Awards Ceremony Celebrates Student Achievements and Contributions

Westminster School began its celebration of the Class of 2026 by honoring students at the Spring Term Awards Ceremony. Under the tent erected on Commencement Lawn, students, faculty, staff, and guests gathered for the ceremony that highlighted excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, and community service.

Head of School Elaine White warmly welcomed families and guests and congratulated the Class of 2026, noting that the event marked the beginning of Commencement Weekend which is a joyful celebration of the graduating class.

White invited the audience to “begin our time together in gratitude” and delivered a heartfelt tribute to the dean of the Class of 2026, Matt Thomsen, noting, “He has given you his heart, his time, his care, and his guidance. And he has not asked for anything for himself in return, save that you be true to yourselves and this school.”

Academic Awards
Academic Dean Betsy Heckman announced the Sixth Formers who earned Summus
honors for the spring term:

Caroline Breslav
Jacob Browne
John Dwyer
Hayley Fineberg
Pippa Jiranek
Esther Lee
Lauren Levinson
Grace Li
Delia Lockwood
Taryn Overstreet
Jeff Shao
Luna Yang
Sabrina Yang

Performing Arts

Director of Theater and Dean of Student Life A-men Rasheed presented the Frances Laurel Hopkins Award to Ang Ngo ’28.

 
Athletic Awards and Acknowledgements

Director of Athletics Timothy Joncas ’00 took to the podium to present the spring athletic awards after speaking about how legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden used sport as his classroom. “At their best, sports teach us how to live alongside others, how to handle adversity, how to sacrifice for something bigger than ourselves, and how to become people worthy of the trust and reliance of a team,” said Joncas.

Joncas also celebrated Varsity Softball Head Coach Mitch Overbye’s nearly three decades of service to Westminster as Overbye retires at the end of this school year. Overbye’s exemplary coaching achievements in softball were enumerated as well as the naming of Overbye Field and the Western New England Girls Softball Association’s announcement that its Sportsmanship Award will now bear Coach Overbye’s name.

Berry Award:
The Berry Award recognizes the player from each lower team who gave the best effort and demonstrated the best attitude throughout the season.
 
JV Boys Golf: Mason Moritz ’28
JV Baseball: Eli Wilderman ’29
JV Softball: Lilly McMillen ’27
JV Boys’ Lacrosse: Jack Perkins ’28 
JV Girls’ Lacrosse: Izabella Zapata ’27 and Eliza Lane ’28
JV Boys’ Tennis: Rohan Satpathy ’27
JV Girls’ Tennis: Candice Hong ’28
Third Girls’ Tennis: Claudia Cristia-Gil ’29
Third Boys’ Tennis: Gid Williams ’27
 
Varsity Team Awards:
Varsity Baseball
Michelini MIP: Ethan Villacis ’27
Lea MVP: Matt Shea ’26
 
Boys’ Golf
MIG: Owen Burke ’26
MVG: Brody DiBeneditto ’26 and Patrick Saxe ’26
 
Girls’ Golf
MIG: Teagan Lynch ’27

Stevens MVG: Beatrice duPont ’29
 
Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse
Ground Ball Award: Delia Lockwood ’26
MIP: Lily Pokorny ’29
Kurtz MVP: Taleah Leonard ’26

Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse
Hovey Ground Ball Award: AJ Kraus ’26
Class of 1981 MIP: Caden Weichselbaumer ’28
Hovey MVP: Thomas Blouin ’26
 
Varsity Softball
MIP: Natalie House ’29
MVP: Melody El-Amin Stewart ’27 and Lily Shuster ’27
 
Varsity Girls’ Tennis
MIP: Charlotte Tyler ’27
MVP: Elsa Koh ’26
 
Varsity Boys’ Tennis
MIP: Xavier Kahn’27
Davenport MVP: Liam Hibbard ’27
 
Boys’ Track
MIT: Luca Romano ’27
Scull MVT: Benji Hanson ’27
 
Girls’ Track
MIT: Coslyn Bardy ’28
Scull MVT: Chloe Champoux ’28
 
Ultimate Frisbee
MIT: Alessandra Posteraro ’28
MVP: Matty Hanrahan ’26
 
Stephen Harris Squibb Bowl: 
The Stephen Harris Squibb Bowl honors the athlete from each varsity team who demonstrated the greatest sportsmanship, consistent effort, and inspired performance.

Baseball: Riley McDonald ’26

Boys’ Golf: Reed Ghriskey ’26
Girls’ Golf: Catherine Knauf ’27
Boys’ Lacrosse: Gardiner Ely ’26
Girls’ Lacrosse: Caroline Pokorny ’26
Softball: Gabby de la Fe ’26
Boys’ Tennis: Will Henry ’26
Girls’ Tennis: Lucy Morton ’26
Boys’ Track: Aidan O’Callaghan ’26
Girls’ Track: Sofia Eleuteri ’28
Ultimate: Hannah Maltby ’26

All Founders League Award: 
The All Founders League Award is given to two members of each varsity team in
recognition of student-athletes who best exemplify the league ideals of
sportsmanship, hard work, and character in the spirit of competition and fair play
at the varsity level.
 
Baseball: Teddy Russell ’26 and Ryan Holmes ’28
Boys’ Golf: Carson Craig ’26 and Julien Kocatas ’26
Girls’ Golf: Lauren Levinson ’26 and Grace Li ’26
Boys’ Lacrosse: Gardiner Ely ’26 and Gus Sciortino ’27
Girls’ Lacrosse: Kate Epke ’27 and Parker Perillo ’26 
Softball: Mya Polastry ’27 and Caitlyn Eaton ’28
Boys’ Tennis: Liam Hibbard ’27 and Noah Maltby ’28
Girls’ Tennis: Clover Cooper ’26 and Margaux Walter ’27 
Boys’ Track and Field: Justin Fu ’28 and Nicholas Ramsumair ’28
Girls’ Track and Field: Gianna Monaco ’28 and June Perrin ’29
Ultimate: Sabrina Yang '26 and Andrew Ma '27
 
Hopley-Jackson Award:
The Hopley-Jackson Award is given to the Westminster lower team or teams with the best season:
Team: JV Girls’ Lacrosse
Coaches: Emily Sullivan, Hadley Sparks, Bridget Cirelli, Ben Collins
Captains: Piper Lundin ’26, Chase Carter ’26, Caroline Breslav ’26
 
Frederick D. Houghton Award:
The Frederick D. Houghton Award is given to the Westminster team or teams with the best season:
Team: Boys’ Varsity Golf
Coaches: Peter Ulrich
Captains: Carson Craig ’26, Reed Ghriskey ’26

 
Daly Award:
The Daly Award was established in 2012 in honor of Dennis A. Daly, longtime teacher, coach, athletic director, and mentor. The award recognizes students who have competed at the varsity level for all three seasons of their Sixth Form year and demonstrated both a breadth of athletic pursuits and an extraordinary commitment to the highest level of Westminster sports:
 
Gigi Filippetti
Connor Gray
Pippa Jiranek
Delia Lockwood
Parker Perillo
Finn Williams
 
Head of School Community Pins and Avery H. Bevin ’59 Kindness Award 

Graham Cole, head of school from 1993-2010, started the tradition of awarding pins to those who showed extraordinary community commitment. The community pin recognizes someone who helps to make Westminster a better community through their selflessness, help, attitude, or approach.

Six community pins, which recognize students, faculty, and staff for their extraordinary community commitment, were awarded to:

Phil Ryan - For his dedication and commitment to ensuring the health and safety of all throughout the year.
Raymond Baksys - For being a terrific help wherever we need him and the current longest serving full-time school employee on whose historical knowledge we can always depend.

Annie Berry - For greeting each day with a smile and never saying “no” to helping colleagues or students; even if that means sinking threes versus the Sixth Form to help the faculty save face.

Colin Daly ’27 - For having the courage to steadily take our community values from ideas into action every day.

Derrick Logan ’27 - For being an outstanding RA in Squibb and terrific community leader whose engagement, selflessness, and friendliness form the foundation of his character.
 

Nick Lopriore ’26 - For being a moral leader who genuinely loves this school and carries himself as a leader while he builds great relationships with younger students across campus.
 
Established in 2024 by the family of Avery H. Bevin ’59, the Avery H. Bevin ’59 Kindness Award is presented each term to a student who exemplifies kindness, grace, inclusion, and care for individuals. The recipient is chosen through nominations from the student body.

This year’s honoree, Finn Cathey ’26, received multiple nominations that described him as “Kindness personified,” “The nicest senior in the freshman boys’ dorm who always does the right thing no matter what,” with comments that included, “His smile and positivity are contagious.”

Admissions Awards

The Joan Howard Award, established in 2022 by Julie Morris Ogden ’82, is given in honor of Joan Howard P’00, ’03, who served the Westminster School community for 20 years as an English teacher, a coach, and a vital member of the admissions team.

This award is given to a tour guide whose devotion to learning and the Westminster community exemplifies that same depth of passion, dedication, and interest in others: Auggie Jiranek ’27
 
The Gazenmuller-Buckey Award is given annually to the student who contributed the most to Admissions this year: Clover Cooper ’26
 
Outstanding Community Service Award: 
Outstanding Community Service Award is presented to the student who demonstrates extraordinary service and commitment to the Westminster community: Lauren Levinson ’26
 
The Horizons at Westminster Award:
The Horizons at Westminster Award for service: Hannah Maltby ’26

Brian T. Bruyette Award:
Brian T. Bruyette Award is voted on by varsity coaches and is given to the Sixth Form boy and girl who through their enthusiasm, sportsmanship, effort, and skills, represent all that is best in the school: Carson Craig and Maya Goddard
 
Academic Prizes

Academic Dean Betsy Heckman presented the following academic awards and prizes:
 
Edward Scull, Jr., Award for Excellence in Architecture: Frances Trafalet ’26
 
Cowing Art Award: Caroline Breslav ’26 and Delia Lockwood ’26
 
Gretchen Hupfel ’82 Art Prize: Alex Musser ’26
 
J. Lawrence Gilman Award for Achievement in Music and Participation in Musical Activities: Hayley Fineberg ’26 and Amara Graham ’26

Judi Tolomea Dance Award for Outstanding Contributions: Clara Covill ’26
 
Lewis J. Powers Photography Award: Emily Fonner ’26 and Ellery Reitzas ’26
 
Dramatic Award for Achievement in Theater: Hannah Maltby ’26

Dramatic Award for Service and Leadership: Kate Hui ’26
 
Brian Ford Writing Prize: Mya Polastry ’27
 
Critchell Rimington Creative Writing Award: Henry Warren ’26 and Sabrina Yang ’26
 
Gordon McKinley Award for Excellence in English: Sunshine Li ’26
 
Fifth Form History Essay Prize: Liesel Kocourek ’27
 
Robert Rodney History Prize: Blake Balavender ’29
 
Peter Briggs Prize for Excellence in Economics: John Dwyer ’26
 
Class of 1941 Peter Mars Memorial History Prize: Luna Yang ’26
 
Burdett Prize for Excellence in the study of French: Maya Tran ’27
 
Moncada Prize for Excellence in Spanish: Caroline Pokorny ’26
 
Kevin Kwok-Fun Chau ’79 Prize for Excellence in Chinese: Audry Khuu ’26
 
Richard P. Hopely Excellence in Latin Prize: Charlotte Jin ’27

 
Joyce Wilson Prize for Excellence in Mathematics: Jeff Shao ’26
 
Excellence in Biology: Lauren Levinson ’26
 
The Nancy Urner-Berry ’81 Prize for Excellence in Chemistry: Pippa Jiranek ’26

Excellence in Physics: Derek Liu ’29
 
Excellence in Science: John Dwyer ’26
 
Fifth Form Book Prizes
 
Dartmouth Alumni Club Book Award is presented to a student who has demonstrated outstanding academic and leadership qualities and whose high moral character, imagination, and concern for others has made a positive impact on the school community: Jesse Yang ’27
 
Harvard Book Prize is given to a Fifth Former who has achieved the highest level in our most challenging courses and who demonstrates intellectual curiosity, diligence, and love of learning in all subjects across the curriculum: Liesel Kocourek ’27
 
Trinity College Book Award is presented to Fifth Former who consistently performs at the highest academic level and whose impressive work ethic and dedication reflect a commitment to challenging oneself in all aspects of our program: Maya Tran ’27
 
Yale Book Award is presented a Fifth Former who demonstrates superb academic achievement in all subjects across the curriculum and whose intellectual curiosity and passion for learning serve as a model to the school community: Charlotte Jin ’27
 
Yearbook Dedication to Mitch Overbye P’05, ’09, H’19

Spectator editors Caroline Callen ’26, Chase Hager ’26, and Simon Stambaugh ’26 announced the 2026 yearbook dedication to retiring faculty member Mitch Overbye. In their announcement editors noted, “Mr. Overbye has always gone above and beyond to create a softball program where every player feels valued and
supported.” Beyond the playing fields, “Mr. and Mrs. Overbye have made Westminster their home, raising two children—Kelly ’05 and Andrew ’09—who have carried on their father’s legacy of excellence and kindness. Mr. Overbye, you are not just the best coach; you are a mentor, a role model, and a friend to all who know you. Your love, passion, and dedication will be celebrated for generations to come.”