Nearly 30 Upper School students were recognized on Thursday, April 15, 2021, for their leadership, outstanding achievement and dedication to the creative arts at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child during the school’s 28th annual Arts Recognition Ceremony.

Student arts leaders, faculty advisors and directors, and administrators gathered in the Mother Mary Campion Center for the Performing Arts while parents and others participated virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions on campus.

Oak Knoll’s Creative Arts Council President, Nicole MacMaster ’21 of Madison, said she’s incredibly proud of the Oak Knoll arts community, especially during this past pandemic year.

“In my 13 years spent as a lifer at Oak Knoll, I’ve never seen so much creativity and out-of-the-box thinking as I have this year,” said MacMaster. “This year has made me so grateful to be a member of a community of such imaginative people. This community continues to amaze me every day because we know that we’re all in this together.”

At the Arts Recognition Ceremony, students earned awards for achievement, dedication and leadership representing the following extracurricular activities: Aquila, Chamber Orchestra, Chimes, Concert Choir, Dancers, Dramatica, Ensemble, Freestyle, Photo Club, the Musical, Scribes, Stage and Lighting crews, and Untucked.

“The Arts Celebration, an annual tradition at Oak Knoll, is a wonderful springtime opportunity that highlights our many creative arts organizations and the accomplishments of our talented fine and performing young artists,” said Upper School Creative Arts Director Will Cardell. “In the past, the faculty advisors and directors did most of the talking at this gathering, but, in recent years, the focus has shifted to student presentations. This needed change has made for a more dynamic and heartfelt event – after all, who could be better representatives of the arts than the student artists themselves?”

The award recipients for Oak Knoll School’s 2021 Arts Recognition Awards include:

Leadership Award – Recognizes students who have guided their organizations with vision and purpose

• Annemieke Exton ’21 and Grace McCaghey ’21 – Photo Club
• Gabriella Molina ’21 – Dancers
• Janet Pearce ’22 – Scribes
• Isabella Kooch ’21 and Christina Sutton ’21 – Aquila
• Katie Lawler ’21 – Lighting Tech Crew
• Ava Longarzo ’21– Ensemble, Musical (Cast Award), Musical (Production Staff Award)
• Nora Quinn ’21 – Concert Choir Council
• Betsy Keenan ’22 – Freestyle
• Jodie DeJesus ’21 – Untucked
• Amanda Heckmann ’21 and Helen Farrell ‘21 – Dramatica
• Leticia Sefia ’21 – Chamber Orchestra
• Chloe Bourneuf ’24 and Sadie Edgar ’25 – Chimes

Dedication Award – Recognizes students dedicated to their group’s endeavors and show a willingness to help others.

• Amanda Heckmann ’21 – Musical (Cast Award)
• Emma Burgess ’21 – Musical (Production Staff Award)
• Ava Pospeck ’22 – Concert Choir Council
• Alysa Ali ’22 – Ensemble
• Gabriella Molina ’21 – Untucked
• Viera Pulver ’23 – Aquila
• Tiamari Paisley ’21 – Dancers
• Nicole MacMaster ’21 – Dramatica
• Grace McCaghey ’21 – Lighting Tech Crew
• Kaleigh Wright ’21 – Photo Club

Outstanding Achievement – Recognizes students with outstanding talent and who also demonstrate a genuine curiosity about their art form.

• Catherine Merritt ’21 – Photo Club
• Helen Farrell ’21 – Musical (Cast Award)
• Caroline Rowe ’21 – Aquila
• Nicole MacMaster ’21 – Lighting Tech
• Ava Longarzo ’21 – Dramatica