Faculty advisors to Oak Knoll’s arts clubs recognized two dozen students on Thursday, April 10, 2025, for their leadership, service, and achievement during the 32nd annual Creative Arts Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony honors excellence in various artistic fields, including visual arts, music, theater, dance, photography, and writing.

Faculty advisors to each arts club can select one or more of the following awards to bestow:

• The Achievement Award is issued to students with outstanding talent who demonstrate genuine curiosity about their work and what they do. 
• The Service Award is given to students who are dedicated to their group’s endeavors and willing to help others. 
• The Leadership Award is issued to students who have guided their organizations with vision and purpose. 

The creative arts recognition ceremony is a testimony to the many outlets students have at Oak Knoll to hone and demonstrate their blossoming talents.

“Oak Knoll Arts introduced me to a whole new world of artistic opportunity, which has defined and fulfilled me ever since,” said Creative Arts Council President Lauren White ’25 in her opening reflection to the assembly. “ Today, we gather to celebrate the arts and to thank those who paint our community with color, music, and joy through their service to the arts.”

Aptly, the guest speaker for the event was Leilany Figueroa ’19, a successful television actress with a recurring role on Law and Order: SVU and several soon-to-be-released independent films. After graduating from Oak Knoll, Figueroa (whose stage name is Leilany Celeste) went on to attend the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts and wasted little time in illustrating her talent with a breakout role on a prime-time series.

Figueroa spoke of the many near misses and disappointments she experienced trying to break into television and film, but stressed the importance of her faith in God for getting her through the difficult times. 

“ If it weren’t for my trust in God and the choice to surrender my passion to his will, I would not have succeeded on my own,” she explained. “The doubt and unpredictability inherent in the material world can so easily consume you, but the refuge and strength we have in our savior will always conquer.”

Faculty advisors stepped to the podium individually to announce their awardees, who were then presented with a red rose.

The recipients of Oak Knoll School’s 2025 Arts Recognition Awards in the following arts clubs are:

Scribes

• Leadership: Toyin Oyediran ’25 (President) 
• Service: Mina McNulty ’25
• Achievement: Abigail  Han ’25

Untucked (Student Newspaper)

• Leadership: Caitlin Canal ’25 (Editor-in-Chief)

Dancers 

• Leadership: Savannah Ramdass ’25, Grace Bienstock ’25 (Co-Presidents)

Literary Magazine 

• Leadership: Anne Egan ’25 (Editor in Chief)
• Service: Ellie McCabe ’25 (Art Editor)
• Achievement: Audrey Cicchino ’25 (Co-literary Editor)

Dramatica

• Leadership: Grace Ritter ’25, Sara Kaplan ’26 (Production Managers)
• Achievement: Maddie Sherry ’26

Musical 

• Leadership: Delilah Rowe ’26 (Production Manager), Sadie Edgar ’25 (Dance Captain)
• Service: AvaClaire Lago ’25 (Production Stage Manager)
• Achievement: Riley Steinel ’25

Vocal and Instrumental Music 

• Leadership: Scarlett Mahoney ’26
• Service: Lauren White ’25
• Achievement: Lauren McPhail ’25

Aquila (Yearbook) 

• Leadership: Grace Ritter ’25 (Editor)
• Service: Anna Chamberlin ’26
• Achievement: Grace Bienstock ’26

Lighting Crew 

• Leadership: Gwyneth Healy ’25 (President)
• Service: Abigail Sieczkowski ’25

Congratulations to these blossoming superstars!