Celebrating Cardigan’s Underclassmen

Most years, underclassmen are celebrated after Commencement, just before they depart for the summer. This year, we did things a bit differently, with an all-school virtual assembly before Commencement. 

Leading the ceremony was next year’s student leader Conley Bohan ’21. Conley opened the ceremony, acknowledging his disappointment at not being on The Point this spring. He also acknowledged the responsibility that he as a rising ninth grader is facing, especially as the school’s leader: “With the ninth graders’ departure it is our time to step up and show what it means to be the best and live by the Core Values. And a year from now, we should look back and be proud of what we have done for Cardigan.”

But first, there was time to celebrate the accomplishments of this year. The following students were recognized for their outstanding work during the 2019-20 school year.

Outstanding Dorm Citizen Awards
French 1: Conley Bohan ’21
French 2: Sanders Morris ’22

Art Award and Permanent Art Collection Award
Jaeseong “Arthur” Lee ’21

Music Award
Estyn Elkouh ’22

“Golden Hammer” Woodworking Award
Beau Brissette ’21

Drama Award
Reaghan Moore ’22

James N. Marrion Sportsmanship Awards
6th Grade: Alex Wang
7th Grade: Layton Glover
8th Grade: Conley Bohan

Edward A. Barney Written Expression Prize
Mateo Escalante ’22

Scholastic Awards

Grade 6
STEM
Math: Sungsan “John” Park
Science: Junhyeong “Jun” An
Humanities: Josh Tedeschi

Grade 7
English: Juan Pablo Orozco Fernandez
Math: Andrew Carratu
History: Jackson Davies
Science: Mateo Escalante
World Languages: Ian McDonnell
ESL: Renzo Martinez Yanez
PEAKS: Domineaq Taylor

Grade 8
English: Zihan “Harrison” Huang
Math: Brian Xi 
History: Shijia “Mac” Wang
Science: Limin “Alan” Wei
World Languages: Cayden Van Dolah
ESL: Yixuan “Kyle” Jia
PEAKS: Brendan Powers

The celebration ended with remarks from Head of School Chris Day P’12,’13. Like Conley, Mr. Day also acknowledged the strange ending to the school year but also reflected on the growth in which it has resulted. Referencing The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, Mr. Day shared, “…while there is a place for comfort and familiarity in our lives, it is often the unpredictable–the moments when we break the script–that we remember and that help us grow into the resourceful people that we become. Life by the book is boring.”

“I want to remind us all,” he continued, “that while our year will certainly be remembered for how it has ended, it is the work and progress that you boys earned along the way that will mark your growth and make your takeaways positive and worthwhile.”

Congratulations to all the award winners, but more importantly, congratulations to all the students who have made the most of their opportunities this year and grown in so many ways.