The Ravenscroft Upper School community gathered in Warner Arena on Thursday, May 21, for the annual Honors Convocation, a celebration recognizing students for their exceptional academic performance, leadership and contributions to the school community. 

Head of Upper School Aaron Sundstrom welcomed students and their families to the ceremony. One of the most anticipated recognitions of the day – the Valedictorian of the Class of 2026 – went to Grace Garney ’26, whose academic excellence across her four years at Ravenscroft earned her the highest cumulative GPA in the graduating class. 

Advisor Michael Erikson presented the school’s highest character honor – the Clarke Worthington III Outstanding Character Award – to Cashier Brooks ’26. The award, which was created in memory of Ravenscroft’s first academic dean, recognizes the senior whose character, integrity and treatment of other people best provides leadership by example and whose integrity has a notable influence on fellow students. Erikson highlighted Brooks’ involvement in seemingly everything on campus and his cheerful, supportive and inclusive attitude towards each of his classmates when presenting the honor. 

In addition to these top honors, Upper School students were recognized with Scholar Awards, given to one student per grade who is considered the most scholarly. The 2026 recipients are:

• Angie Martilla ’29
• Arianna Laughinghouse ’28
• Bella Weeks ’27
• Grace Garney ’26

The Outstanding Student Awards, which honor two students in each grade who have maintained high scholastic averages and remained actively involved in school activities, were awarded to:

• Graham Sundstrom ’29 and Macie MacKinnon ’29
• Shriya Bhatnagar ’28 and Mila Sharkady ’28
• Naveen Kumar ’27 and Max Rein ’27
• Cashier Brooks ’26 and Margaret Zaytoun ’26 

Other notable recognitions included the Senior Class Speaker, Doug Stewart ’26, and the Cliosophic Book Award recipient, Sammey Malik ’26. In the 11th grade, Naveen Kumar ’27 was awarded the Rensselaer (RPI) Medal, and in 10th grade, Nanaki Kainth ’28 and Reed Shuma ’28 were named Holding Scholars. 

The ceremony also celebrated excellence in fine arts and athletics. Eve Munford  ’28 was recognized as the winner of the Concerto Competition Award, and Amelia Ward ’26 received the Senior Band Award. In athletics,  Jack Oates  ’26 received the Rusty Lewis Sportsmanship Award, while Evan Hatefi ’26 and Sophia Quezada ’26 were honored with the Triangle Independent School Athletic Conference (TISAC) Sportsmanship Award. 

Many other Upper School Ravens received well-deserved awards and distinctions across various academic departments. You can view the full event program here.

View and download photos from the event here or click through the gallery below.