An atmosphere of excitement filled the Assembly Hall in Gordon Parks Arts Hall on June 2 as students and faculty gathered to celebrate the graduating Senior Class and outstanding members of the community at the Student Awards assembly, held in-person for the first time since 2019.
“I think we all need to feel connected, especially after we were so disconnected,” said Dean of Students Ana Campos, “and I think this assembly is a really lovely way to be together again.”
Students received awards recognizing citizenship, generosity and remarkable work as their peers congratulated them with roaring and enthusiastic applause. Academic department awards were also included in the program.
The award ceremony featured performances from two students and an opening speech from principal Paul Beekemeyer.
The recipients of many of the awards were determined by faculty and department committees.
For clubs, the new L.A.B. award, which stands for leadership, action and belonging, recognized the standout student club contributions throughout the year. Other groups, such as athletic and academic teams, were also honored for their work.
The only student-selected award, the Phoenix Award, which recognizes a student from each class for their thoughtful contributions and kindness, concluded the assembly. Students nominated their peers in May, and Student Council determined the recipient in a blind vote based on the descriptions listed in the submission.
Senior Malcolm Taylor was the Senior Class recipient of the Phoenix Award.
“I just wasn’t expecting it at all,” Malcolm said. “I’m glad that I was able to demonstrate the values of the Phoenix award and its meaning.”
Awards presented at the assembly are below.

Brent Cawelti Award in honor of the late U-Higher, recognizing seniors who have made considerable progress during their high school years, been academically strong, and participated in co-curricular activities or sports: Colin Leslie and Will Maharry
Alan Stern Award in honor of the late alumnus to seniors in the creative arts: Inga Domenick and Malcolm Taylor
Citizenship Awards:
9th grade: Krish Khanna and Sophia Shimanska
10th grade: Brandon Chang, Santana Romero and Willow Stern
11th grade: Louis Auxenfans, Fermi Boonstra, Camille Bryant and Juan Chaides
12th grade: Natalie Hulquist, Tech Nix, Malcolm Taylor and Will Trone
Senior Service Awards: Ava Eggener and Brent Pennington
L.A.B Awards: ArtsFest, Asian Students’ Association, Black Students’ Association, Eye to Eye, Finance Club, Girl Up, Latinos Unidos, Muslim Students’ Association, Social Justice Week Committee, Students with Disabilities Association, Young Women of Color
Bill Zarvis Award: Emma Baker, Ryan Duncan, Jonathan Liu, Emilee Pak, Zoe Morton, Carly Penn, Sid Shah, Zach Smith, James Sowerby, Will Trone
The James Wherry-Willis Award: Lilly Coe
William “Doc” Monilaw Medalists: Zachary Gin, Meena Lee, Colin Leslie and Amanda O’Donnell
David Scheunemann Award in honor of the late alumnus to a junior with outstanding accomplishments in music, literature and science, and with diverse interests: Juan Chaides
Faith Dremmer Award in honor of the late U-Higher to a student who manifests her many personal and academic qualities: Maya Mubayi
Phoenix Awards:
9th grade: Allison Li
10th grade: Kiran Collins
11th grade: Maya El Shamsy
12th grade: Malcolm Taylor