News & Events

Dozens of Upper School students received honors on April 27 in the annual Encaenia Awards.

Encaenia was an annual academic ceremony in medieval England centering on the reciting of poems, essays, and the conferring of awards. Norfolk Academy's ceremony highlights citizenship and academic honors.

Headmaster Dennis Manning offered remarks at the opening and closing of the ceremony. While he praised the individual achievements that the ceremony recognizes, he praised the resilience of the student body in getting through the myriad challenges of the pandemic years with fortitude and, quite simply, a refusal “to wallow and quit."

He also shared a recent text he had received from a parent of an alumnus, who shared that his son's success as an adult could be traced back to his NA experience, including many “non-academic skills" that he gained through participation in athletics and activities. The parent wrote, “Every Bulldog can have his or her day, even if not first in the class or captain of the team," and Mr. Manning added, “Don't ever forget that!" 

The ceremony opened with Gavin Goss '22, president of the Cum Laude Society, announcing new inductees to the honor society.

The honorees at Encaenia:

Cum Laude Society Class of 2022 (The Cum Laude Society, founded in 1906 at the Tome School in Maryland, has as its purpose to promote learning and scholarship in secondary schools. The motto of the society is Excellence, Justice, and Honor. Norfolk Academy’s charter was granted in 1968 by the national office, and students are selected on the basis of their academic record.): Corey Brooks, Mariana Duarte, Emily Graham, Julianne Hood, Lily Mersel, AC Perry, Lilly Savin, Brooke Snyder, Sofia Tjia, Millie Van Slyke, Veronica Verdi, Avery Britt, Abby Fernandez, Selden Fiveash, Olivia Galiotos, Gavin Goss, Sarah Jacobs, Toria Kauffman, Madalyn Mejia, Reed Ramirez, David Smythe, Kristen Tan, Kai Wang.

Cum Laude Society Class of 2023: Vignesh Akkina, Henry Allgeier, Micah Baum, Annabelle Dyer, Ruby Garrison, Rylan Goss, Noah Howell, Lucas Knapp, Annamarie Russell, Mackenzie Savage, Fred Ward, Will Ward, Jen Yuan. 

National Merit Scholarship Program Commendation Winners (recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program as among the top 5% of the 1.4 million participants in the program): Reed Ramirez '22, David Smythe '22, Kristen Tan '22, Veronica Verdi '22, Gavin Wang '22, Kai Wang '22.

National Merit Scholarship Program Finalists (scored in the top one-half of l% nationally and have met various requirements of the College Board): Gavin Goss '22, Toria Kauffman '22. Toria is also the recipient of a National Merit Scholarship.

The Advanced Placement Scholar Award (granted to students who received a score of 3 or higher on three or more AP examinations): Henry Martin '22, David Smythe '22, James Thompson '22, Clayton Whetstine '22, Kenneth Whitehurst '22.

The Advanced Placement Scholar With Honor Award (granted to students who received an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and a score of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams): Clement Lee '22, John Paschold '22.

The Advanced Placement Scholar With Distinction Award (granted to students who received an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and a score of 3 or higher on five or more exams): Toria Kauffman '22, Kristen Tan '22.

The Princeton Book Award (given by the Princeton Club of South Hampton Roads to a student demonstrating exceptional talent, competence, and leadership in both academic and non-academic pursuits, while displaying concern for the opinions of others. Only 10 students were selected for this honor throughout the Hampton Roads area): Will Ward '23.

The Harvard Book Award (presented by the Harvard Alumni Association to an outstanding student in the junior class who displays excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievements in other fields): Micah Baum '23.

The Yale Book Award (presented by the Yale Alumni Association to a member of the junior class for outstanding personal character and intellectual promise): Jen Yuan '23.

The Jefferson Book Award (given to a junior who best represents the Jeffersonian qualities of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship): Henry Allgeier '23.

The William & Mary Leadership Award (presented to a student who exemplifies the spirit of Norfolk Academy through inspirational leadership, outstanding scholarship, and unwavering loyalty to his or her high school and community): Annamarie Russell '23.

The Bowdoin Book Award (for Serving the Common Good, given each year to the high school junior demonstrating strong leadership in community service): Fred Ward '23.

The Smith Book Award (presented to an outstanding junior who exemplifies academic achievement, especially in the sciences. This student also has leadership qualities and concern for others that characterize the thousands of women who have graduated from Smith College.): Annabelle Dyer '23.

The Tulane Book Award (given to a junior in recognition of excellence in academics, leadership, and public service): Rylan Goss '23.

The University of Vermont Citizen Scholar Book Award (awarded to a deserving junior who has demonstrated both outstanding dedication to scholarship inside the classroom and impressive duty to citizenship and activism outside the classroom): Liam Sullivan '23.

The VMI Book Award (given to a student who has demonstrated outstanding honor, leadership, and responsibility during his or her time at Norfolk Academy): Bennett Yue '23.

The Sweet Briar College Book Award (new this year, awarded to a junior girl in recognition of her leadership skills and academic achievement. Also, a student who is independently minded, community driven, intellectually curious, and fiercely determined to set and achieve goals.): Ashley Huddleston '23.

The High Point University Book Award (presented to a sophomore who models a growth mindset as well as demonstrates excellence and service in and out of the classroom. This student leads by his example of service and has a desire to make a difference in his community.): Van Deans '24.

The William Perry Moore IV Award (given annually to a 10th grade girl or boy in honor of Perry Moore '90, whose love of film, language, and literature led him on an incomparable journey of the imagination throughout his life): Lily Stockwell '24.

The Statesman Award (presented to the senior with the greatest potential for outstanding leadership and service in public affairs, government, and the promotion of the common good): Avery Britt '22.

The Academic Achievement in Psychology Award (given by The American Psychological Association of Teachers of Psychology to a senior for excellence in the study of psychology): Brooke Snyder '22.

The American Classical League Book Award (presented for outstanding performance on the National Latin Examination over multiple years. This year we have two students who have won a Gold Medal on the National Latin Exam for four years and are receiving a copy of Caesar’s Civil Wars in recognition of this prestigious accomplishment): Micah Baum '23, Rachael Buchanan '24.

Governor's School (students who have been accepted to the Governor's School for the summer of 2022): Mackenzie Savage '23, Jenny Vazquez Paramo '23, Annamarie Russell '23, Rebecca Schill '23, Conner Alex '24, Jen Yuan '23. 

The Rensselaer Award (given to a rising senior for academic excellence in math and science. A minimum $30,000 per year scholarship will be awarded to this student should he pursue study in architecture, engineering, management, science, or the humanities and social sciences at Rensselaer): Jesse Fine '23.

The Technology Student Association, a national, non-profit association dedicated to students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, sponsors an annual national Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science — better known as the TEAMS competition. This year the focus was on Engineering in Entertainment — Norfolk Academy’s team members learned about topics including microcontrollers, theme park engineering, and unmanned aerial vehicles. This year the TEAMS competition consisted of a single division for grades 9-12 with the top 25 teams in the nation qualifying for the national TEAMS competition. The Upper School was represented by six teams this year, two teams of four students for each grade. One of our 11th grade teams finished first in the state and all together our teams earned five of the top 10 scores in the state: 12th Grade Team 1 — Gavin Goss '22, Toria Kauffman '22, David Smythe '22, James Thompson '22. 12th Grade Team 2 — Avery Britt '22, Julianne Hood '22, Madalyn Mejia '22, Kai Wang '22. 11th Grade Team 1 — Micah Baum '23, Quinn Carroll '23, Lee McElligott '23, Jen Yuan '23. 11th Grade Team 2 — Vignesh Akkina '23, Bella Burr '23, Noah Howell '23, Mitchell Moore '23. 10th Grade Team 1 — Sam Bibeau '24, Srivarun Hathwar '24, Zoë Jones '24, Areen Syed '24. 10th Grade Team 2 — Julian Burke '24, Ann Gray Golpira '24, Gretchen Scott '24, Marin Soderberg '24.

The G.S. Hobbs Jr. Service Award (honors Tunstall organizations that have enhanced the life of the community through selfless service): Special Olympics Club. Co-Presidents are Reed Ramirez '22 and David Smythe '22.

Congratulations to all!