2019 Presentation of Student Awards at Commencement

Anslee Wolfe, Communications and Marketing Manager

May 25, 2019

During the 54th Commencement Exercises, the following awards were bestowed to students.

Longevity Awards

The Longevity Award is one that we give to students who have attended The Colorado Springs School for all or almost all of their educational career, since Pre-School, PreKindergarten and Kindergarten.

Enrolled in PreSchool in 2003: Sabryn Shtatman.
Enrolled in PreSchool in 2004: Sabrina Jackson.
Enrolled in PreKindergarten in 2005: Hannah Gebhardt.
Enrolled in Kindergarten in 2006: John Nieman and Reese Ward.

Highest Academic Achievement

A connoisseur of fine tea and collector of coffee cups, impeccable dresser with a knack for languages (self-taught in some cases), cross country runner, world traveler, student leader, and environmental steward. These are just some of the non-academic attributes that compliment a young man whose academic accomplishments, are as long as they are impressive, and whose genuine appetite for knowledge can be described simply as FEROCIOUS.

I believe that we have only seen the tip of a remarkable future ahead and today, with more than 11APs to his credit and GPA of 5.0, I am honored to announce the 2019-20 Highest Achievement Award Recipient, Tyler Brown.

Faculty Cup Award

Each year the Faculty Cup is presented to the Senior who is recognized by the Upper School faculty as an exemplary representative of The Colorado Springs School.

Shortly after this student joined the school, many members of the Faculty noted the striking fit between the school’s signature programs and this student’s intellect and talents. Add to that to his almost immediate connection with his peers, and several faculty began to wonder if our school was made for him.

In class, his teachers have watched him carefully process and internalize their planned activities and lessons. They appreciate how his quiet leadership style positively influences his peers and the much younger students who will not reach this commencement stage for many years.

Jim Rohn said,

“The challenge of leadership is to
be strong, but not rude;
be kind, but not weak;
be bold, but not bully;
be thoughtful, but not lazy;
be humble, but not timid;
be proud, but not arrogant;
And have humor, but without folly.”

The recipient of the 2019 Faculty Cup leads in arguably the most powerful of ways - through humble example and with authentic kinship for all.

From backstage in Louisa, to the Carriage house, to the Iron Forges of Experience Centered Seminars and Capstone this young man has exemplified ingenuity through the work of his mind and hands. He is a doer, a true artist, who is independent in action and thoughtful in reflection.

The faculty honor Jan Rybczynski as the recipient of the 2019 Faculty Cup.

The Margaret White Campbell Award

Each year, the highest honor that faculty bestow is the Margaret White Campbell Award.

This year we have a special guest to present this award: Heidi Hiltbrunner Schnakenberg, the recipient of the Margaret White Campbell award in 2000.

Given in honor of the founding headmistress of the Colorado Springs School, the Margaret White Campbell Award is given by the Upper School Faculty for academic excellence, leadership, service to the CSS community, and general character.

Aaron Schubach, head of school: This year’s recipient of the Margaret White Campbell Award is a student who revels in discomfort, because he delights in challenging himself. Mr. Greg Johnson noted that this senior has an intrinsic need to independently find out more about subjects that intrigue him and that he holds a genuine sense of wonder and desire to understand challenging material. Dr. Paul Young states that few students read as voraciously, especially in such varied fields ranging from science to economics to theoretical and applied mathematics, and Ms. Amy Johnson-Smith would add in poetry and fiction and memoir. And Ms. Jen Hedden remembers feeling compelled to meet this student’s voracious academic appetite even in the 8th grade by giving him a Spanish version of the geometry textbook and having him complete many of his math assignments and tests in Spanish. Clearly, academic excellence is his forte, but his prowess goes far beyond books and classrooms, for his teachers also thank him for his exemplary character, keen wit, and relaxed, polite demeanor. He is genuine and respectful of his teachers, his peers, and The Colorado Springs School as a whole. He served on student government, Model United Nations, and in the National Honor Society. He led the cross country team, founded the award-winning Green Team, and played in Youth Symphony. After receiving nearly every departmental award over the course of the past three years, it’s only fitting that now our school’s highest honor goes to Tyler Brown.