This Wednesday, Apr. 3, part of the student body and their families gathered together for the end of the year awards ceremony, which recognizes some of Gables’ top scholars for their achievements in different subjects throughout the year. The ceremony began with Keyshawn Felton and Ana Wolfermann (the emcees for the event) welcoming everyone who attended the ceremony and inviting Nikita Leus-Oliva and four Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) members to say the pledge of allegiance. Nikita Leus-Oliva then gave an inspirational speech about always speaking up in the face of injustice.

The ceremony began with the departmental awards, which were mainly given to upperclassmen who excelled in specific subjects. These awards included the exceptional student education award, which was given to Udeme Ekpo, and the Dance Award, which was given to Miriam Fong. Many students received recognition for their academic and extracurricular achievements through these awards, and the subject leaders, such as the Fine Arts department head Ms. Barrow, were proud to bestow these awards upon their students.

The athletic awards were announced by the athletic director, Mr. Romero. Students received an award if they were nominated based on their outstanding achievement in the different sports that Gables offers. Natalia Rodriguez, the CavsConnect reviews editor, received the female scholar athlete award for balancing a high GPA with her dedication to the Gables cross-country and track teams.

Several awards were given to graduating seniors who were in leadership positions in the Quill and Scroll journalism clubs at Gables. Ms. Suarez, one of the CavsConnect sponsors, presented the Quill and Scroll CavsConnect awards to our very own Emily Simon and Maria Estrada. They have inspired our staff to pursue excellence through journalism, and their hard work was recognized with this award.

“I got the Principal’s Award, which I am really proud of. I did enjoy being part of this ceremony, especially knowing I was a freshman. On the other hand, I am sad that I had to leave at 8:25 due to water polo. I wished I could have stayed longer in order to see the whole ceremony. Hopefully, I will have the chance to one day be able to finish it completely!” freshman Noora Pharaon said.

After this, the awards for students of overall distinction within their grade levels were given. For freshmen and sophomores, these awards included the Principal’s Award, the Gold Scholar Award and the Rookie of the Year Award. The juniors also had the opportunity to receive a university book award, which was given to a student by a university, such as Harvard or Cornell, that exemplified the qualities of that particular university.

The senior awards consisted of some of the highest honors given throughout the ceremony. Johan Soto and Mauricio Cervantes tied for the Gold Scholar Award, both having the highest GPA of the entire senior class. After the several special distinction awards were given, the Summa Cum Laude, or honor given to students with a 4.0 or higher, recognized 38 of the most dedicated students in the senior class. These bright scholars were given golden tassels they will wear proudly during their graduation a few short weeks from now.

“Having been recognized during the very well-organized award ceremony with my peers was a special moment. I feel very honored to have received the Freshman Gold Scholar Award,” freshman David Kuper said.