Oak Knoll’s all-girls middle and high school celebrated a year of achievement during its annual Upper School Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 5, recognizing students in grades 7-12 for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, service, faith, and the arts.

The ceremony showcased the breadth of accomplishment across the Upper School, honoring students for distinguished achievement in disciplines ranging from computer science, mathematics, science, and world languages to visual and performing arts, athletics, theology, and community leadership. Students were also recognized for national and school-based distinctions, including AP Scholar, National Merit, and Cum Laude Society honors.

Students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, and special guests gathered in the Mother Mary Campion Center for the Performing Arts, where Upper School Division Head Laura Hollenbaugh reminded students that the awards represented far more than individual accomplishments.

“Awards are tangible, yet the qualities they recognize are often anything but,” Hollenbaugh said. “Perseverance cannot be placed in a trophy case. Integrity does not come with a certificate. Character cannot be engraved on a plaque.”

Hollenbaugh noted that while awards are important, they ultimately reflect something greater than a single accomplishment.

“Awards matter, but what they really represent is something deeper: the choice to begin and the long arc of practice, persistence, courage, and growth that followed,” she said.

She also reminded the students of the importance of the journey and that the awards represented the culmination of their longstanding efforts.

“Every milestone and accomplishment we celebrate today began with one of our students making the decision to act before she knew exactly how things would turn out,” she said.

Students also heard from Salutatorian Anum Rizvi ’26, who reflected on her classmates, their time at Oak Knoll, and the journey that lies ahead. Drawing on her habit of flipping to the last page before reading a book, Rizvi encouraged her fellow graduates to embrace the uncertainty of the future.

“The truth is, none of us know the ending of our stories yet,” Rizvi said. “We cannot predict who we will meet, who we will become, what we will lose, or what we will gain.”

“You do not need to know the last page,” she added. “You just need to be brave enough to keep turning it.”

Among the school’s highest honors, Abigail Han ’26 was named Valedictorian, while Emmanuella Chukwukere ’26 received the Dr. Shirley A. Jackson Award for Excellence in Science. Additional all-school awards recognized exceptional scholarship, leadership, service, faith, character, and intellectual curiosity.

Recipients of Oak Knoll’s All-School Awards include:

Valedictorian

• Abigail Han ’26

Dr. Shirley A. Jackson Award for Excellence in Science

• Emmanuella Chukwukere ’26

Connelly Scholar Award:

• Emma Loundon ’30
• Alicia Wilches ’30

Katie MacMaster Award

• Katherine Alibhai ’30

Brigid Gibbons Award

• Deirdre Keenan ’27

Holy Child Spirit Award 

• Emma Hager ’26

Michele Proia Award

• Savannah Ramdass ’26

Rita O’Brien Kentz Award

• Quinn McNany ’26

Sr. Elizabeth Barber Award

• Mackenzie Motroni ’26

Dr. Yvonne Imbleau Award

• Gaelle Jones ’26

The Latin Scholar Award

• Lauren “Tallula” Stebbings ’26

For a complete description of each award, click here.

In addition to these individual honors, students were recognized for prior academic achievement, including AP Scholar, National Merit, and Cum Laude Society distinctions.

The ceremony also celebrated the accomplishments of Oak Knoll’s senior athletes, including Women in Sports Award recipient Lauren Dietrich ’26; Kelly E. Durkin Award recipient Gaelle Jones ’26; Scholar Athlete Award recipient Mackenzie Motroni ’26; and Athlete of the Year Maris McGinty ’26.

For a complete description of each athletic award, click here.

Students previously recognized during the annual Arts Celebration and those inducted into the World Language Honor Society this spring were also honored.

Hollenbaugh and Head of School Jennifer G. Landis also presented each member of the Class of 2026 with a Holy Child Medal from the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and prayer cards on behalf of the Committee of the Cornelian Association.

Students in grades 7-12 were celebrated for outstanding achievement across all departments, including academics, the performing and creative arts, world language, athletics, computer science, music, English, history, mathematics, physical education, science, and theology, including:

Computer Science:     

• DolceAnna Stropoli ’27
• Gaelle Jones ’26

Creative Arts:

• Therese Ohene-Ologo ’27
• Cara Rodgers ’26

Fine Arts:

• Anaïs Picciano ’27
•  Magdalene Battista ’26

Music:  

• Valentina Reale ’27
• Delilah Rowe ’26

Photography:

• Reagan Moore ’27
• Lauren “Tallula” Stebbings ’26

Theatre:

• Anaïs Picciano ’27
• Scarlett Mahoney ’26

English:

• Sydney Maslovsky ’31
• Eva Simcik ’30
• Scarlet Wigginton ’29
• Alyssa Rodriguez ’28
• Sandrine Jiang ’27
• Madison Martin ’26

History:

• Lily Newman ’31
• Abigail Paulos ’30
• Ellis Sobers ’29
• Orla Marchesi ’28
• Sofia Tromonda ’27
• Catherine Luzzi ’26

Mathematics:

• Allison DeCroix ’31
• Alicia Wilches ’30
• Hailey Milnes ’29
• Mia Rotsztain ’28
• Siena DePasquale ’27
• Abigail Han ’26

P.E. & Wellness:

• Alexandra Rosenblatt ’31
• Charlotte Ferrando ’30
• Mary McEnroe ’29
• Elizabeth Sepe ’28
• Melina Voliotis ’27

Science:

• Eva Decker ’31
• Eva Huynh ’30
• Bridgid Flynn ’29
• Taylor Black ’28
• Nora Gautier ’27
• Anum Rizvi ’26

Theology: 

• Colette Lynn ’31
• Katherine Alibhai ’30
• Jamie Velasquez Fonseca ’29
• Madeline DeLong ’28
• Valentina Reale ’27
• Grace Bienstock ’26

World Language:

• Scarlett Miele ’31
• Emma Loundon ’30
• Alexa Noonan ’29
• Winifred Ohene-Ologo ’28
• Bevin Perdue ’27

Abigail Paulos ’30 earned the Hope Memorial Library Annual Book Lover’s Award, bestowed upon Oak Knoll’s most enthusiastic reader of the 2025-26 school year. 

Oak Knoll’s lifers, those who have attended Oak Knoll since kindergarten, were also honored and received a special medal. The Class of 2026 Lifers include: Catherine Luzzi ’26, Scarlett Mahoney ’26, Cara Rodgers ’26, Caroline Van Raaphorst ’26, and Victoria Wint ’26.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 and all OKS Upper School students!