Students, Faculty and Parents Honored at Spring Awards Ceremony

Students, faculty and parents gathered under the commencement tent May 24 for the spring awards ceremony to acknowledge the achievements of members of the school family who excelled in different activities or contributed in significant ways during the spring term and the school year.

Headmaster Graham Cole welcomed everyone and congratulated members of the Class of 2008 and their parents and families. “Frankly, although the Sixth Form has occasionally felt that it has been an eternity, I can hardly believe how quickly the year has flown by and that graduation is now upon us. It seems like just yesterday that the Sixth Form was greeting our new students at the top of the Hill in September.”

He then cited a number of successes of the school year including the shattering of records in admissions and the beginning of construction on the new academic center.

“As a school, we can point to both individuals and groups who have brought distinction to us — student scholars, artists, athletes, teams and faculty members,” he added. “Over these next two days, we will be recognizing these talented and good people.”

Academic Awards

Director of Studies Greg Marco announced the following academic honors for Sixth Formers for the spring term:

Summus
Ellanor Shelby Brown, Jesus Salvador Gutiérrez, Cameron Girard Keady, Amy Haimi Lee, Sarah Anne Marco, Joseph Henry Putko,
Sarah Murr Shanfield, Marianne F. Specker, Zachary Loreto Visco

Superus
Khadija Ahmed, Diane Baker, Framroz Adil Bankwalla, Emma Nye Beck, Sarah Elizabeth Bingham, Jordan Thomas Bohinc, Julien Boutet, Leah Grace Brewer, Dorothy Harrison Brown, Lisa Ann Cavazuti, Kelly H. Cheng, Renzie David Chipman, Andrew Carson Christman, Jarrod Michael Connolly, Emily Austin Cranshaw, Thomas R. Cross, Jordan David Dewey,
Bethany Ann Dymarczyk, Natalie Marie Francis Hatchette, Jason Bradley Hesketh, Caitlin Elizabeth Hodson, Anne Ford Hoyt, Samuel Powers Jackson, Alison Aimee Kearney, Courtney Anne Kirsch, Conor Ward McGovern, Helena Jean Morris, Daley Elizabeth O’Herron, Jordan Leigh Ohanesian, Chinazo Ngozi Okpalanma, Elizabeth Raymond Pike, Andrew James Polio, Sara Margo Reid, Joo-Kyung Rhee, Michele Lynn Ribaudo, Louisa Jane Sanford, Abigail Chandler Seymour, Hannah McKeever Sharaf, Michael Vincent Sorrenti, Bailey Ford Spalding, Courtney Ellen Stafford, Corey Michael Starbuck, Christopher Matthew Suchy, Kathleen Alice Sullivan, William Morrison Waggaman, Zachary Brown Wigmore, Hejae Michelle Yoon, Lyndsey Ann Zavisza

Athletic Awards

Director of Athletics Dennis Daly began the spring athletic awards with the Berry Awards, named in honor of faculty member Richard P. “Scott” Berry, which recognize the player from each lower team who gave the best effort and demonstrated the best attitude throughout the season. Awardees included:
    
Second Baseball: Alex Gioia
Second Golf: Miller Robinson    
Second Boys' Lacrosse: Brian McQuillan
    Third Boys' Lacrosse: Joe Ascioti
    Second Girls' Lacrosse: Robyn MacDougall
    Third Girls' Lacrosse: Colette Kim
    Second Softball: Amanda Humphrey
    Second Boys' Tennis: Joe Putko
    Second Girls' Tennis: Whitney FitzPatrick
Third Boys’ Tennis: Ryan Smythe

He also announced the following First Team Awards:

First Baseball:
        Michelini Most Improved Player: Charlie Keegan
        Lea Most Valuable Player: Tommy Cross
Golf:
        Most Improved Golfer: Ollie Koo    
Most Valuable Golfer: Will Smith

First Boys' Lacrosse:
        Hovey Ground Ball Award: Eric Phillips
Class of 1981 Most Improved Player: Andrew Heinemann
        Hovey Most Valuable Player: Scott Morell

First Girls' Lacrosse:
        Ground Ball Award: Alie Philip
        Most Improved Player: Caroline Moran and Caroline Scott
Kurtz Most Valuable Player: Emily Walsh
    
First Softball:
        Most Improved Player: Robin Cotter
    Most Valuable Player: Brittany Sutton

First Boys’ Tennis:
Most Improved Player: Jake Lowenstein
Davenport Most Valuable Player: Mac Cahill

First Girls’ Tennis:
Most Improved Player: Daley O’Herron
Most Valuable Player: Elizabeth Melhado

Boys’ Track:
Most Improved Player: Colin McLaughlin
Scull Most Valuable Player: Luke Lamothe

Girls’ Track:
Most Improved Player: Kathryn Brady
Scull Most Valuable Player: K. D. Ahmed


The Stephen Harris Squibb Bowl Awards, which honor the athlete from each first team who demonstrated the greatest sportsmanship, consistent effort and inspired performance throughout the season, were given to:

Baseball: Bobby Fitzgerald
    Golf: James Einstein
    Boys’ Lacrosse: Brian Smith
    Girls’ Lacrosse: Liz Cole
    Softball: Nicole Palazzo
    Boys’ Tennis: Matt Betten
    Girls’ Tennis: Anna Boborodea
    Boys’ Track: Luke Lamothe
    Girls’ Track: Helena Morris

The spring Hopley-Jackson Award, which is presented to the Westminster lower team with the best season, was presented to Second Girls’ Lacrosse and accepted by coach Dana Chapin, and captains Emily Cranshaw and Robyn MacDougall.
            
The spring Houghton Award, which is given to the Westminster team with the best season, was presented to First Girls’ Softball and accepted by captains Bethany Demarczyk, Nicole Palazzo and Marianne Specker and coaches Mitch Overbye and Drew Tanzosh.

Spring first team captains then announced the 2008 spring captains as:

    Baseball: Charlie Keegan
    Boys’ Lacrosse: Kieran McDonald, Harry Radovich and Kirby Zdrill
    Girls’ Lacrosse: Caroline Scott, Emily Walsh and Liz Cole
    Golf: Will Smith
Softball: Avignon Green and Sara Ugalde
    Boys’ Tennis: Mac Cahill
    Girls’ Tennis: Izzy Melhado and Julia Simons
     Girls’ Track: Kathryn Brady
    Boys’ Track: Alex Martin

The Brian T. Bruyette Senior Athlete Award was presented to Tommy Cross, Bethany Dymarczyk and Nicole Palazzo.

Next, individuals were recognized for service and volunteerism and for accomplishments in other areas of school activity that warranted special praise.

Admissions

Director of Admission 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 Harrison Lee.

Performing Arts

In the performing arts, Theater Director Doug Lind presented the Frances Laurel Hopkins Award to Josh Zalinger. He also awarded Williams Hill Player status to Courtney Stafford and Josh Zalinger, who amassed an incredible 500 hours of work both on stage, back stage, on the sound board and the light board, in the shop, and in other various, important capacities involved in the production of dramatic presentations.

The newest members of Dramat, the student dramatic organization requiring 120 hours of service, were announced as: Michelle Yoon, Ashley Nott, Jaime Ferrari-McComb and Andrew Marco.

The Westminster School Dramat Presidents then announced the names of the presidents for the 2008/2009 school year as Andrew Overbye, Molly O’Connor, Josh Zalinger and Dylan Spevacek.

WALKS Essay

Betsy Tanzosh, head of the History Department, recognized Jae Kyung Ahn as this year’s finalist from Westminster whose essay about executive privilege went on to compete against the best from the other WALKS schools.

Barnes Award

Based on his extraordinary work on social service projects within Westminster and in the Greater Hartford area, Corey Starbuck was named Westminster’s winner of the Barnes Award.

Morehead-Cain Scholar Nominee

Josh Zalinger was nominated to compete for a Morehead-Cain Scholarship to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The scholarship ranks among the most respected merit scholarship programs in the nation and includes four years of full tuition at UNC, an outstanding summer enrichment program and an impressive array of opportunities and privileges at the university. Westminster selects one Fifth Former annually to compete for this scholarship.

Headmaster Awards

Finally, Headmaster Cole presented the Headmaster's Awards, which are given at the conclusion of each trimester to individuals in the Westminster community who have contributed to or enriched the life of the school in some special or significant way during the term, with particular emphasis on service, leadership and citizenship. The award comes in the form of a pin.

Bethany Dymarczyk, Nicole Palazzo and Marianne Specker received the award representing the remarkable accomplishments of the First Softball team, which had finished the season undefeated, won the Founders’ League for the second year in a row and a Western New England Championship. “In my humble view, this team ranks among Westminster’s very finest,” said Headmaster Cole.

Another athlete to receive the award was Luke Lamothe, who was honored for the distinction he brought to the school both on the Hill and at New Englands. He won the crown in two events, the javelin and the shot put, and finished second in the discus at New Englands. “Along the way, he broke a long-standing school record in the javelin and according to his coaches did an outstanding job as a captain of the track team,” added Headmaster Cole.

The next Headmaster’s Award went to Sean and Eunice Lee, parents of Amy Lee ’08 and Jeannie Lee ’09, for being “extraordinarily gracious to and supportive of Westminster School.” Headmaster Cole explained how the school’s Korean families have been so warmly hospitable and so kind to Westminster visitors to their country and so very loyal and committed to the school in so many ways. “These two wonderful people have helped to lead the way in strengthening the ties between our school and our Korean families and making us a better school,” he said.

Two members of the Alumni and Development Office, Maggie Pinney who serves as Director of Major Gifts and Debbie Ribaudo, who serves as Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, also received awards for going “the proverbial extra mile to pitch in to do what is necessary to get something done, in a phrase, to show ‘grit’ in difficult times.”

Similarly, two veteran faculty members Charlie Griffith and Peter Ulrich were honored for their service and help to the golf program over the spring of the last few years. Although they did not have an athletic commitment in the spring, they regularly drove to practices and matches and made it possible for the school to have a Second Golf team schedule.