Prep had its second quarter sessions assembly of the year on Friday, Feb. 8. If you’re not aware of what this event is, here’s a brief overview. Students are formally recognized academically, at the end of the day, by the school. Achievements such as straight A’s, finishing with the highest QPA, and overall class success are some of the several things recognized at this ceremony that is hosted in the H. David Bowes Auditorium.
To start, senior Mike Borowicz led the auditorium in an opening prayer. After he concluded, ROTC had a select group of cadets march up the aisle with both the United States’ flag and Prep’s flag.
After the Pledge of Allegiance was stated, the actual ceremony got underway. Mr. Haller approached the podium and began to announce the names of freshmen who earned first and second honors cards while Mr. Achille helped hand out the cards. First honors is awarded to those who get straight A’s, and second honors is awarded to those who achieve A’s and B’s. After the freshmen were announced, sophomore class advisor Mr. Hubert went to the podium to read the list of sophomores who would receive an honor card, and Mr. Peck helped pass out the cards. For the junior class, Mr. Parsons called out the names of students while Mr. Ladouceur distributed the physical certificates. Finally, for the seniors, Mrs. Quinn called out honor card recipients while Mr. Vicary assisted by handing out cards.
After the honor cards were given to every student deserving of one, Mr. Pituch went to the podium and announced the names of the students in each class with the highest QPA. The students who had their names called during this time received a school pennant as a reward for their outstanding schoolwork.
Concluding the pennant portion of the ceremony, Mr. Herbstritt walked up next to the stage and announced the “Man of Prep” award for each class. This award’s criteria goes outside the realm of academics, and includes other qualities such as kindness, integrity, and charity. The winner for the freshmen class was Nathaniel Showers, while for the sophomores Kyle Cox received the award. Moving onto the upperclassmen, junior Kaden Swanson was deemed “Man of Prep” for his class, while Justin Czerwinski accepted the certification for the seniors.
The last section of the ceremony before the guest speaker came to the stage was the announcement of those who won in the writing contest. In the creative writing part of the competition, junior student Ethan Junkin placed first. For persuasive writing, Dusty Burch, Mulimedia Coordinator of The Rambler, ended up in first place.
The speaker for the second quarter sessions of the year was Attorney Mark Kuhar. In his speech, Kuhar explained the importance of other things in life, besides grades. He stated that while grades may be very important, qualities like personality, respect, and a strong work ethic are all invaluable. He also stressed the need for good communication skills, and the ability to find networking possibilities.
Overall, Prep’s second quarter sessions showcased the best of Prep. Whether it was those who accepted awards for being the best in their class academically or otherwise, quarter sessions truly does put students in the spotlight for achieving highly in their studies. And with only one more ceremony left this year, it’ll be important for everyone to try and push to get an award so they can be formally recognized one last time before the end of the year.
