A Memorable Prize Day Hall, Honoring The Year’s Award Winners
On June 4, the Class of 2021 took their rightful seats at the front of “Hall” for the first and last time this school year. Though the seats were on O’Keeffe Field, the stage was the festively adorned staircase outside of the IAF, and the traditional Prize Day Hall songs—Commemoration Hymn, Jerusalem, The Founder’s Song—reverberated not around the ceiling of Rousmaniere Hall, but into a pleasant, if overcast, sky. The annual Prize Day Hall—during which the students and faculty gather together for the final time—was the first and last in-person Hall of the school year. Though the setting was different, the impressive roster of prize-winners—honored for academic, athletic, artistic, and extracurricular achievements—earned their plaudits.
As Headmaster Kerry Brennan began, “For the first time since we met in that fateful Robotics hall in the Smith Theater on March 11, 2020, we are together—all of us. While not in the cozy confines of Rousmaniere Hall, here we are nonetheless, in this new beautiful place, O’Keeffe Field, eager to affirm our community. We have spent this year teaching and learning, competing and playing, striving and daring, succeeding and failing, growing and changing. Together we have made this school a great and good one, I’m bold to say, and there is much to celebrate.”
“Our purpose for gathering today is to recognize discernible excellence in all areas of school life—academic and extracurricular. In singling out certain prize winners, we are intending to affirm the highest standards of schoolboy endeavor. We do this even though we know that others in your seats may be more deserving of congratulations, for they have struggled mightily, come far, taken risks, and been honorable boys. To you goes the faculty’s admiration and congratulations.” While some of the major Class I awards were announced at the following day’s Closing Exercises, this year’s prize winners are as follows:
Major athletic awards to Class I:
Independent School League: Frankie Lonergan
Sportsmanship: Nolan McKenna
Scholar-Athlete: Thomas Gaziano
Best Athlete: Peter Frates
Varsity athletic awards to Class I:
Soccer: Byron Karlen
Lacrosse: Bobby O’Grady
Hockey: Bobby Luca
Tennis: Walker Oberg
Football: David D’Alessandro
Basketball: Javi Werner
Track & Field: Ben Brasher
Cross Country: Will Cote
Wrestling: Keaton Sahin
Baseball: Will Murphy
Major book awards to boys in Class II:
Holy Cross Book Award: Mark Henshon
Brown University Book Award: Colin Herbert
Dartmouth Book Award: Eli Bailit
Harvard Book Prize: Vishnu Emani
Academic awards:
The Joseph A. Sasserno French Deturs: Lucas Connors (V), Lucas Vander Elst (IV), Justin Shaw (III), George Madison (II), Thomas Gaziano (I)
Headmaster’s Spanish Deturs: Brendan Reichard (V), Aidan D’Alessandro (IV), Bobby Zabin (III), Eli Bailit (II), Ben Crawford (I)
The Isabel M. Fowler History Prizes: Drew Anderson (VI), Jack Tompros (IV), Carter Crowley (III), Malcolm Whitfield (II), Rohil Dhaliwal (I)
The Richard M. Whitney Science Deturs: Luca Bene (VI), Krish Muniappan (V), Akshay Kumar (III), Nick Raciti (II)
The N. Henry Black Science Detur: Jake Carroll (I)
The Donald L. Whittle Math Deturs: Avish Kumar (VI), Raj Saha (V), Theo Coben (IV), Akshay Kumar (III), Vishnu Emani (II)
The Islay F. McCormick Mathematics Prize: Daniel Sun-Friedman (I)
The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in English: Thomas Pogorelec (VI), Miles Baumal-Bardy (V), Eric Zhu (IV), Kevin Wang (III), Theo Teng (II), Ethan Phan (I)
The Trustees’ Greek Deturs: Owen Butler (III), Brodie Lee (II), Ben Brasher (I)
The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in Latin: Thomas Pogorelec (VI), Omar Rahman (V), Ryan Lin (IV), James McCurley (III), Vishnu Emani (II), Daniel Berk (I)
Extra-curricular awards:
Lower School Latin Declamation Prize: Benji Macharia (V)
Upper School Latin Declamation Prize: Vishnu Emani (II)
Greek Declamation Prize: James McCurley (III)
The Cameron A. Rylance Music Prize: Ben Chang-Holt (I)
The Ralph F.F. Brooks Art Prize: Miguel Rincon (I)
The Joan M. Regan Service Prize: José Flores (II)
The Class of 1976 Dramatics Prize: Ben Crawford (I)
The Gerhard Rehder Prize in International Relations: John Wilkinson (I)
The Albert W. Kelsey Debate Prize: Ethan Phan (I)
The Publications Award: Rohil Dhaliwal (I) and Max Hutter (I)