As the academic year comes to a close, underclass students and faculty came together for a night of recognition in the DuBois Theatre. On Monday, May 27, the Underclass Prize Assembly honored members of the ninth, 10th and 11th grades for their outstanding academic and co-curricular work throughout Blair’s 176th year.

“Our prize winners tonight embody the intentionality to make the most of their learning, to be as close to always as possible in their pursuit of excellence,” Assistant Head of School for Academics Nathan Molteni said as he welcomed everyone to the assembly. “There are always more accomplishments worthy of merit than we can celebrate here, and if your work is not recognized tonight, please know that it is certainly not unrecognized by our faculty for the investment you have all made in learning this year.” 

Click “play” below to watch the assembly.

Congratulations to all of the students who were awarded for their accomplishments on Monday!

The Phillips-James Rosen Trophy: Atlas Akinyemiju ’25 and Genesis Medina ’25

The John Kinch Leach Merit Award: Michael Antonelli ’26 and Cat Zhang ’26

The David Avery-Jones Freshman Prize: Joseph Schinder ’27 and Adison Thatcher ’27

The Joan and Fernando Marcial Prize: Guy Phisuthikul ’26

The Stephen Curry Prize: Michael Lynch ’26
 
Cum Laude Society: Riley Bacinski ’25, Gio Choi ’25, Stephanie Dos Santos ’25, Emily Dou ’25, Casey Gottlieb ’25, Andrew Hong ’25, Serrena Khanna ’25, Natalie Kislin ’25, Kazel Li ’25, Levin Li ’25, Alex Lyu ’25 and Leona Su ’25

The Edyth Jeffrey Shakespeare Essay Prize: Megan Bacinski ’27, Grace Dai ’27, George Gimbel ’27, Cake Ongnithiwat ’27, Binh Phan ’27, Adison Thatcher ’27, Kaya Collier ’26, Liam Green ’26, Ashley Hur ’26, Mayan Muchugia ’26, Ava Momsen ’26, Khang Nguyen ’26, Jessica Neary ’26, Josie Tetteh ’26, Louise Wyche ’26, William Antunes ’25, Morgan Celley ’25 and Jack Nothstine ’25

The Henry Cowan Prize: Kazel Li ’25 and Téa Vukosavljevic ’25

English One Prize: Ella Poliquin ’27 and Brayden Yau ’27

English Two Prize: Naomi Limann ’26 and Cat Zhang ’26

Art Prize: Eli Maloney ’25

Art Prize - Two Dimensional Art: Minh Anh Vo ’25

Art Prize - Three Dimensional Art: Weston Trish ’25 and Téa Vukosavljevic ’25

Art Prize - Photography: Serrena Khanna ’25

Art Prize - The Kampmann Video Prize: Leilah Elkholy ’25

Ninth-Grade History Prize: Ella Poliquin ’27

Tenth-Grade History Prize: Derek Chen ’26 and Khang Nguyen ’26

Eleventh-Grade History Prize: Kazel Li ’25 and Atlas Akinyemiju ’25

Chinese Language Prize: Mackenzie Smith ’25

Spanish Language Prize: Casey Gottlieb ’25

For Outstanding Achievement in the Study of a Foreign Language: C.C. Boellhoff ’25

Newton Prize for Calculus: Gio Choi ’25 and Khang Nguyen ’26

Hypatia Prize for Precalculus: Eugenie Kwon ’26

Pythagoras Prize for Geometry: Cake Ongnithiwat ’27

Al-Khwarizmi Prize for Algebra: Liam Green ’26

Vocal Music Prize: Cheyenne Joachim ’25 and Fionna Lee ’25

Instrumental Music Prize: Ben Lo ’25 and Tony Ni ’25

Underclass Theatre Prize: Leilah Elkholy ’25

Religion & Philosophy Prize: Kazel Li ’25 and Valentina Rosario ’26

Ninth-Grade Biology Prize: Grace Dai ’27 and Brayden Yau ’27

Tenth-Grade Chemistry Prize: Liam Green ’26 and Khang Nguyen ’26

Eleventh-Grade Physics Prize: Levin Li ’25

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At a School meeting earlier in May, Dean of College Counseling Niki Applebaum ’01 honored several rising seniors for excellence in areas ranging from technology to leadership with the 2025 Book Awards. Distinct from Blair’s departmental awards and underclass prizes, these book awards carry scholarship opportunities connected to particular higher educational institutions should a student apply, be accepted and choose to enroll at that school. 
    
THE RENSSELAER MEDAL, recognizes superlative achievement of rising seniors and motivates students towards careers in science, engineering and technology with a four-year scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Levin Li ’25

THE SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE BOOK AWARD FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL CONSCIENCE, recognizes an outstanding student who leads with the true spirit of volunteerism with a four-year, full tuition merit scholarship: Cheyenne Joachim ’25

In partnership with the West Point Society of New Jersey, Blair Academy recognizes through the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LEADERSHIP AWARD exceptional performance in academics, athletics and community service while exhibiting a strong moral character in line with the values exemplified by President Eisenhower: Libby Russell ’25

The University of Rochester sponsors four awards with accompanying merit scholarships to recognize high school juniors:

THE BAUSCH & LOMB HONORARY SCIENCE AWARD, recognizes high achievement and rigor in science and math classes for a student who also offers positive contributions to her school and within the larger community: Avery Cheng ’25

THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND SUSAN B. ANTHONY AWARD, awarded to a junior who demonstrates commitment both to seeking understanding of and to addressing concerns about difficult social issues with a dedication to community action while earning strong grades in rigorous courses, especially those in the humanities and social sciences: Atlas Akinyemiju ’25

XEROX AWARD FOR INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY, awarded to a student who exhibits a strong interest and achievement in innovation or information technology: Anastasiia Feskova ’25

GEORGE EASTMAN YOUNG LEADERS AWARD, awarded to a junior who portrays strong leadership in her school or larger community, while earning high grades in challenging courses and displaying extensive involvement in extracurricular activities: Minh Anh Vo ’25

Also at the School meeting, The Alexander “ARob” Roberts Award for Spirit was presented to Libby Russell ’25. The award is given annually in honor of Alexander Roberts ’18 to a member of the rising senior class who embodies his characteristics. Like ARob, the students selected fully immerse themselves in all that Blair has to offer and are distinguished by their character. They are known to be compassionate, humble, innately curious, passionate and committed to Blair. Both faculty and students describe the recipients as unifiers on campus, excelling both on the field and in the classroom. These students bring out the best in those around them and will leave an indelible mark on the Blair community—with an impact as large as the hearts and minds of those they have touched.