily Fountaine ’20 and Ivan Nayduch ’20

Marjorie Bull Award
Junie Blaise ‘24
Presented by Haleigh Twomey ’20