Achievements Recognized at Spring Awards Ceremony

Headmaster Bill Philip began the Spring Awards Ceremony on May 25 by congratulating members of the Class of 2012, their parents, families and friends, and saying how quickly the year had flown by. “We have enjoyed another very successful year,” he said. He then shared highlights and individual accomplishments of the spring term related to the visual and performing arts, the chapel program, community service initiatives, the Westminster Crossroads Learning Program, the Beauty Project, the Student Activities Committee, stickball, athletic accomplishments, the Friday Night Readings Series and the Westminster Lecture Series.
 

Greg Marco, holder of the John Sherwin Jr. ’57 and W. Graham Cole Jr. Chair and director of studies, presented the following academic awards to the Sixth Form:

Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Ellie Baker, Natalie Biedron, Sam Boures, Grace Brown, Alana Carpenter, Christian Coquoz, Shelby Cranshaw, Christi DeSimone, Hadley DesMeules, Sarah Dimmitt, Randy Doyle, Isha Garg, Kathleen Gudas, Chris Izmirlian, Dima Kaigorodov, Elena Kim, Matt Knudson, Brandon Kumnick, Marielle Lafaire, Michael LeBlanc, Iris Lu, Marissa Mason, Jake Medina, Meaghan O’Herron, Tyler O’Neil, Emmet Shipway, LuLu Spalding, Patrick Spano, Miller Steinle, Will Stevens, Peter Tang, Dillon Tiner, Rosie Williams, Bella Zimmer
 

Director of Athletics Dennis Daly presented the spring athletic awards beginning with the Berry Awards, named in honor of faculty member Richard P. Scott Berry. These awards recognize the player from each lower team who gave the best effort and demonstrated the best attitude throughout the season.

     Second Baseball: Tim Chartier

     Second Golf: MacKenzie Hawkes

     Second Boys’ Lacrosse: Drew Poling

     Third Boys’ Lacrosse: Dan Parsons

     Second Girls’ Lacrosse: Marissa Mason

     Third Girls’ Lacrosse: Cristina Lynch

     Second Softball: Gwen Pastor

     Second Boys’ Tennis: Peter Tang

     Third Tennis: Ryan Fox and Laura Tingley

     Second Girls’ Tennis: Natalie Biedron and Ellie Baker

     Second Boys’ Track: Ronald Yeung

     Second Girls’ Track: Jolene Patrina
 

He also announced the following First Team Awards:
 

Michelini Most Improved Player: Michael McNally

Lea Most Valuable Player: Nick Finn
 

Most Improved Golfer: Derek Leydecker

Most Valuable Golfer: Jack Rubino
 

Hovey Ground Ball Award: Tim Lyons

Class of 1981 Most Improved Player: Ben Shively

Hovey Most Valuable Player: Gordon Santry
 

Ground Ball Award: Rachel Kennedy

Most Improved Player: Mary French

Kurtz Most Valuable Player: Brooke Heron
 

Most Improved Player: Kat Pate

Most Valuable Player: Brooke Wolejko
 

Most Improved Player: Sandro Giacometti

Davenport Most Valuable Player: Emil Henry
 

Most Improved Player: Emily Teschner and Haley Lowenstein

Most Valuable Player: Skyy McGeachy-Campbell
 

Most Improved Track and Field Athlete: David Carter

Scull Most Valuable Track and Field Athlete: Emmet Shipway
 

Most Improved Track and Field Athlete: Mary Anderson

Scull Most Valuable Track and Field Athlete: Yvonne Pruitt
 

The Stephen Harris Squibb Bowl awards, which honor the athlete from each first team who demonstrated the greatest sportsmanship and consistent effort, were presented to:

     Baseball: Aaron Ugalde

     Golf: David Hallisey

     Boys’ Lacrosse: Greg Pietroforte

     Girls’ Lacrosse: Meaghan O’Herron

     Softball: Jordan Gowdy and Rachel Monroe

     Boys’ Tennis: Cam Kurtz

     Girls’ Tennis: Kathleen Gudas

     Boys’ Track: Marquez Cummings and Franco Serrao

     Girls’ Track: Maggie Hark
 

The Hopley-Jackson Award, which is given to the Westminster lower team with the best season, was presented to:

Coaches: Tim Quinn, Tim Joncas and Kyle Eckerson

Captains: Morgan Heck and Dong Ho Park

Third Girls’ Lacrosse

Coach: Kathleen Devaney

Captain: Eugenia Naamon
 

The 2012 spring Frederick D. Houghton Award, which is given to the Westminster team with the best season, was presented to two teams:
 

Coaches: Mitch Overbye, Carolyn Walker and Lee Zalinger

Captains: Sydney Daniels and Alli Devins
 

Coaches: Lee Huguley, Alan Brooks, Maureen Lamb, Jack Reigeluth, Morgan Shipway and Arturo Solis

Captains: Marquez Cummings and Emmet Shipway
 

Spring first team captains then introduced the captains-elect for next spring as:

     Golf: Jack Rubino and David Hallisey

     Girls’ Lacrosse: Alex Regan and Eleni Tebano

     Boys’ Lacrosse: Gardner Imhoff and Alec Dunn

     Softball: Alli Devins, Sydney Daniels and Jordan Gowdy

     Boys’ Tennis: Charlie Russell

     Girls’ Tennis: Skyy McGeachy-Campbell and Haley Lowenstein

     Baseball: Alex Tomashoff and Drew Leach

     Boys’ Track: Stephan Reyes and Kevin Murray

     Girls’ Track: Yamilex Munoz and Bridget Gorham
 

Established in 2012 in honor of Dennis A. Daly — teacher, coach, athletics director and mentor from 1990-2012 — this award recognizes annually those students who have competed at the first-team level for all three seasons of their Sixth Form year and demonstrated both a wonderful breadth of athletic pursuits and an extraordinary commitment to the highest level of Westminster sports: Colin Cross, Marquez Cummings, Hadley DesMeules, Alessandro Giocometti, Brooke Heron, Rachel Kennedy, Tim Lyons, Conor Mullen, Meaghan O’Herron, Molly O’Sullivan, Greg Pietroforte, Will Stevens and Dillon Tiner
 

Next, individuals were recognized for accomplishments in other areas of school activity.
 

Director of Admissions Jon Deveaux presented the Ganzenmuller-Buckey Award, given annually to the student who has contributed the most to the Admissions Office over the year, to Cameron Kurtz.
 

Theater Director A-men Rasheed presented the Frances Laurel Hopkins Award to Sam Boures.

The new co-presidents of Dramat, the student dramatic organization requiring 120 hours of service on at least two different Westminster productions, were announced as Charlie Beck and Alastair Smith. The newest member is Atesha Gifford.
 

Betsy Heckman, head of the History Department, recognized Jane Lee and Hanson Li as finalists in the WALKS constitutional essay contest. WALKS is a consortium of five local independent schools which work closely together to provide opportunities for deserving young people in the greater Hartford area.
 

The Brian Ford Writing Prize is given annually to an underform student who, in the view of the English Department, best exemplifies a passion for the craft of writing. The prize comes in the form of a handsome stipend and the winner is asked to present a new piece of writing to the English Department in the fall. English teacher Bryan Tawney presented the award to Molly Mullen.
 

Based on her extraordinary commitment to community service, Isha Garg was named Westminster’s winner of the WALKS Barnes Service Award. Annually, WALKS recognizes a student at each of the five members schools who has made significant contributions to social service in the community.
 

Before closing the ceremony and thanking everyone for their attendance, Headmaster Philip recognized members of the 2012 Parents’ Committee and Director of Development Maggie Pinney introduced the class agents for the Class of 2012.