Upper School Awards

This award recognizes students who are passionate about art, are always thinking about how to create pieces “outside of the box,” and who continue to ask, “What if?” They are not afraid to take risks and continually investigate the world around them.

The Department of Classical and Modern Languages recognizes these students, who have demonstrated a true love for, and a genuine interest in, the study of their foreign language while maintaining a superior academic average. These students serve as role models for their peers in the areas of classroom participation, enthusiasm, attention to detail and preparation for all classroom activities. In the modern languages, they regularly exceed classroom expectations by their exclusive use of the target language and by their willingness to explore outside sources to gain more authentic exposure to the language and culture of their respective diaspora.

This award celebrates a student who has demonstrated the capacity to act as an agent of change and to raise the bar for those around them by learning to use the power of rhetoric effectively to challenge others with words and ideas. This may happen in the classroom, in the school community or in a community beyond the walls of this Academy.

This award recognizes math students who take risks in the classroom by “wondering aloud” about an idea or question, who demonstrate genuine interest in a mathematical topic by learning independently, who investigate their own approaches to solve a problem and then try to figure out why it did or did not work, who show solid effort and high achievement in their studies, and who are genuinely engaged and willing to help others in classroom activities.

 For more than 100 years, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has awarded the Rensselaer Medal to promising rising seniors who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science. The medal is intended to recognize the superlative academic achievement of young men and women, and to motivate students toward higher education leading to a career in science, engineering and technology. This merit scholarship, worth a value of $30,000 per year, is guaranteed for four years for each medalist who attends RPI in Troy, New York. This award is given annually to a student in the top 10% of the class who excels in math and science courses.

The University of Rochester's Bausch + Lomb Science Award recognizes outstanding high school juniors who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and rigor in science and math courses, along with positive contributions to their school and community. Recipients are automatically considered for the Bausch + Lomb Science Scholarship, which offers at least $5,000 per year, totaling $20,000 over four years, should they choose to enroll at the University of Rochester. This prestigious award not only honors students' scientific accomplishments but also encourages them to pursue further studies in science and technology fields.

The University of Notre Dame’s Notre Dame Club of Cleveland seeks to recognize a talented junior whose scholarship is indicative of someone who loves learning and sees beyond grades, someone who desires to use her or his intellectual talents for the betterment of the world and the Church. He or she is not only a leader inside the classroom, but must occupy a

position of leadership in the areas of student government, publications, athletics or any other important aspect of school life. This is a person who gives of herself or himself in service to others and the award winner must take her or his faith life seriously. The Notre Dame Book Award is presented to a student who exemplifies those ideals and shows promise in the pursuit of higher education and lifelong learning. 

The Princeton Book Award is presented to outstanding studentd at the end of their junior year at public and private secondary schools across the country. Criteria for selection include intellectual promise and academic excellence, exemplary service or extracurricular activities and outstanding personal character.

Presented by Yale University, the Yale Book Award recognizes a junior who demonstrates outstanding personal character and intellectual promise.

The Harvard Book Prize Program was originated to attract the attention of talented students to the opportunities in Cambridge. The Harvard Book Prize is awarded to a student who displays excellence in scholarship and achievement in non-academic areas as well.

The Blessed Brother Basil Moreau award bears witness to Gilmour Academy’s commitment to the formation of young people. In the spirit of Fr. Moreau, who maintained that the mind should not be educated at the expense of the heart, this award recognizes students who live as Holy Cross people by exhibiting a genuine desire to learn and embodying the core values of Holy Cross. The following students have been chosen by their peers and affirmed by the faculty: