Honoring Excellence: 2026 Honors Assembly

On Friday, May 1, St. Catherine of Siena Academy held its annual Honors Assembly during the school day, bringing together the entire student body, faculty, and staff to recognize student achievement across all areas of school life.

A defining aspect of this tradition is the setting itself. With the full school community present, the Honors Assembly becomes a shared experience for the sisterhood. Students are in the audience honoring their sisters, celebrating accomplishments beyond their own, and reinforcing a culture where achievement is recognized, supported, and encouraged by peers.

Mrs. Hehs led the assembly in prayer, centering the celebration in gratitude for the gifts and opportunities entrusted to each student. From there, awards were presented across academics, leadership, service, athletics, the arts, and faith formation.

Throughout the program, students were recognized for both breadth and depth of involvement. Some made multiple trips to the stage, reflecting excellence across disciplines. Others were honored for focused achievement and growth in a specific area. Together, these recognitions reflected the many ways students engage in the life of SCA and the many ways they are discovering and developing their feminine genius.

The faculty is also to be commended for the creativity and care behind many of the awards themselves. Alongside traditional academic honors, students received distinctions such as the Austin Kleon Curiosity Award, the Cinephile Award, and the DaVinci Award—each reflecting intellectual curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to think beyond a single discipline. In mathematics and science, awards named for figures such as Emmy Noether and Karen Uhlenbeck underscored the legacy of women who have shaped their fields.

A few students were recognized repeatedly throughout the afternoon showing consistent involvement and achievement across academics, arts, leadership, and service. Rather than being confined to one category, their recognition spanned multiple departments—reflecting the formation of the whole student at SCA.

Celebrating Our Top Scholars

At the conclusion of the ceremony, five seniors were recognized for exceptional academic achievement:

• ‍Valedictorians: Ava Lassey and Brooklyn Nafso
• Salutatorians: Ava Tran and Gabrielle Wolocko
• Scholar of Distinction: Araceli Cabello

These students represent sustained academic excellence throughout their high school careers, as well as a commitment to intellectual growth and personal responsibility. They were joined by classmates earning Cum Laude honors, recognizing consistent achievement over seven semesters.

Honors Assembly is made possible through the work of faculty who thoughtfully design and present departmental awards that reflect the strengths and character of their students. We are especially grateful to Hutham Tankersley for coordinating this assembly each year and ensuring that this tradition is carried out with care, clarity, and attention to detail.

We are a community grounded in faith, committed to academic excellence, and shaped by a culture of sisterhood. We value the opportunity to highlight individual gifts and achievements, and to have those accomplishments shared and celebrated within the life of the school.

We congratulate all of our students for their hard work and dedication throughout the year and look forward to the continued growth and accomplishments ahead.

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