Middle School students celebrated their perseverance through an unprecedented school year at Middle School Prize Day and the Grade 8 Moving Up Ceremony. "Middle School is a time of growth and change, and neither is easy. To grow, you must stretch and contort and push yourself to new heights," said Head of Middle School Josh Deitch. "Never be afraid to follow your heart. All of us here are so proud of you. We are all behind you. Wherever you go, know that you have a home and a family here in the Middle School," he said.
Please enjoy the following highlights of the Middle School Prize Day and Grade 8 Moving Up Ceremony.
Middle School Prize Day Video
Grade 8 Moving Up Ceremony
Awards:
The Hermanson Award is presented to students who have demonstrated the most growth as learners during the school year. They have achieved significant academic growth through personal advocacy and academic commitment.
Recipients: Marta Larini '27, James Coe '26, and Olivia Asnes '25
The Young Citizenship Award, presented by the exchange club of North Stamford, is awarded to students who have demonstrated leadership qualities that are held in high esteem by all. These students set an example in citizenship, attitude, academics, character, service leadership, and sportsmanship.
Recipients: Phoebe Lewis '27, Caroline Curry '27, Jaxon Grayson '27, Cyrus Noren '26, Steven Blanco '26, Raphael Monteiro '25, and Alexis Feldman '25.
The Jean b. Steele Reading Prize goes to the student who excelled in their reading skills and has discovered the joy and excitement of good books.
Recipient: Vivi Mansfield '25
The Alexandra Scanlon Award is awarded to the most outstanding female athlete in Grade 8.
Recipient: Vivi Mansfield '25
The Michael Wright Award is awarded to the most outstanding male athlete in grade 8.
Recipient: Jakari Morgan '25
Malcolm Wilmott Science Prize is awarded to a student in the Middle School who has consistently shown tremendous effort and dedication to learning and understanding science.
Recipient: Connor Brown '25
The American History Bronze Medal is awarded in recognition of excellence in the study of American history. This year's recipient is inquisitive, opinionated, and passionate. In her studies, she researched historical and contemporary foreign policy issues to better understand global perspectives.
Recipient: Charlotte Lewis '25
The Lillian S. Fish Award is presented to a middle school student who has shown the most progress both as a scholar and as a student during the current school year.
Recipient: Madeline Scanlon '25
The Merrill Award is presented to recognize academic achievement, thoughtfulness for others, and a sense of responsibility for the school.
Recipient: Olivia Mangold '25
The Dar Patriotism Award is awarded to a middle school student who has proven to be the most outstanding citizen based on personal acts and attitude. This student demonstrates honor, service, courage, leadership, and patriotism.
Recipient: Kate Persily '25
Class Prize Recipients:
Class Prizes are awarded to a student in each grade who best represents the values and virtues of the King School. Among these values are academic achievement, co-curricular involvement, personal integrity, leadership, and loyalty to the school.
Grade 6 Recipient: Alicia Leng
Alicia is a student of great character who always acts with integrity. Her teachers describe her as kind, giving, thoughtful, respectful, and friendly to all. She is sociable and goes above and beyond to be inclusive, inviting her peers to participate in games and activities during flex time. In class, she willingly offers help to others in a manner that is encouraging, kind, and insightful while remaining open to learning from others as well.
As a student, Alicia loves learning new concepts and asking discerning questions. She always puts forth her best effort to learn, persisting in her studies until she fully comprehends all of the material. She completes her assignments with care and pays close attention to every detail.
She also won first prize in the poetry category in the Stamford Literary Competition at Ferguson Library. Her two-voice poem was inspired by the refugee/water crisis that she studied in her English, History, and Science classes.
Grade 7 Recipient: Amy Powell
Amy excelled this year both academically and personally. She performed well in her studies and always makes herself available as a friend to all. Amy is an inclusive leader. She cares about the happiness and well-being of her peers and goes beyond expectations to impact the community around her.
Amy is an avid reader and enjoys recommending books to her classmates, encouraging them to read and learn. Teachers describe Amy as an ideal student who embraces challenges in all her classes as opportunities for learning and growth.
Grade 8 Recipient: Jakari Morgan
Jakari is a unique talent, combining high scholarship with strong character and leadership. He is energetic and highly motivated when pursuing his goals and is incredibly selfless in his dedication to his classmates and teammates. He is a joyous soul who brings kindness and happiness to those around him.
Jakari is committed to creating an environment that makes his peers feel comfortable, embraced, and safe. Although this year had its unique challenges, Jakari's effort and presence made the year more pleasant and enjoyable for all.
High Honors:
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Beck, Thomas
Abbott, Elizabeth
Cepeda, Sofia
Burgoyne, Alexander (Alex)
Gusinski, Alexandra
Hayashi, Parker
Dohil, Priya
Karr, Kelly
Kolenberg, Isabella
Gambino, Siena
Maltese, Dillon
Lewis, Charlotte
Gemelli, Tristan
Noren, Cyrus (Cy)
McGuire, Liam
Grabwoski, Linus
Monteiro, Raphael
Larini, Marta
Prather, Elise
Phillips, Tyler
Schamberg, Ethan
Shah, Anaiya
Honor Roll:
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Cho, Lillian
Aguilar, Abby
Acosta, Sofia
Failla, Ana
Andrews, Jackson
Anderson, Grace
Gingold, James
Cartwright, Clement
Baker, Daniela
Greene, Samuel (Sam)
Coe, James
Betten, Rori
Griffith, Nina
DiBenedetto, Lance
Brown, Connor
Hauben, Mason
Donnelly, Oliver
Gonzalez, Christian
Mannal, Theo
Ellis, Tristan
Ippolito, Christofer
Marcy, Gavin
Failla, Michael
Iverson, Charles (Charlie)
Mehta, Charles (Charlie)
Laryea-Adjei, Sowa
Jahns, Thomas (Tommy)
Meltz, Samuel (Sam)
Vivanco, Lucia
Jennings, Thomas
Miller, Olive
Zucker-Malone, Saoirse
Louizos, Zachary
Mizhen, Samantha
Lovitt, Peter
Riddell, Rory
Mansfield, Genevieve (Vivi)
Webber, Nicholas (Niko)
Mirkin, Harrison
Weisel, Shelby
Nero, Henry
Pufko, William (Liam)
Resnick, Caroline
Roy, Sophia
Salib, Alexander (Alex)
Spielvogel, Adam
King Scholars:
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Curry, Caroline
Aluf Medina, Tal
Anderson, Anya
Cushman, Aaron
Barta, Kayla
Ansel, Taylor
Goodman, Davis
Blanco, Steven
Asnes, Olivia
Grayson, Jaxon
Fishkin, Sophie
Blaine, Owen
Hillenmeyer, Grace
Hugon, Benjamin (Benji)
Dohil, Jaipal
Kucher, Katerina (Katya)
Lehneis, Gillian
Esposito, Alex
Leng, Alicia
Liparidis, Hathaway
Feldman, Alexis (Lexie)
McDonald, Isabel
McGreevey, Owen
Goudie, Felicity
Pajares, Camila
McKee, Emily
Grayson, Jayden
Rieser, Hannah
Powell, Amy
Hauben, Sydney
Rieser, Lily
Reinhoefer Ribeiro, Bruno
Leng, Sophia
Roth, Zacharias (Zach)
Santomaro, Sophia
Mangold, Olivia
Tillman, Samantha
Schwartz, Charles (Charlie)
Morgan, Jakari
Seagren, Eric
Persily, Katherine (Kate)
Wang, Leon
Prather, Madeleine (Maddy)
Ruhe, Charlotte
Ruhe, Katherine (Katie)
Scanlon, Madeline
Zuniga, Mason
Service Recognition:
During a global pandemic, the Middle School took part or performed the following for King Cares, a service program that combines curriculum-based teaching and learning strategies to offer meaningful support to the community:
Participated in after-school virtual book reading to students from the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford.
Decorated bags for Person-to-Person's Holiday Toy Store and Grab-and-Go snack bags delivered to the healthcare workers and staff members at Long Ridge Post Acute Care Center.
Wrote notes to residents at Long Ridge Post Acute Care Center
Celebrated and honored King lunch heroes that feed our entire school community daily throughout the pandemic.
Donated approximately 10,000 pounds of food for the Person-to-Person food drive in November and March.
Participated in the virtual 5K for Boys and Girls Club of Stamford and The Orphaned Starfish Foundation that earned points for both homecoming teams and represented winners from the Middle School.
Donated and collected toys for the King Cares all-school toy drive to benefit the pediatric unit at Stamford Hospital.