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97 Eighth-Graders Receive the President's Award for Educational Excellence

97 Eighth-Graders Receive the President's Award for Educational Excellence

Congratulations to the 97 Maple School eighth-graders who received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence in person at Maple School on May 12. This year marks the thirty-ninth anniversary of this extraordinary program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

This Award is designed to recognize students who have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher through sixth, seventh, and the first two trimesters of eighth grade at Maple School. Additionally, the student must also have received recommendations from a teacher and a second staff member.

This esteemed assembly began with the Color Guard's presentation of the flags, and there was the recitation of the "The Pledge of Allegiance." Renee Yoo’s chamber orchestra performed "The Star-Spangled Banner," adding a festive ambiance to the evening.

Principal Sam Kurtz and Assistant Principal Betty Holzkopf welcomed the audience of families, teachers, and students. Ms. Holzkopf introduced the Board of Education President Nancy Artz, who addressed the audience and commended the students.

Superintendent Dr. Brian Wegley spoke next, congratulating the pupils on their outstanding achievements.

"District 30 exists to create a community that craves learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for each child," Wegley said.

"We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. We are all so proud of your accomplishments.”

Former recipient and Glenbrook North High School senior Megan Wang spoke to the audience about her wonderful memories at Maple School. She encouraged the students to get involved in all aspects of high school, nurture their friendships, and really take the time to contemplate future goals.

Eighth-graders Hanning Zhu and Songha (Arianna) Park represented their class and spoke about their achievements. They discussed how getting involved in activities helped them succeed in their studies.

They both emphasized the theme of the evening, “I Couldn’t Do It Alone,” and said they were thankful to have such supportive families, schools, and faculty in their lives.

Maple science teacher Robin Dombeck also addressed the students and said she was proud of their success.

Assistant Principal Betty Holzkopf then welcomed teachers Lynn Reimer, Robin Dombeck, Jillian Rathge, Sarah Arends, and Renee Yoo, who presented the awards to the students. For health and safety reasons, Dr. Wegley, and Ms. Artz "fist-bumped" each pupil’s hand, instead of the usual handshake that is the custom.

Maple School faculty and staff members who are members of the President's Award for Educational Excellence Committee include Sarah Arends, Robin Dombeck, Kathy Janca, Jillian Rathge, Lynn Reimer, Nancy Lifshitz, and Renee Yoo.

April 2022

This school year Maple School will again recognize eighth-grade students who will be receiving the President's Award for Educational Excellence. This year marks the thirty-ninth anniversary for this extraordinary program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. This Award is designed to recognize students who have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher through sixth, seventh, and the first two trimesters of eighth grade at Maple School. Additionally, the student must also have received recommendations by a teacher and a second staff member. 

In recognition of these high-achieving students, Maple School will host an evening celebration on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at 7:00 pm. During this event, guest speakers who have contributed to our students' successes at Maple School will share their perspectives on learning and life. 

"We believe that educating children in District 30 is a team effort," said Principal Samuel Kurtz. 

2021-22 PAEE Recipients

Benjamin Allen

Victoria Anguiano

Dominik Baczewski

Kayla Baek

Norbert Balagyan

Ciara Barry

Alexander Bartusiak

Samantha Becker

Olivia Berry

Yuzhu Bi

Naranzul Buyantogtokh

Yejun Byun

Samantha Caporusso-Hartman

Hayden Carl

Elizabeth Cash

Katie Chang

Sungwoo Choi

Micaela Christiansen

Alison Chung

Zoey Coleman

Aiden Dai

Peter Demos

Andras    Domokos

Anne Eisenberg

Ethan Fink

Dylan Fuh

Emma Goldberg

Ella Gordon

Shiloh Gordon

Jaiden Han

Maya Hans

Ian He

Joshua Hidalgo

Laura Hu

Seoyun Hwang

Ryan Itahara

Sydney Jon

Lillith Kaat

Valerie    Keys

Benjamin Kim

Ella King

Nathalie Kitaychik

Adriana Kocol

Mackenzie Krzus

Jenna    Kubba

Nathan    Kwon

Harris Lee

Jayden Lee

Katherine Lee

Maribelle Lee

Sophia    Lee

Lauren Leonardo

Nathan Lydon

Shaanpal Manchanda

Anna Marsh

Sushant Medikondla

Madelaine Meyer

Lauren    Miller

Ellory Moran

Guilianna Mulsoff

Malini Nangia

Joyce Ng

Chloe Novakovsky

Lauren Oh

Mihika Pandit

Abigail    Park

Songha Park

Ronir Patel

Ethan Pollack

Sanjana Purayil

Annika    Purohit

Dylan Racke

Aleksander Raguimov

Tomas    Raptis

Zarar Rizki

Ellie Schneider

Kaya Schneider

Jake Semmelhack

Akhil Sheth

Hyunjin Shon

Matthew Shore

Daniel    Sokol

Jackson Strykowski

Aila Suteria

Zoha Suteria

Micah Swidler

Nathan    Szmuilowicz

Amalia    Tryfonopoulos

Ariel Tsinman

David Wang

Jessica Wang

Klaudia Wietecha

Adrian    Wiktorowski

Helena    Yang

Yagna Yenne

Charlotte Yu

Juliette Zhou

Hanning Zhu