Upper School students honored at 2026 Class Day ceremony

The Class Day awards are listed below:

The Ben Tallmadge Jennings Award celebrates and recognizes a senior who is a well-rounded individual and who, through their own individual achievement and contributions to Kentucky Country Day School, has demonstrated integrity, honor, humor, and above all, a concern for their fellow classmates. This year’s recipient is Miles Bahe.

The Dabney Family Scholarship recognizes a senior who has demonstrated leadership, academic potential, and a high level of involvement in extracurricular and community service activities. This year’s recipient is Grace Shen.

The Jamie Parsley Memorial Scholarship supports students in their pursuit of academic excellence outside of KCD’s regular academic program. Grants may be applied to offset costs for any academic enrichment course of study. This year’s recipients are David Haith, James Hu, Sebastian Martinez, and T.J. Thompson.

The Frank Houston Miles Science Award recognizes both ability in and devotion to the field of science. This was created by Mr. Miles, in memory of his son and former KCD student, Frank Houston Miles. This year’s recipient is Omar Sayied.

The Kenneth Wall Memorial Award is presented to the senior judged by the social studies department faculty as its most outstanding student. The winner also receives a cash award to assist them with their first year of college tuition. This year’s recipient is Jackson Easley.

The Nancy Bowling Prize in Expository Writing is chosen by the English department and is given to the senior who shows the most talent and interest in this form of prose. This year’s recipient is Asad Nasir.

The Phi Beta Kappa Award is given to a senior who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement. This year’s recipient is Caden Wang.

The Dorothy O’Brien Memorial Award is given to the senior who best represents the qualities that Dorothy Caukin O’Brien fostered in her students by her own example: dedication to Kentucky Country Day School, honesty, respect for others, appreciation for work well done, and humor that restores. This year’s recipient is Abdul Draw.

The Susan McElwain Memorial Award is given to the senior who is outstanding in character, scholarship, sportsmanship, and athletics. This year’s recipient is Christine Martin.

The James Pitman Sams, Jr. Award is given to the senior who has demonstrated in every capacity the high ideals of academics, sportsmanship, and citizenship, and the outstanding qualities of character, leadership, and personality exemplified by this beloved alumnus. This year’s recipient is Kase Phinney.

The Senior Science and Math Award is chosen by the science and math departments and is given to one or more seniors in recognition of outstanding academic achievement, good character, and superior intellectual promise in the fields of science and math. This year’s recipient is Peter Zhang.

The Julie and Lorraine Short Memorial Award is chosen by the English and Fine Arts Departments and is given to two outstanding juniors or seniors in the areas of creative writing and creative art. This year’s recipients are Tyler Herman and Hailey Hack.

The Rensselaer Award, chosen by the Math and Science Departments, is presented to the outstanding junior “who is ranked in the top 10% of the class; who excels in advanced math and science courses; who demonstrates potential for success in a challenging academic setting; and who exhibits significant involvement in extracurricular activities. This year’s recipient is Octane Hinojosa.

The Harvard Award is presented to the member of the junior class “who displays excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievements in other fields.” This year’s recipient is Claire Morris.

The Notre Dame Award is presented to a junior in the top 10% of the class who has demonstrated social and intellectual leadership qualities and made a positive contribution to the extracurricular life of the school. This year’s recipient is Jilly Chesnut.

The University of Louisville Award is presented to a junior in the “top 20% of the junior class, and who shows academic promise as determined by the junior faculty. This should not be limited to GPA, but also include factors such as intellectual curiosity and contributions to school and community.” This year’s recipient is Skye Pohn.

The University of Pennsylvania Book Award “recognizes outstanding students whose individual accomplishments embody the University’s highest ideals of scholarship, service, future professional development, and civic contribution.” This year’s recipient is Octane Hinojosa.

The University of Virginia Jefferson Book Award is presented to the junior “who embraces creativity and innovation and embodies the spirit of discovery. The student is a demonstrated leader who works to improve his or her community locally or globally.” This year’s recipient is Lulu Robertson.

The University of Michigan Award is presented to an “outstanding member of the junior class from the standpoint of character, scholarship, leadership and involvement.” This year’s recipient is Tasneem Addas.

The Smith College Book Award is awarded by the English Department to an outstanding junior girl who exemplifies the academic achievement, leadership qualities, and concern for others that characterizes the thousands of women who have graduated from Smith College. This year’s recipient is Claire Morris.

The Brown University Book Award is chosen by the English department to honor the juniors who best combine academic excellence with clarity in written and spoken expression. This year’s recipients are Dixon Hartung and Raya Attallah.

The Yale University Award is presented to a junior who exhibits “outstanding personal character and intellectual promise.” This year’s recipient is Raya Attallah.

The Wade H. Brown, Jr. Award is presented to sophomores who embody the qualities of this esteemed educator: high academic scores, devotion to KCD through a wide variety of school involvement, and an innate integrity and irrepressible wit. This year’s recipient is Lennon Apple.

The Charles Hunter Dishman Award is given to that boy in the freshman class who is outstanding in achievement and in assuming responsibility in the various activities of the school. This year’s recipient is Adam Easley.

The Faculty Award is given to that girl in the freshman class who is outstanding in achievement and in assuming responsibility in the various activities of the school. This year’s recipient is Emily Prentice.

The Amelia Moody Music Award is presented to the junior or senior who has been deemed an outstanding contributor to the Upper School Chorus. This year’s recipient is Maxwell Johnson.

Each year, members of the KCD Fine Arts Department recognize the outstanding students within the performing arts with selected awards. 

The National Service Honor recognizes students who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to service, civic engagement, and stewardship within their communities. Through their dedication of time, energy, and compassion, these students embody the spirit of service that strengthens both local communities and the broader society.

This year, KCD is proud to honor students who exemplify the ideals of responsibility, leadership, and care for others reflected in our mission and school motto. Each student being recognized has gone above and beyond in contributing meaningful service to causes and communities in need. Each honoree will receive recognition corresponding to their level of service achievement.

In the Teen category, this year’s recipients are: Kareem Attallah, Cooper Barrow, Adam Easley, Rachel Feller, Brayden Gootee, Maddie Hawkins, Sebastian Martinez, Molly Mascarich, Sophie Rodgers, Lujain Saad, Marcus Southworth, Stella Stine, T.J. Thompson, and Alyssa Tobias.

In the Young Adult category, this year’s recipients are: Raya Attallah, Jojo Figa, Lulu Robertson, and Rhea Wu. 

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is an award given to high school graduates who have demonstrated proficiency in two or more languages. It recognizes and celebrates students’ linguistic abilities, encouraging them to pursue biliteracy and highlighting the global skills they possess.  

The following French students have received the Global Seal of Biliteracy in French: Emerson Becker, Jonah Feller, Dixon Hartung, Maya Kassie, Madison Rigney, Harper Stemle, Steven Wang, and Rhea Wu.

The following Spanish students have received the Global Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish: Aleena Ahmed, Preston Amin, Shepherd Caudill, Mihir Chawla, Finn Cowan, Dominic Del Negro, Reynold Fernandez, Jojo Figa, Brohm Garlove, Jalen Green-Hardesty, Ivan Kalagin, Connor McClure, Visha Patel, Skye Pohn, Mira Saad, Omar Sayied, Haney Sequeira, Evan Smith, and Eli Villaflor.

The National Latin Exam is a standardized assessment taken by Latin students across the United States and internationally. The exam recognizes achievement in Latin language and Roman culture. Please hold your applause until all names have been read:

In Latin II the following students are recognized: Brayden Gootee, Lage Harrison, Liam Hartung, and Piper Wemitt

In Latin III the following students are recognized: Elliot Belt, Ava Cohen, Hagan Fackler, James Hu, Nia Herman, Eamon Moriarty, Marcus Southworth, and Kevin Zhao

The Caementum Award is presented annually to the students whose actions and attitudes have enhanced the cohesiveness of their classes thereby earning the respect and affection of their teachers and classmates. The recipients this year as nominated by their classes and chosen by the faculty are:

The Marguerite McLaughlin Certificate is given for outstanding service in scholastic yearbook production, good citizenship, and high scholarship. This year’s recipients are Chance Sheridan and Audrey Schonwetter.

KCD is proud to recognize these outstanding students who have earned the prestigious STEAM Certificate, highlighting their exceptional achievements and dedication in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics and the engineering design process. This certificate is earned through the completion of various rigorous courses, culminating in a project aimed at bettering the community at large. This year’s STEAM Certificate recipients are: Audrey Block, Tyler Herman, Hampton Johnson, Tyler Michael, and Ricky Panchal,

The Course Awards are given to students for outstanding performance in each department. The winners are listed below. 

Computer Science

English

Fine Arts

Math

Science

Social Studies

World Language

The Bill Beam Jr. ’76 Senior Athlete of the Year Award recognizes outstanding contributions in the area of athletics. This year’s recipients are Tyler Wilson and Ellie Beam.

This year’s recipient of the Coach of the Year Award is Matthew Jones.