Congratulations to our 2018 Academic Award Recipients
The Harvard Prize Book is awarded to the outstanding student in the next to the graduating class who “displays excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievement in other fields.” The winners of this award, through their intelligence and variety of achievement, exemplify Harvard’s concern for excellence. This year’s Harvard Book Prize goes to Caroline Fiore.
The Princeton Book Award is presented to the junior of high academic standing and unusual excellence in extracurricular and personal qualities. This year’s Princeton Book Award goes to Nicole Roach.
The Randolph-Macon College Leadership Award is presented to a junior who best exemplifies the qualities of character, leadership and academic excellence within their community and school. It reflects the basic principles underlying the Randolph-Macon educational philosophy: that our liberal arts mission should foster the development of the whole person. The recipient of this award has exhibited leadership within his community. I am pleased to present the Randolph-Macon College Book Award to Colleen Daly.
The Rensselaer Medal-Awarded to a junior, who demonstrates the potential for success in a rigorous academic setting, excels in advanced math and science courses and exhibits well-rounded interest and involvement in extracurricular activities. This award goes to Ashley Kim.
The Rhodes College Book Award is presented to a tenth grader that has demonstrated exemplary community service. Community service coupled with a commitment to leadership and helping others is one of the cornerstones of the Rhodes philosophy. The Rhodes Book Award goes to Emma Benjamin.
The Rhode Island School of Design Book Award is presented to graduating seniors who are outstanding in the visual arts. The Book Award goes to Logan Stouse.
The Tulane University Focus Louisiana Book Award recognizes high school juniors in our home state who have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement, leadership, and public service. The Tulane Book Award goes to Logan Landry.
The University of Pennsylvania Book Award is presented to a high school junior who best exemplifies the qualities and characteristics of Benjamin Franklin – a scholar, innovator, and one who serves the community. This year’s book award goes to Katie Davidson.
The University of the South or Sewanee Book Award is given to a junior who shows excellence in writing and notable potential for future success as a writer. This student should have demonstrated leadership and willingness to assume responsibility for leadership roles within the school community. The Book Award goes to Caroline Fiore.
The Dartmouth College Book Award is presented to a junior of high academic standing who has demonstrated strong character, has made a positive contribution to the school community and has excelled in at least one non-academic area. The Dartmouth College Book Award goes to Beverly Caplan.
The Vanderbilt University Book Award goes to the junior who has shown academic excellence combined with extra-curricular involvement and leadership. The Vanderbilt award goes to Caroline Conwill.
The Williams College Book Award is given to a junior of high academic standing who has demonstrated intellectual leadership and has made a significant contribution to the extracurricular life of the school. The Williams College Book Award goes to Kate Goodwin.
The Yale University Book Award is presented to a junior who exhibits outstanding intellectual promise as well as proven involvement in the extracurricular activities of the school community. It is the fervent hope of Yale that this student will strive to recognize the pursuit of knowledge as a means for personal growth and integrity rather than for personal aggrandizement and prestige. The Yale University Book Award goes to Ashley Kim.
The Brandeis Book Award is presented to a junior of high academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to civic engagement, community service, political activism, social justice, or volunteer work. This year’s Brandeis Book Award goes to Katie Davidson.
The Washington and Lee Book Award is presented to a junior who has exemplified the qualities of personal integrity and strength of character, academic excellence, and significant involvement in extracurricular activities. The Washington and Lee Book Award goes to Ansley Schwing.
The St. Lawrence University Book Award honors a high school junior who has displayed a significant commitment to community service. The St. Lawrence University Book Award goes to James Lacoste.
Frederick Douglass & Susan B. Anthony Award was named in honor of two most significant pioneers of social justice and recognizes your commitment to understanding and addressing difficult social issues. The award goes to Edrica Thomas.
Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award recognizes outstanding achievement and superior intellectual promise in the field of science. The award goes to Michael Culicchia.
George Eastman Young Leaders Award recognizes outstanding academic achievement and leadership. The award goes to Christian Becnel.
The Xerox Award is presented to a student in recognition of outstanding achievement in the pursuit of innovative approaches and an appreciation for the possibilities of technology. The award goes to Scott Freeman.
The Stephen T. Victory award was created to recognize and honor those students who have committed themselves both academically and athletically to the philosophy of Country Day. The criteria for the award is any senior who participated in two (2) sports in separate seasons during his or her freshman and sophomore years, who lettered in two (2) sports in separate seasons during his or her junior and senior year, and who has a cumulative rank in the top 20% of his or her class at the end of the first semester of their senior year. These student’s names will be displayed on a plaque located in the lobby of the Reily Recreation Center. My siblings Steve Victory, Lane Victory Mosby, Derek Victory, and I are happy to present this year’s Stephen T. Victory Award to Reece Koppel, Sydney Lee, and Brice Berger
U.S. Army Reserve Scholar/Athlete Award - Alex Smith and Robert Florence
Literary Rally Awards
Spanish Awards - The Sociedad Española awards the José Luis Baños Award for Excellence in the study of the Spanish Language to Caroline Fiore.
French Awards -
Based on academic excellence and an exceptional commitment to the study of French, The American Association of Teachers of French would like to honor with a gold medal and certificate Everett Heebe for the Outstanding Senior in French Award.
The Council of French Societies of New Orleans sponsors a French Oratory Contest each year. Students from all over the New Orleans area compete in this speaking contest. This year Country Day had several winners:
At the French 3 level, Anna Cutrone placed 3rd
At the AP level, Ashley Kim placed 2nd, Nicole Roach placed 1st
The American Association of Teachers of French sponsors the only nationally recognized French exam each year, Le Grand Concours. This exam is particularly challenging, because it involves listening, reading and writing, and over 100,000 students a year take the exam, including native speakers, French immersion students, and most students from the top public and private schools in the country. We just received this year’s results by email Friday so there are no certificates to be distributed yet, but we would like the following students to come up to the stage to get their pictures taken:
Music Awards
Cum Laude Members - The Cum Laude Society, the high school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, is a national organization founded in 1906. Its primary goal is to recognize and honor superior scholastic achievement. Congratulations to this year's Cum Laude Society members: Lucy Butterbaugh, Munnawn Gill, Camille Shall, Logan Stouse, Conor Taliancich, Beverly Caplan, Katie Davidson, Caroline Fiore, Kate Goodwin, Ashley Kim, Nicole Roach, Lauren Gehman (faculty), and Matt Neely (faculty).
University of Rochester Awards - Coming soon!
The Stephen T. Victory award was created to recognize and honor those students who have committed themselves both academically and athletically to the philosophy of Country Day. The criteria for the award is any senior who participated in two (2) sports in separate seasons during his or her freshman and sophomore years, who lettered in two (2) sports in separate seasons during his or her junior and senior year, and who has a cumulative rank in the top 20% of his or her class at the end of the first semester of their senior year. These student’s names will be displayed on a plaque located in the lobby of the Reily Recreation Center. My siblings Steve Victory, Lane Victory Mosby, Derek Victory, and I are happy to present this year’s Stephen T. Victory Award to Reece Koppel, Sydney Lee, and Brice Berger
LHSAA All-Academic Composite Award - The LHSAA All-Academic Award Program recognizes the academic excellence of senior student-athletes. To earn Composite Team honors, a student-athletes six-semester GPA must have an un-weighted 4.00. The Composite Team recognizes the top student-athletes from all classifications. We are proud to present this award to Reese Koppel. Reese competed and received honors for the sports of Soccer, Golf and Tennis.
Chevron High School Scholar-Athlete Award - In support of local student-athletes pursuing high education, Chevron sponsors the High School Scholar-Athlete of the Week Award that recognizes a male and female high school senior from the Greater New Orleans area. The recipients were recognized at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club luncheon in November. Please help me congratulate Kenadi Maupin for receiving this award.
Allstate Sugar Bowl Award - The Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame held its 2018 Awards Luncheon earlier this month. Thirty-five local high school football players were recognized for their achievements in the classroom and on the football field. The honorees were chosen from a group of nominated scholar athletes from the New Orleans area. Congratulations to Cody Campbell for being honored.
Literary Rally Awards
On February 24th, Country Day students traveled to Southeastern Louisiana University to compete in the Southeast Louisiana District Literary Rally. Our students competed in events covering the sciences, mathematics, social studies, English, French, Spanish, and Computer Science. Today I will recognize 21 students whose performance at the District Rally qualified them to advance to the State Rally competition, which took place last Saturday at LSU. The results of the state competition will be available next month. Of the 21 students who qualified for the State Rally, ten placed first in their division, earning them an additional Scholastic Achievement Award from Southeastern Louisiana University. Please join me in recognizing the following students: Coming soon!
Spanish Awards - The Sociedad Española awards the José Luis Baños Award for Excellence in the study of the Spanish Language to Caroline Fiore.
French Awards -
Based on academic excellence and an exceptional commitment to the study of French, The American Association of Teachers of French would like to honor with a gold medal and certificate Everett Heebe for the Outstanding Senior in French Award.
The Council of French Societies of New Orleans sponsors a French Oratory Contest each year. Students from all over the New Orleans area compete in this speaking contest. This year Country Day had several winners:
At the French 3 level, Anna Cutrone placed 3rd
At the AP level, Ashley Kim placed 2nd, Nicole Roach placed 1st
The American Association of Teachers of French sponsors the only nationally recognized French exam each year, Le Grand Concours. This exam is particularly challenging, because it involves listening, reading and writing, and over 100,000 students a year take the exam, including native speakers, French immersion students, and most students from the top public and private schools in the country. We just received this year’s results by email Friday so there are no certificates to be distributed yet, but we would like the following students to come up to the stage to get their pictures taken:
Congratulations to our silver winners who scored in the top 85-95%:
Aliya Eissa, Julianna Holley, Matthew McCelvey, Emma Morton, Lauren Perlis, and Ethan Powell, Anna Cutrone, Katie Hennessey, Tabany Rock, and Ashley Kim
And our gold winners this year, who are in the top 95% are:
Susan Swanson, Virginia Vaughn, Logan Landry, Nicole Roach
Music Awards
Two Country Day Students were selected for the Loyola Invitational Concert Band. As members of this ensemble, they rehearsed with the Loyola Wind Ensemble this past November under the direction of the Loyola Director of Bands, Dr. Serena Weren, as well as Colonel John Bourgeois, retired conductor of the President’s Own Marine Corps band and Artist Emeritus at Loyola University. Please help me recognize clarinet player, Samuel Murray, and flute player, Caroline Berger, for being selected for this ensemble.
Two Country Day violinists were selected for the Louisiana All-State Orchestra, which rehearsed and performed together this past November in Baton Rouge. Freshman Virginia Vaughan made her debut with the orchestra and senior Munnawn Gill made his fourth straight appearance with this elite group of musicians.
In addition, Munnawn earned the special distinction of Academic All-State for maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 or higher and he will receive a certificate and a medal in recognition of this honor.
The Woody Herman Jazz Award is presented by The Instrumentalist Magazine to recognize an outstanding jazz musician. This year, the Woody Herman award goes to tenor saxophonist, Reese Koppel.
The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award was inaugurated in 1974 with the consent of his widow shortly after this great jazz artist died in 1971 and is presented in recognition of outstanding achievements in the field of jazz as demonstrated through superior musicianship, character, and individual creativity. The 2018 Louis Armstrong Jazz Award is presented to Julian Rodriguez-Fierro.
The John Philip Sousa Award was created with the cooperation of Helen Sousa Albert and Priscilla Sousa, daughters of the famous composer and bandmaster. It is presented in recognition of outstanding achievement and interest in instrumental music, for singular merit in loyalty and cooperation, and for displaying those high qualities of conduct that instrumental music requires. The 2017 recipient of the John Philip Sousa Award is Samuel Murray.
The National School Orchestra Award is presented in recognition of singular merit and outstanding contributions to the success of the school orchestra, for displaying an unusual degree of loyalty and cooperation, and for exemplifying the high standard of conduct and musicianship that is the aim of the orchestra program. The 2017 recipient of the National School Orchestra Award is Munnawn Gill.
Cum Laude Members - The Cum Laude Society, the high school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, is a national organization founded in 1906. Its primary goal is to recognize and honor superior scholastic achievement. Congratulations to this year's Cum Laude Society members: Lucy Butterbaugh, Munnawn Gill, Camille Shall, Logan Stouse, Conor Taliancich, Beverly Caplan, Katie Davidson, Caroline Fiore, Kate Goodwin, Ashley Kim, Nicole Roach, Lauren Gehman (faculty), and Matt Neely (faculty).
University of Rochester Awards - Coming soon!
Michael P. Smith was a legendary photographer and a member of the Country Day Class of 1955. He was praised by the Times-Picayune as "a photographer who spent three decades capturing vivid, vibrant images at jazz funerals, Mardi Gras Indian ceremonies and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival . . . A man of boundless energy who devoted himself to the culture he chronicled, Mr. Smith seemed to be everywhere at whatever event he was shooting. Fellow photographers joked that every good Jazzfest picture they took included the back of Mr. Smith's head." Stephen Maklansky, a former curator of photography at the New Orleans Museum of Art said, "I don't think there's another photographer who has more sensitively documented very significant aspects of the second half of 20th century New Orleans culture."
To honor his contributions to the fields of the Arts and Humanities and to inspire a new generation of Country Day students, his classmates established the Michael P. Smith 1955 Award in the Arts and Humanities. This award will be granted on an annual basis to a Country Day senior who has distinguished himself or herself in both the arts and the humanities. This year the award goes to Everett Heebe.
National Merit Program Awards -
Finalist: Reese Koppel, Darby Le, Logan Stouse, Conor Taliancich
Semifinalists - John Wisdom
Commended Scholar: Spencer Chunn
300 Park Road, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 837-5204
Established in 1929, Metairie Park Country Day School is a coed private school for New Orleans area students in early childhood through Grade 12. From the elementary grades through upper school, the care and cultivation of each child comes to life in our exciting academic program, creative arts, and competitive athletic offerings.
Country Day accepts qualified students without regard to race, color, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin.
