Honoring Excellence: Students Receive Academic and Pillar Awards – 2016

High School

Academic Excellence Award for 2016

  • American Women’s History: Julia Gratton, 12th
  • AP Statistics:  Lily Petersen, 12th
  • Biology Honors: Isaac Harris, 11th
  • English 10: Carl Ward, 10th
  • English 10 Honors: Indigo Kelly, 10th
  • AP English Literature: Nathan Vince and Caroline Smith, 11th
  • English 12 Honors: Julia Gratton, Lily Petersen and Holden Smith,12th
  • English 9 Honors: Priyanka Bharghavan and Noah Kaplan, 9th
  • Geometry Honors: Noah Kaplan, 9th
  • Marine Biology: Priyanka Bharghavan, 9th
  • Pre‐Calculus: Isabella Bettencourt, 11th
  • Pre‐Calculus Honors: Lucas Caudill, 10th
  • Science with Humanity: Lily Petersen, 12th
  • US History: Emily Villareal, 10th and Cat Ching, 11th
  • Values in World Thought II: Julia Gratton, 12th
  • World History: Noah Kaplan, 9th
  • World Religions: Lily Petersen and Julia Gratton, 12th

Scholastic Achievement Awards (for student athletes that maintained a 3.5 or better during their sport season)

  • Isabella Bettencourt, 11th
  • Tara Ching, 11th
  • Sienna Clifton, 10th
  • Julia Gratton, 12th
  • Isaac Harris, 11th
  • Alexander Marshall, 12th
  • Caroline Smith, 11th
  • Izabella Thomas, 11th
  • Param Walker, 11th
  • Holden Smith, 12th
  • Louie Marshall, 12th
  • Ethan Harrington, 12th
  • Nathan Vince, 11th
  • Zachary Clark, 10th
  • Zachary Wagner, 10th
  • Luca Peruzzi, 9th
  • John Dias, 9th
  • Carl Ward, 10th
  • Celia Moreno, 12th
  • Saniya Lakka, 12th
  • Elise Slater, 12th
  • Sophia Saavedra, 12th
  • Mara Peruzzi, 9th
  • Lily Petersen, 12th

Pillar Awards

Mount Madonna School is continuing the tradition started in 2013, of presenting awards to students in middle and high school whose achievement in one of the areas of our school’s “Three Pillars” – Academic Excellence, Creative Self-Expression and Positive Character Development – was outstanding. These three areas are equally important to success at Mount Madonna School – and, indeed, in the world.

The students who received these awards are the following:

Positive Character Development

Reflecting positive ways of dealing with whatever situation is confronting him/her; dedicated to a spirit of non-harming, cooperation and respectful relationships; striving to realize positive values such as compassion, honesty, cooperation, fairness, dedication and human decency in his/her daily lives; taking initiative to lead and to serve, take responsibility, acquire self-discipline; and to care for others.

  • Noah Kaplan, 9th
  • Phoebe Grant, 10th
  • Devyn Powers, 11th
  • Clio Herbert, 12th

Creative Self-Expression

Immersing him/herself in the creative process that includes cognitive learning, teamwork, direct experience, reflection and mutual appreciation; creatively expressing him/herself in all academic coursework; experiencing the creative process such that the student overcomes perceived limitations and intuitive intelligence emerges; valuing the collaborative process where individual effort and a willingness to sacrifice for the greater whole result in an inspiring and fulfilling experience.

  • Taylor Larson, 9th
  • Zachary Clark, 10th
  • Aki’o Nanamura, 11th
  • Alex Marshall, 12th

Academic Achievement

Showing outstanding critical thinking and writing skills, thoughtful self-expression, and honest reflection as part of the learning process; with a personal commitment to learning that balances both comprehensive understanding and in-depth inquiry in multiple disciplines.

  • Priyanka Bharghavan, 9th
  • Indigo Kelly, 10th
  • Caroline Smith, 11th
  • Julia Gratton, 12th

Middle School

Academic Achievement

  • Amirah Alexander, 6th
  • Kira Kaplan, 7th
  • Nadia Rassech, 7th
  • AnMei Dasbach­Prisk, 8th
  • Haley Kerr, 8th

Selfless Service

Selfless service, or Seva, is a service performed without expectation of result or award. We, your classmates and teachers, recognize that you have performed either consistent or exceptional acts of selfless service towards your classmates, teachers, school, community, society, or towards the sustaining of the natural environment for future generations.

The students nominate and write a short support story for their classmates, and the faculty endorses the choices. Awardees for this year are:

  • Denali Spector and Sophia Freitas, 6th
  • Kahlan Tervalon and Ami Bharghavan, 7th
  • Cece Rothman-Salado and Given Reyhani, 8th