On April 22, students, parents, counselors and teachers gathered in the Lecture Hall for the All School Awards. This included National Merit Finalists, other scholarships and department awards, as well as a speech from history teacher Dylan Wedan and small baked goods to acknowledge the effort that these students put into academics.

“I was recognized for taking many advanced computer science courses in school, along with extracurricular activities relating to programming and software development,” said junior Jony Li, who received the Rochester Institute of Technology award. “I liked that the teachers were able to recognize each student and give every awardee well-deserved praise.”

This was an opportunity for the social studies, math, english and science departments to recognize students based on grade levels and their specialties.

“The ceremony honored around 60 students,” guidance counselor Kathleen Otal said. “I really like the ceremony because it showcases so many different talents of students in different subjects. For example, [it’s nice] to see the English teachers see students win awards for math.”

Students appreciated the event as it served as a final boost before the upcoming weeks that most will spend preparing for final exams and AP exams.

“I received the National Merit Scholarship Finalist Award and I’m super grateful to be acknowledged alongside my classmates, who are all very talented,” senior Annie Wang said.

Wedan, who teaches AP U.S. History, highlighted junior Maggie Farrell’s dedication to his class and expressed his appreciation for her as a teacher.

“The appeal for me lies in the knowledge that my course demands a lot from those who take it, and as such I’m generally in the position of asking my students for more: more pages of reading, more attention in lecture, more studying for a test. And, generally, my students honor these requests for more,” Wedan said in his speech. “But by nominating a student for this prestigious award, I get the opportunity to pay that honor back.”