2026 Winter Term Awards Celebrate Community Achievements

After returning from spring break, the Westminster community gathered in Werner Centennial Center on March 26 to celebrate the student achievements of the winter term.

Head of School Elaine White welcomed the community and shared her reflections on how the school community weathered the frigid and snowy winter term by showing up, standing tall, and finding the courage to meet the moment. She highlighted Connor Gray’s buzzer-beating basket that gave the JV basketball team a win against Trinity-Pawling early in their season, the committed leadership team of Penny’s Flight who overcame their nerves and worry to make an impressive and uplifting impact during Wellness Week, and the courageous cast and crew of the musical “Hadestown.” Mrs. White noted that in order to succeed in showing up and being front and center we all need “friends, family, classmates and teammates who have your back and want to see you succeed.”

Mr. Joncas was recognized for his 18 years behind the Westminster boys’ hockey bench as he steps down from his coaching role to commit to advancing and positioning the Westminster athletic program as one of the most competitive in New England. Mrs. White spoke of Mr. Joncas’ 248 wins, 11 New England tournament appearances, 2011 Large School Championship, earning Coach of the Year honors, and the 2019 Founders League title. But she also shared his philosophy of accountability, his leadership built on trust and mentorship, and his occasionally teary reaction to emotional and meaningful moments. Mrs. White then led the school audience in “a classic Joncas cheer” to thank him for his accomplishments on the ice and show support for his continuing inspirational leadership of Westminster’s athletic program. At the end of her remarks, Mrs. White surprised Mr. Joncas with the 2025-26 John T. Gardner Coach of the Year Award from the New England Preparatory School Boys Ice Hockey Association.

Academic Awards
Academic Dean Betsy Heckman announced students who received Summus this fall, awarded to the top ten percent of each form based on GPA.
 
Third Form Summus:
Grace Han, Derek Liu, Katherine Lopriore, Nikki Ni, Susan Wang, Sophia Wen, Charlie Zhang, Kyle Zhou

Fourth Form Summus:
Suri Dong, Ethan He, Ryan Holmes, Isaac Kwon, Justin Li, Anh Ngo, Finn O’Shaughnessy, Rafa Rodrigues, Chloe Zhao, Max Zong

Fifth Form Summus:
Naomi Flom, Daniel Frid, Jasmine Fu, Liesel Kocourek, Conrad Kwait, Kylie Newberg, Jack Owens, Saleha Rahimi, Ellie Smith, Audrey Tan, Bennett Varao, Jesse Yang

Sixth Form Summus:
Nate Blackak, Caroline Breslav, Jacob Browne, John Dwyer, Hayley Fineberg, Pippa Jiranek, Esther Lee, Lauren Levinson, Delia Lockwood, Dylan Ness, Taryn Overstreet, Jeff Shao, Luna Yang

Athletic Awards
 
Berry Awards
Named in honor of Richard P. “Scott” Berry, loyal faculty member, coach and friend from 1971-2017, recognizes the player from each lower team who gave the best effort and demonstrated the best attitude throughout the season.
 
JV Boys’ Basketball: Maruli Sianturi ’28
Third Boys’ Basketball: Ethan He ’28
JV Girls’ Basketball: Katherine Lopriore ’29
JV Boys’ Hockey: Drew Doering ’29
Third Boys’ Hockey: Teddy Russell ’26
JV Girls’ Hockey: Anna Klapman ’26
JV Boys’ Squash: Alessio Suarez ’28
Third Boys’ Squash: Gid Williams ’27
JV Girls’ Squash: Clover Cooper ’26
Third Girls’ Squash: Chelsea Khuu ’28
Paddle Tennis: Hopie Fooshee ’27

Varsity Awards
Most Improved Player (MIP) and Most Valuable Player (MVP)
 
Boys’ Basketball
MIP: Ethan Villacis ’27
Keyes Foul Shooting Award: Julien Wiggins ’27
Donald H. Werner Most Valuable Player: Julien Wiggins ’27 and Ethan Griffin ’26

Girls’ Basketball
MIP: Parker Perillo ’26
Keyes Foul Shooting Award: Kaitlyn Buda ’27
MVP: Kaitlyn Buda ’27
Girls’ Squash
Talbot-Edwards Most Improved Player: Sophia Wen ’29
Fritz Zeller Most Valuable Player: Sophia Lazor ’27
 
Boys’ Squash
Talbot-Edwards Most Improved Player: William Jones ’28
Fritz Zeller Most Valuable Player: Long Teng ’26
 
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
MIP: Long Vu ’28
Preston “Pete” Test Most Valuable Swimmer and Diver: John Dwyer ’26
 
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
MIP: Taylor O’Connell ’29
MVP: Sunshine Li ’26 and Jasmine Fu ’26
 
Girls’ Hockey
MIP: Ella Hammel ’28
MVP: Bella Zapata ’27
 
Boys’ Hockey
MIP: Ryan Galaski ’26
MVP: Gus McGarvey ’26
 
Stephen Harris Squibb Bowl
The Stephen Harris Squibb Bowl awards, which honor the athlete from each varsity team who demonstrated the greatest sportsmanship, consistent effort, and inspired performance throughout the season were given to:
 
Boys’ Basketball: Draven Chung ’26
Girls’ Basketball: Gianna Monaco ’27
Boys’ Hockey: John Donohue ’26 and Brenden Gilooly ’26
Girls’ Hockey: Kiera Dumas ’29
Boys’ Squash: Long Teng ’26
Girls’ Squash: Martina Jaramillo Aman ’27
Boys’ Swimming and Diving: Will Larock ’26
Girls’ Swimming and Diving: Catherine Hogan ’28

All Founders League Award
The All Founders League Award is given to two members of each varsity team who best exemplify the League ideals of sportsmanship, hard work, and character in the spirit of competition and fair play at the varsity level.
 
Boys’ Basketball: Sonny Batchelor ’27, Elliot Goldberg ’28
Girls’ Basketball: Delia Lockwood ’26
Boys’ Hockey: Owen Burke ’26, Carson Craig ’26
Girls’ Hockey: Izzy Hurkala ’26, Mya Polastry ’27
Boys’ Squash: Yan Kwan (Steven) Xie ’26
Girls’ Squash: Elle Wilson ’26, Emily Fonner ’26
Boys’ Swimming and Diving: John Dwyer ’26 and Will Larock ’26
Girls’ Swimming and Diving: Jennifer Weber ’26 and Maya Tran ’27

Hopley-Jackson Award
The Hopley-Jackson Award, named in honor of Richard Hopley and Michael Jackson, lower team coaches for many years at Westminster, is given seasonally to the Westminster lower team with the best season. The Hopley-Jackson Award went to the JV girls’ squash team.
 
Coach: Ethan Na 
Captains: Clover Cooper ’26, Lucy Morton ’26
 
Houghton Award
The Houghton Award, named in honor of Frederick Houghton, Class of 1932, trustee, friend, and fan, is given seasonally to the Westminster team with the best season. This winter’s Houghton Award went to the varsity boys’ basketball.
 
Coaches: David Pringle, Julien Nicolas
Captains: Ethan Griffin ’26, Thomas Blouin ’26
 
Performing Arts Awards
New members of the Westminster Dramat Association were announced: Caroline Breslav ’26, Sophia Boghosian ’29, Sannah Chhabra ’28, Aliya Dupont ’28, Maeve Hibbard ’29, Claudia Christi Gill ’29, Candice Hong ’28, Karen Li ’28, Oneil Myrie ’29, Fanta Traore ’29

The Frances Laurel Hopkins Award, which recognizes a student who has made outstanding contributions to the Westminster Dramat Association, was given to Candice Hong ’28. 

 
Community Pin Awards
The last celebration of the morning highlighted special community members. Graham Cole, head of school from 1993-2010, started the tradition of awarding pins to recognize extraordinary community commitment.
 
The community pin recognizes someone who helps to make Westminster a better community through their selflessness, help, attitude, or approach. These individuals are the difference makers in creating a better experience for others.

Community pins were given to:
 
Arnie Orschel and Mike Stein: For working tirelessly this winter to clear paths, melt ice, and make our movements about campus so much easier.

Caroline LaRock: For being a tour-de-force behind the swimming and diving program and consistently completing tasks others overlook and taking on a tremendous workload throughout the season. By approaching the deck with a brilliant positivity every day, she has made the long dreary winter seem a little bit brighter for the coaching staff and athletes alike.

Ethan Na: Whether providing academic guidance in the early morning hours, coaching on the fields, or offering a steady hand during life’s challenges, he is consistently present for all of us and for students in particular. His “yes” is immediate and his support for his colleagues is unwavering; he is the rare professional who steps into the gap without any hesitation.

John Durkin: For his positivity and warm smile to all, for engaging with faculty and students kindly and with genuine interest in their well-being so that all of us feel seen, heard, and known.
 
Kaitlyn Buda ’27: For being present and dependable, kind and inclusive, and a great mentor to younger students who helps them to feel at ease and at home.

Roman Mayfield ’26: For encouraging the rest of us to show up as part of the Martlet flock, and for stepping into the breach and filling in roles where we need him most.
 
Lilly McMillen ’27: For always being considerate of everyone, regardless if she is friends with them, for being inviting and open to everyone and validating their feelings unselfishly.

Teagan Lynch ’27: For always being ready to help anyone, whether it’s her best friend or someone she doesn’t know. For sharing a big smile on her face when you pass her by walking through campus, recessing out of the chapel, in the halls, or in the dorm.

Reed Ghriskey ’26 and Xavier Khan ’27: For being earnest, dependable “glue guys” who build relationships with teammates and demonstrate our values of grit and grace.

Avery H. Bevin ’59 Kindness Award
Established in 2024 by the family of Avery H. Bevin ’59, this award is to be presented each term to a student who displays the attributes of kindness, grace, inclusion, and care for individuals. The recipient of this award is chosen through nominations from the student body. This term’s recipient was Will Derbyshire ’26 for being a consistently supportive and inclusive friend, always showing empathy, consideration and positivity, and bringing light to every room with a smile.

See more photos here. View the recording here.