May 25, 2013
During the 48th Commencement Exercises the following awards were bestowed to students. Head of the Upper School, Ms. Linda Harris, introduced each of these honors.
Longevity Awards
The longevity awards are given to those who entered CSS either in PreK or Kindergarten. These students have been important members of our community from start to finish. To present the awards this year were former preschool and Kindergarten teachers, Michelle (Williams) Gates and Suzi Mahoney. The Class of 2013 had four students who received the longevity award – MICHAEL ANDREWS, ROBYN COVNOT, NICHOLAS GARDINER, and KELSEY MOYES.
Highest Academic Achievement
“Each year we recognize the student who has the highest grade point average in the Upper School. While we have many students with exceptional academic records, this year it is my pleasure to give the award for the Highest GPA to TYLER ROBINSON.”
The Faculty Cup
The Faculty Cup is given to the student the faculty believes to be an exemplary representative of the CSS community.The winner of this year’s Faculty Cup Award lives by a value system that marvelously defines her. She is empathetic, brim full of integrity, sensitive to her peers and teachers alike, and is inherently and consistently driven to action and good deeds. Though her admission would have been a slam-dunk, she worried about joining the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society because she was unsure she could fulfill the increased community service hours. In typical fashion, when she realized how important and gratifying her volunteer contributions were to people in need, she promptly and greatly exceeded any arbitrary requirement. She has lived and prospered in two distinct cultures, and both are proud to claim her as their own. This young lady is determined to succeed in spite of numerous, significant obstacles. Among her stated goals is using her hard-won education to eventually return home and develop improved health care opportunities for the people in her village. While her life’s mission and purpose are serious, her essence is light-hearted, self-effacing, and virtuous. We take her more seriously than she takes herself. Whether she realizes it or not, she leaves behind a gigantic, indelible mark in the hearts and minds of an appreciative CSS community. On behalf of the Upper School faculty, it is my honor to award this year’s faculty cup to ROBIN TSAMO.
Margaret White Campbell Award
Kurstyn Morley ‘12, last year’s Margaret White Campbell award recipient, returned to announce the of The Margaret White Campbell Award. It is presented to the student deemed by the Upper School Faculty to best represent academic excellence as well as extraordinary leadership, service to the CSS community, and general character. For the class of 2013, there was some serious competition for this award, but one nominee stood out amongst a crowd of highly qualified peers.
Starting with academic excellence, this student has been for many years either the winner or a close runner-up of the highest GPA award. An excellent student in all domains, this student is particularly strong in the social studies and has been winning awards and recognition in academics since middle school.
This student has always strived to do his best in every thing he does. From the band to golf to NHS, he brings a unique blend of enthusiasm and humility to every group in which he takes part. He was Secretary-General of the CSS Model-UN team, leading our group to successful tournaments from Denver to Washington DC to Reykjavik, Iceland, where by the way, he won the top honor of Best Delegate. A natural born diplomat, Model UN has been a great place for this student to shine.
For all of this student’s strengths, to talk about them is to talk about leadership and service to our community. They have truly left their mark here at CSS with an impressive depth of involvement and degree of dedication to our school. This student has been a strong leader at least since middle school and served as President of both the Middle and Upper schools. He brings a leadership style centered on respect and openness, good listening, and a cooperative approach to problem-solving. How many young leaders do you know who have had the opportunity and thoughtfulness to ask both a Bamileke King in Cameroon and the President of Iceland for advice on effective leadership? On top of that, he has been courageous enough to work towards implementing this advice that he has received.
Considerate and conscientious, this student has a truly outstanding character and is well known and loved for his sense of humor and fearless ability to steal the show onstage. From a wild dance in Children’s School to the tune of “Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath” to the role of Mr. Hines, the Time Study Man in the The Pajama Game, he has been in a show every single year, bringing laughs and joy to our audiences over time. For everything he does, and for the love and passion he brings to everything at CSS, the faculty has chosen NICK GARDINER to be this year’s recipient of the Margaret White Campbell Award.
Click here to review the awards and celebrations shared at the Upper School Awards Night.
Click here to enjoy a recap of the Middle School Awards Ceremony.
Click here to share in the accoladess from the Children’s School 5th Grade Continuation Ceremony.
