Rivers Celebrates Annual Prize Day
Rivers’ annual Prize Day ceremony was held Friday, June 8, honoring students for their achievements in academics, the arts, and community service, and for personal character. Several faculty and staff members were also recognized for their service and contributions to the Rivers community. Among the prize recipients was Joseph G. Nedder ’18, who won the prestigious Faculty Prize, awarded annually to the senior who “best exemplifies the school’s traditions of industry, responsibility, and loyalty.”
Three seniors— Emma G. Chowdhury’18, Noah J. Harrison ’18, Benjamin C. Joiner ’18—received the Dudley Willis Trustee Prize, given to those seniors who “have distinguished themselves by virtue of their pursuit of excellence, integrity, contributions to the school, and the respect accorded to them by the Rivers community.”
Emily R. Smith ’18 was the recipient of the Jeremiah J. Sheehan Memorial Prize, awarded “to the student in the graduating class who has shown that he or she follows in the footsteps of Jeremiah J. Sheehan, a former beloved member of the Rivers faculty, in his gentility, kindness, and all-around good sportsmanship.”
Timothy J. Lapsley ’18 received the Hooper Lawrence Memorial Prize, awarded “for those qualities which contribute so much to the happiness of other people: a cheerful disposition, an unselfish nature, and a kind heart.”
Keira R. Thompson ’22 received the F. Ervin Prince Prize, given “to the middle school student who best embodies the qualities of Erv Prince: a gentle, unassuming character, friendly sense of humor, integrity, inherent consideration for others, and, above all, passion for teaching and sports.”
The following Upper School awards were also presented: the Harvard Club Prize to Michael Manasseh’19, the Thomas Olverson Prize to Hunter A. Taylor-Black ’19, the Williams College Book Award to Callie S. Kamanitz ’19, the Brown University Alumni Book Award to Anna Donlan ’19, the Columbia Book Award for Community Engagement to Chrismary Gonzalez ’18 and Louise C. Ambler ’18, and the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Faculty Prize to Apsara R. Balamurugan ’20.
Margaret C. Leeming ’21 and Adebiyi O. Oyaronbi ’21 earned the Kenneth F. Benjamin ’50 Citizenship Award, given in memory of Ken Benjamin, a member of Rivers’ Class of 1950, a Rivers parent, grandparent, and Life Trustee, to “those students in Grade 9 who, like Mr. Benjamin, lead by example, give selflessly to others, and embody The Rivers School’s Core Values.”
Also presented to members of the graduating class were a number of academic awards:
The Robert W. Rivers Prize for English—Phie G. Jacobs
The Mathematics Prize— Lindsay B. Bogar and Aidan P. McAnena
The Science Prize—Emma G. Chowdhury and Aidan P. McAnena
The George Woodbridge History Prize— Louise C. Ambler
The Interdisciplinary Studies Prize—Alexander L. Klein
The Otto Alcaide Language Prize for Spanish—Emma S. DuBois
The Otto Alcaide Language Prize for French— Isabel A. Hardy
The Austin A. Chute Memorial Prize—Julia W. Holton and Maya Z. Wasserman
The Modern Language Prize for Chinese— Julia M. Homa
The Three-Dimensional Arts Prize (Ceramics)—Emily R. Smith
The Two-Dimensional Arts Prize—Joelle R. Mentis
The Photography Prize—Alexander L. Klein
The Choral Music Prize—Michaela M. Francesconi and Isabel A. Hardy
The David Killam Instrumental Music Prize—Joseph G. Nedder
The Nonesuch Players Prize—Dominique E. Marshall
Elected to membership in the national Cum Laude Society were 12 seniors: Louise C. Ambler, Lindsay B. Bogar, Emma G. Chowdhury, Alexa M. Cornetta, Kasey M. Cunningham, Julia W. Holton, Julia M. Homa, Phie G. Jacobs, Alexander L. Klein, Nina G. Knight, Aidan P. McAnena, and Maya Z. Wasserman.
Also presented were several athletic awards, including the prestigious Priscilla Wallace Strauss Athletic Prize to Isabel G. Silvia and the coveted James A. Navoni Athletic Prize to William T. Shea. The Independent School League Award for Excellence was presented to Kasey M. Cunningham and Thomas G. Benjes. The Senior Awards for Exceptional Dedication to Athletics, given in memory of Matthew S. Epstein ’89 to three-season senior athletes, went to Kasey M. Cunningham, Meghan C. Gazard and Isabel G. Silvia.
Faculty and staff were honored at Prize Day for their years of service and also with a number of awards. The Excellence with Humanity Award was given to Science Department Chair Maureen Courtney. Math teacher Leslie Fraser became a member of the Berwind Circle of Teachers. The Mida Van Zuylen Dunn Awards for Teaching were presented to physics teacher Yoshi Fujita and English teacher Katie Henderson. Assistant Director of the Rivers School Conservatory Lindsey Robb received the Bergen-Decker Award.
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Rivers admits academically qualified students and does not discriminate against students or families on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or ethnic or national origin in the administration of its educational programs, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic programs, and other school-administered programs.