Prize Day 2025: Honoring Excellence, Character, and Community
The Rivers community came together on Thursday, May 22, for the annual Prize Day ceremony, a tradition honoring excellence, integrity, service, and spirit. A deluge of rain and chilly temperatures brought the planned outdoor ceremony indoors to Benson Gymnasium, but the change of venue did little to dampen the celebratory spirit of those gathered to cheer and applaud the well-deserved accomplishments of students and professional community members alike.
Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem opened the ceremony with a message of gratitude: “As we recognize and celebrate these individuals, we also want to acknowledge all of our students and professional community members who, collectively, shape Rivers into the outstanding school it is today. I want to thank and congratulate each and every one of you for your remarkable contributions, for which I am extremely grateful.”
The ceremony began with the recognition of those faculty and staff having completed 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 years, 30, and 35 years of service at Rivers. The presentation of several awards recognizing faculty and staff followed, each met with rousing applause. The Bergen-Decker Award went to Katy Palmer, accounts payable coordinator. The Mida van Zuylen Dunn Award for Teaching was given to Mike Girard and Mallory Rome. Sarah Cohen P’25, ’26, was recognized with the Excellence with Humanity Award, and Juliet Bailey received the William F. Gallagher Teaching Chair.
Following awards for the professional community, prizes for students were announced. The Faculty Prize, Rivers’ highest honor, went to Cailyn Kim ’25. Dahlem stated that “faculty describe her as ‘once-in-a-career’ in terms of her curiosity, vision, acumen, and ability to synthesize knowledge well beyond understanding and mastery. We’re in awe of her drive, compassion, intellect, and the many ways she’s shaped our school.”
Other prizes for seniors were also announced. Teddy Foley ’25 and Andrew Ho ’25 received the Dudley H. Willis Trustee Prize, awarded to the senior or seniors distinguished in their pursuit of excellence, integrity, contributions to the school, and the respect accorded to them by the Rivers community. The Jeremiah J. Sheehan Prize, which recognizes a student who demonstrates “gentility, kindness, and all-around good sportsmanship,” went to Grace O'Sullivan ’25. And the Hooper Lawrence Memorial Prize, given each year to a student with “a cheerful disposition, an unselfish nature, and a kind heart,” was awarded to Leah Jin ’25.
The F. Ervin Prince Award recognizes top Middle School students; this year’s recipient was Danique O'Mensah ’29.
Top honors in athletics went to Ryan Altman ’25, who received the James A. Navoni Athletic Prize, and Lindsay Morin ’25, recipient of the Priscilla Wallace Strauss Athletic Prize. Fina Applegate ’25 and Charlie Holmes ’25 won the Independent School League Award of Excellence, and the Senior Award for Exceptional Dedication to Athletics went to Fina Applegate ’25, Morgan Boyce ’25, Gavin Hill ’25, Lindsay Morin ’25, Izzy O'Brien ’25, Reagan Whitaker ’25, and Alex Young ’25.
Honors in musical achievements went to Adalia Wen ’25 and Jake Winneg ’25, who received the Classical Music Prize; Jacob Decker ’25, Judson Hally ’25, Dylan Herlihy ’25, and Jason Richardson-Miles ’25, who received the David Killam Instrumental Music Prize; and Sarah DuBard ’25 and Ceci Giebutowski ’25, who received the Nonesuch Players Prize.
Henry Goldstein ’26 was awarded the Harvard Club Prize; Esme Asaad ’26 received the Thomas P. Olverson Prize; Katherine Shaw ’26 received the Brown University Alumni Book Award; Joyce Do ’25 and Kayla Thugi ’25 earned the Community Engagement Prize; Audrey Wang ’27 was awarded the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Faculty Prize; and Joy Robinson ’28 and Charlie Tandon ’28 received the Kenneth F. Benjamin ’50 Citizenship Award.
Departmental honors were also awarded to graduating seniors:
- The Robert W. Rivers Prize for English: Joyce Do ’25
- The Mathematics Prize: Mairin Anderson ’25
- The Science Prize: Taylor Hauff ’25, Matt Papas ’25, Chelsea Yan ’25
- The George Woodbridge ’24 History Prize: Alexandra Correia ’25
- The Interdisciplinary Studies Prize: Chelsea Yan ’25
- The Otto Alcaide Language Prize for Spanish: Lily Shah ’25, Jackson Vignati ’25
- The Otto Alcaide Language Prize for French: Alexandra Correia ’25, Will Irving ’25
- The Austin A. Chute Memorial Prize: Daniel Connelly ’25, Adalia Wen ’25
- The Modern Language Prize for Mandarin Chinese: Jacob Decker ’25, Dylan Herlihy ’25
- The Three-Dimensional Arts Prize (Ceramics): Lilly Liebhoff ’25
- The Two-Dimensional Arts Prize: Cailyn Kim ’25, Alexander Kyner ’25
Several members of the graduating class were elected to the Cum Laude Society: Mairin Anderson, Serafina Applegate, Alexandra Correia, Jacob Decker, Joyce Do, Sarah DuBard, Spencer Gary, Taylor Hauff, Andrew Ho, Leah Jin, Cailyn Kim, Elizabeth Lapides, Pepper Taylor, Adalia Wen, Chelsea Yan, Alexander Young, and Mulan Zhang. These students are chosen for their academic performance, coursework, and demonstrated intellectual curiosity.
As the school year draws to a close, Prize Day offers a meaningful moment to reflect on all that has been accomplished, individually and collectively. The event serves not only as a recognition of achievement but as a celebration of community, character, and the enduring spirit of Rivers.
View a SmugMug gallery of photos from the event.
View a SmugMug gallery of photos from the event.
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