Middle School Awards Ceremony Showcases Student Passion and Talent

On Friday, May 27 the Middle School held its annual end-of-the-year awards ceremony.

"The effort and passion that each student brings to school every day gives me so much joy," said the head of middle school, Theresa Hirschauer. "Our students are so talented, on the field, in the classroom, on stage, and as citizens in the community. I couldn't be more proud to be their leader." 

The awards and winners are as follows:

Charles F. Yeiser Scholar Award

The Charles F. Yeiser Scholar Award was established by Country Day School in 1977 to honor Mr. Charles F. Yeiser '39 in his retirement. Mr. Yeiser served the school for over three decades as a teacher, administrator, and, in his final six years, as Head of School. 

• Elena Gregorsok '28
• Ece Karakus '29
• Ava Lewis '26
• Andrea Sgro Plaut '27

5^th Grade High Honors

The following 5^th grade students earned high honors by earning a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher.

• Linden Batts
• Parker Beaudoin
• Ronan Bhati
• Zoe Cohen
• Bea Collett
• Audrey Fontenot
• Chloe Jurgensen
• Claire Jurgensen
• Ece Karakus
• Nathan Kellenberger
• Brooke Lindner
• Omar Mahmud
• Dominique Makasiar
• Kylie Smith
• Itish Singh
• Teagan Stahl
• Natalie Voors
• Delle Zamary

6^th Grade High Honors 

The following 6^th grade students earned high honors by earning a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher.

• Ray Chen
• Abby Clark
• Sophie Corwin
• Erin Crane
• Stella Duong
• Charli Fangman
• Elena Gregorsok
• Olivia Ims
• Rhea Shah
• Sashti Subramaniam

The William H. Hopple, Jr. Award 

The William H. Hopple, Jr. Award recognizes the 6^th Grade Class Scholars with the highest grade point averages. This award honors William H. Hopple Jr. '39, who devoted 41 years of service to Country Day.

• Ray Chen
• Sophie Corwin
• Charli Fangman
• Olivia Ims
• Rhea Shah

7^th Grade High Honors 

The following 7^th grade students earned high honors by earning a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher.

• Ellie Albers
• Clayton Blust
• Ezra Cohen
• Emily Connolly
• Audrey de Alarcon
• Nicholas Freitas
• Aanya Gangam
• Henry Hoelle
• Gertrude Lazarus
• Nate Makasiar
• Omika Monga
• Aarnav Narayanan
• Evelyn Ni
• Ria Patel
• Leah Schwartz
• Andrea Sgro Plaut
• Max Sun
• Ryann Tennyson
• Thea Vaughan
• Minna Vens
• Roxy Vollmer
• Matthew Wood
• Sally Zamary

The Bobby Pogue Prize 

The Bobby Pogue Prize recognizes the 7th Grade Class Scholars with the highest grade point averages. The prize is given in memory of Bobby Pogue, a former student who attended CCDS from 1935 to 1941. As an active church-going 18-year-old, Bobby Pogue gave his life in defense of our country in World War II.

• Clayton Blust
• Ezra Cohen
• Emily Connolly
• Audrey de Alarcon
• Nicholas Freitas
• Henry Hoelle
• Gertrude Lazarus
• Ria Patel
• Max Sun
• Thea Vaughan
• Minna Vens
• Roxy Vollmer
• Matthew Wood

8^th Grade High Honors

The following 8^th grade students have earned high honors by earning a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher.

• Jack Albers
• Ryaan Arif
• Lauren Baker
• Yvannia Buten
• Ayla Daoud
• Cece Hensley
• Ankush Jetty
• Bee Kohler
• Kate Kranias
• Ava Lewis
• Sophie Parlin
• Rowdy Scheer
• Shiva Shyam
• Kier Smith
• Jason Starodub
• Alex Thompson
• Iris Weizer

The Herbert Snyder Award 

The Herbert Snyder Award recognizes the 8^th Grade Class Scholars with the highest grade point averages. The award is given in memory of Mr. Snyder, the Second Head of the School from 1929 to 1941.

• Ryaan Arif
• Lauren Baker
• Kate Kranias
• Ava Lewis
• Sophie Parlin
• Kier Smith
• Jason Starodub
• Iris Weizer

The National French Contest 

The National French Contest is a French event in the form of a 60-minute national test. It is designed, written, financed, and disseminated by the members of the American Association of Teachers of French. Its purpose is to help stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of French, and to help identify and reward student achievement. Over 150,000 students participated in the online version of the exam.

 Bronze medal winners:

• Caroline Connelly '26
• Katherine Connelly '26
• Emily Connolly '27
• Claire Donovan '27
• Thea Vaughan '27

Silver medal winners:

• Clayton Blust '27
• Minna Vens '27

Gold medal winners:

• Gertrude Lazarus '27
• Evelyn Ni '28
• Andrea Sgro Plaut '27

National bronze medal winner:

• Rowdy Scheer '26 

National silver medal winners:

• Briana Molloy '26
• Shiva Shyam '26
• Iris Weizer '26
• Ali Zimmerman '26

National gold medal winner:

• Sophie Parlin '26 

The National Spanish Exam

The National Spanish Examination recognizes student achievement in the proficiency of the Spanish language. 

Bronze medal winner

• Ria Patel '27

Silver medal winner:

• Kate Kranias '26
• Kier Smith '26
• Jason Starodub '26 
• Matthew Wood '27

The 8th Grade Chinese Award

The 8th grade Chinese language award is given to a student who is passionate about and dedicated to the study of Chinese language and culture.

• Samantha Wu 

The 8th Grade Fine Arts Awards

The 8th grade fine arts awards are given to those who have demonstrated leadership, creativity, and passion in our visual, performing, or technical theater arts programs.

• Erica Peterson – visual arts                 
• Joey Mieher – performing arts
• John Mullins – technical theater

Athlete of the Year Award

The Athlete of the Year Award is awarded to one male and one female in 7th and 8th grade who have made significant contributions to the Middle School sports programs.

7^th grade winners:

• Henry Hoelle 
• Thea Vaughan

8^th grade winners:

• Nia Irby
•  Brandon Proffitt

Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award 

The Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award is awarded to 8^th grade athletes who show virtue in action on the fields, pool, and courts. Award winners are nominated and voted on by CCDS coaches.

• Mick Gammon '26
• Kate Kranias '26
• Ava Lewis '26

The Ramsey Runyon Wright Award

The Ramsey Runyon Wright Award is named for Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wright’s son, Ramsey, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Ramsey attended Cincinnati Country Day from Montessori until he died as a middle school student. He was a very special person with an unbelievable sense of humor. He was a great writer and avid reader. He had a love of life and brought much joy to others.

Mr. Wright was always creative about the form in which the award took from year to year. It consists of a cash prize. One year, the money was tossed into a salad complete with lettuce and tomatoes. Another year the cash was pennies in a shoebox. The prize has also been presented as change in an old black sock. The previous year’s recipient is now responsible for the form the award takes the following year.

The award goes to the 8^th grade student who most exemplifies the humor and creativity of Ramsay Runyon Wright. The previous year's winner, Bryce Snell '25 presented William Lothmann '26 with the award wrapped in toilet paper. 

The Gilmore Award

The Gilmore award is given each year to an 8th grade student who demonstrates an appreciation of the absurd and the ability to laugh at themself, who strives to be the best they can be, and above all, cares deeply for others. 

For twenty-six years Park Gilmore served as an 8th grade U.S. history and english teacher, and coached football, basketball, and baseball. He consistently worked to bring out the best in his students, both in and out of the classroom. The award recipient is nominated and selected by the 8th grade faculty. This year's recipient is Joey Mieher.

The Dr. Charles F. Clark Character Award

The Dr. Charles F. Clark Character Award recognizes one student in each grade who most exemplifies the Country Day code of conduct. The Dr. Charles F. Clark Character Award recognizes the middle school student in each grade who has demonstrated the following: respect for the dignity of each individual, kindness toward others, honesty, compassion, intellectual curiosity, concern for the environment, and courage to do the right thing. 

• Alahassan Bah '29
• Olivia Ims '28
• Minna Vens '27
• Ali Zimmerman '26

The Richard O. Schwab Middle School Award

The Richard O. Schwab Middle School Award is the Middle School’s highest award. Richard O. Schwab '67 served as Middle School Head for twenty years. This award recognizes the two students in each grade who exemplify the following qualities: positive attitude, dedication to schoolwork and school activities, leadership, respect for others, and kindness to everyone. 

• Parker Beaudoin '29
• Ray Chen '28
• Charli Fangman '28
• Cece Hensley '26
• Brooke Lindner '29
• Shiva Shyam '26
• Max Sun '27
• Sally Zamary '27

 

For pictures from the ceremony, click here.  For a complete list of the honor roll students, click here.  For a complete list of award recipients, click here.