Each spring, the Upper School gathers to recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, creativity, and intellectual engagement. These academic achievement awards (also known as the Senior Book Awards) offer us a moment to pause and honor not only individual accomplishment, but also the values that guide our shared learning: curiosity, collaboration, and care.
We are proud to lift up these Upper School awardees—primarily members of the senior class—whose work reflects both excellence and integrity. As you read their names, we invite you to reflect on the many forms that growth can take, and to join us in celebrating the light they bring to our community.
Greg Salmon Award
Una Davis ’26
In December of 2004, this community suffered a devastating loss when Greg Salmon, class of 2006, was killed in a car accident. In our loss of Greg, his place in the community as someone who carried a bright spirit, the unusual ability to put all at ease, to include others, to make others laugh in generous ways, to be a caring and attentive friend to many, his commitment to community service all came into clear focus. The easiest way to describe him was as a “great kid”. With the annual Salmon Award, we remember Greg and these gifts that he shared so freely with others and we honor the deep value of his best qualities to this school community. Each year the Salmon Award is given to a member of the Junior class who reflects these virtues above and beyond those accomplishments that are more typically recognized in school awards.
“More than anything else, however, Una is recognized today for her friendship. Whether she is talking with a close friend or a classmate with whom she has a passing acquaintance, Una seems to approach each point of contact purely as an opportunity to connect with another human being, without artifice or agenda. AFS is a better place because of Una.”
Campbell Family Service Award
Angie Stevens ‘25 and Mayalondyn Howden-Gray ’25
The Campbell Family Service Award was established in 2012 in recognition of former AFS parents David and Gwen Campbell, in appreciation for their outstanding contributions, generosity, and long years of dedicated service to Abington Friends School.
The Campbell Family Service Award goes to the senior who best embodies the Campbells’ spirit of giving, generosity and leadership through hard work in service to others. This embodiment is best described as the notion of Heart, Head and Hands. That is, this student has demonstrated Heart through a visible passion for service and selfless devotion to others; this student has shown a Head for leadership, initiative, creativity and persistence; and, this student has used Hands for doing what needs to be done and being involved in the work in a deeply personal way. The Campbell Family Service Award recognizes that student whose selfless community involvement has added immeasurably to the quality of life for all of us.
“Mayalondyn, in your time here, you’ve been known as a compassionate leader and community builder. You bring infectious joy and good humor to all your relationships, and it’s no surprise to us that you were awarded the Greg Salmon award in your junior year because of your care for the community.”
“Angie, you are a tour de force as a top student-athlete and community member. Your teachers speak highly of your leadership in the classroom and beyond, always leading by example with your diligence, work ethic, and care for others.”
Instrumental Music Virtuoso Award
Jackson McWilliams ’25
“Your reliability and ability as a performer is both commendable and remarkable, and your dedication to musical growth throughout the years has been unmistakable. Thank you so much for sharing your gifts with our ensembles, and I hope you continue to live a musical life filled with discovery and gratification.”
Instrumental Music Service & Leadership Award
Priyal Sanathara ’25
“The band room will be a little less bright next year with you gone, but I’m sure your musical gifts and experiences will continue to be a guiding light.”
Strings Virtuoso Award
Timmy Ma ’25
“[Timmy] not only puts in the hard work and practice to make this happen, he also has an innate connection to music and is constantly seeking to understand it on a deeper level, exploring different genres of music and voraciously listening to concerts.”
Strings Music Service and Leadership Award
Jada Melville ’25
“She does this in a way that does not call attention to herself, but rather prefers to see others lifted up and actively seeks situations where their light can shine. She listens thoughtfully to instructions and in conversation, and brings questions and wisdom that enrich every discussion.”
Choral Virtuoso Award
Koby Fallon ’25
“An extraordinarily versatile vocalist, Koby easily moves from belting a Broadway showstopper to blending beautifully with a choral group. He is remarkable for his ability to take feedback and implement it.”
Choral Music Award for Service and Leadership
Aly Cromar ’25
“This is an award about commitment and dependability. Aly was part of the AFS choral program for all four years of Upper School, and her dedication as a member of both the concert choir and chamber singers has never wavered. With sincere enthusiasm, Aly has been a leader by example, always engaged, always striving to sing her best. Also, Aly pretty much never missed a rehearsal, and that’s a good thing because Aly was the student I counted on to take attendance for me every class.”
Technical Theater Award
Oliver Peterson ’25
“I am most impressed…that he is a teacher. If you’ve seen him with other students, you know. He has the knowledge to share, but the gift of patience, charisma, and curiosity to spread that gift with his fellow students and those yearning to learn. Because that’s what we are good at on the catwalks of the theater: Shine a light on others. “
Theatre Award for Performance and Service
Ava Cole ’25
“She leaves all of us better than she found us. She truly serves her community while truly serving on stage.”
Theatre Award for Curricular Excellence
Yael Smith Posner ’25
“Yael will ride her bicycle for five miles through an ice storm if there is a chance to perform and learn at the end of it. That is a theatre maker.”
Studio Art Award
Will Ortega ’25
“What can Will’s art teach? It can teach us about how important patience is in successful work. When we focus, and really put the time in, our ideas start to blossom. It’s not the other way around: the inspiration doesn’t cause consistent work. The consistent work causes inspiration!”
English Department Award
Casey Smothers ’25
“In every essay, Casey seeks not just to answer their question but to uncover an intellectual core at its center.”
Mary Helen Bickley Award
Katie Podulka ’25 and Aquilla Mixon ’25
“Aquilla has a thirst for knowledge, seeks feedback to dig deeper into her written work informed by her wiiide imagination – an imagination informed by books.”
“Over the course of her time at AFS, Katie has audited at least two English assignments, where she did all the assignments, contributed to class suggestions and suggested books for everyone to read.”
History Department Award
Casey Smothers ’25
“I have read the ‘working draft’ of your independent study research, and I’m frankly a little dumbfounded. Few high school students could write a 30-page research paper examining the extent to which Pol Pot’s Communist Party of Kampuchea adopted Maoist ideology, complete with a historiographical introduction situating their own claim within the existing literature on this subject. As a result, I’m pleased to announce that with just a bit more work over the summer, you will have completed your first Master’s thesis.”
French Language Award
Dahlia Abboushi ’25
“Your efforts reflect a profound intellectual curiosity which motivate you to find every opportunity to interact with the language and make French a part of your daily life.”
Spanish Language Award
Gabriela Puntel ’25 and Nelson Cordon ’25
“For four both, you entered Spanish class with a purpose. Every day you brought heart, humility, and a health dose of humanity – and perhaps an occasional dramatic sigh during an extra AP class activity. You model not only the importance of taking risks with a new language, but a deep respect for the language and the people who speak it.”
Mathematics Department Award
Timmy Ma ’25
“While it is true that Timmy is precise, computational and efficient, his work is the result of unwavering dedication and maximal effort. He knows so much math largely because he works hard and asks questions. He shows that great learners are not afraid to ask – they know it’s the key to understanding.”
Science Department Award
Miranda Shandell ’25
“Miranda doesn’t just understand complex ideas; she makes them understandable to others with precision and clarity. She has a gift for seeing past the noise to the essence of a problem, and her explanations are precise, logical, and well-reasoned.”
Dartmouth Award
Ruby Schumm ’26
“Ruby’s impact extends well beyond her academic and artistic achievements. She is deeply present with people—listening fully, offering quiet support, and making others feel seen and valued. She’s the one who lingers to help, who others instinctively trust, and who shows up wholeheartedly in every commitment.”
Faculty Award
Jada Melville ’25
“Jada’s journey through AFS has embodied the lived practice of stewardship – through her care for her peers, her teachers, her craft, her community.”
Director’s Award
Priyal Sanathara ’25
“Priyal’s legacy is a masterclass in showing up—intellectually, artistically, and communally—with your full self.”
