On January 10, district leadership and the ICSD Board of Education recognized the extraordinary achievements of students and staff at the first Commendation Ceremony of the 2022-2023 school year! (Check out photos of the event on Instagram)

The purpose of the quarterly Commendation Ceremonies is to celebrate the success of Team ICSD members who go above and beyond in the arts, athletics, and the community. Special recognition is also paid to individuals who embody the ICSD’s Culture of Love. 

Congratulations to everyone recognized!

• DeWitt Orchestra Section Leaders – working tirelessly to advance orchestra

• Winners of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission 2022 Arts Contest

• Henry Bopp (6th grade) - winner of the Dorothy Cotton Institute Award for Poetry

• Harper Makepeace (12th grade) and Silver Vincent-Faris (11th grade) - recipients of Rotary Youth Exchange scholarships to study abroad next year

• Jesse Wright (IHS studio art teacher) – created an art exhibition, “Everywhere, Return,” depicting landscapes and people of Jamaica

• Ian Golden-Appleton (8th grade) – partnered with the ICSD Technology Department on projects to help protect students in digital spaces

• Daniel Parker (11th grade) – named the ESPN Ithaca Fueling Excellence Athlete of the Week

• Brooke Burnett (BJM teacher) – appointed to the 30-member State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching

• Nikol Miojevic (12th grade) – finalist in the Genes in Space Science Competition

• Elijah Burger (10th grade) – completed the Boy Scouts of America Eagle Project

• Boaz Ng (12th grade) – earned the Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout rank

• JT Thomforde (12th grade) – named a Boys Golf: West/Metro All-Conference STAC All-Star

• Ivalee Bascom (10th grade) and Alice Clapp (10th grade) – named Girls Swim & Dive: West/Metro All-Conference STAC All-Stars

• Fiona Blakely-Armitage (8th grade) – named Girls Swim & Dive: West/Metro All-Division STAC All-Star

• Fiona Glenn-Keough (11th grade) and Marina Okada (9th grade) – named Girls Tennis: All Conference STAC All-Star & West All-Division Singles STAC All-Stars

• Fiona Hinrichsen (11th grade) and Veronika Liivak (10th grade) – named Girls Tennis: West All-Division Doubles STAC All-Stars

• Everett Shaw (10th grade) and Crosby Woods (11th grade) – named Boys Cross Country: West/Metro All-Conference STAC All-Stars

• Noah Hilker (10th grade), Riley Hubisz (10th grade), and Jesse Rinzel (12th grade) – named Boys Cross Country: West All-Division STAC All-Stars

• Emily Bellman (11th grade) and Frances Klemm (12th grade) – named Girls Cross Country: West All-Division STAC All-Stars

• Aliou Cisse (12th grade), Iago Lopez (11th grade), Luke VanDeMark (12th grade), Isaac Smith (12th grade), and Nkosinathi Volmink (12th grade) – named Boys Soccer: West/Metro All-Conference STAC All-Stars

• Ava Chouman (12th grade) and Samantha Haaf (12th grade) – named Girls Soccer: West/Metro All-Conference STAC All-Stars

• Phoebe Colvin (10th grade), Clara Bennett (12th grade), and Anna Kotaska (11th grade) – named Girls Soccer: West All-Division STAC All-Stars

• Cameron Grange (12th grade) – named Girls Cross Country: West All-Division STAC All-Star

• Eden Lewis (12th grade) and Ainslie Reimer (12th grade) – named Girls Volleyball: West All-Division STAC All-Stars

• Sam Dewalt (12th) – achieved a Black Belt in Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo

• Anya Packard (11th grade), Samuel DeLisa (12th grade), and Ananya Prasad (12th grade) – selected to participate in the American Choir Directors Association event

• Xinyue Zhang (8th grade), Rani Marie Sethupathy (8th grade), Jorge Lynch (8th grade), Corey Fowler (8th grade), Alasdair Smith (8th grade), and Luke Hwang (8th grade) – selected to participate in the New York State Band Directors Association event

• Participants in the Junior High Area All-State NYSSMA event

• Participants in the Senior High Area All-State NYSSMA event

• Participants in the All-State NYSSMA Conference

• Facing History Class at LACS – performed their show, “Vive La Resistance” – the culmination of a five-week unit on the Holocaust - for the Ithaca community

• Leaders in Restorative Justice – helping the ICSD further our efforts to build a district that is welcoming, inclusive, equitable, and transformative

• Student Curriculum Advisory Panel Members – providing feedback on curricula that are focused on anti-racism and social justice

• Matilda Schrader (10th grade), Montadhar Abed (12th grade), Chester Stone (10th grade), Tharun Ramachandran (10th grade), and Lucine Barseghyan (11th grade) – dedicated student math tutors

• Winners of the Josh Palmer Christmas Tournament Division II Championship for Girls Basketball

• Tsadia Bercuvitz (8th grade) – ICSD Athlete All-Star

Culture of Love Awards

• Zelda Blaine (South Hill substitute educator) – Committed – A priceless part of the South Hill Community, who does the incredibly tough job of being someone different every day (or even every hour) as the needs of the school constantly and unpredictably change

• Christina Neumann (IHS teaching assistant) – Committed – A gifted and talented artist and communicator, who supports educators, students, and parents in maneuvering through the educational process

• Stacy Nembhard (BJM teaching assistant) – Caring – A pillar of the Beverly J. Martin Elementary community, committed to the health and growth of its children

• Zach Lind (ICSD Chief Information Officer) – Caring – Zach has shown and maintained professional excellence in providing technology leadership and administrating the training for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness

• Sadie Vander Ven (9th grade) – Committed – A prolific producer of art, who demonstrates compassion and guidance to her peers daily

• Susan Danskin (DeWitt TOSA) – Committed – An outstanding dean who cares deeply about staff and students and is dedicated to her work

• Rodney Lewis (ICSD bus driver) – Committed – A very consistent and dependable bus driver, who is always ready to help his colleagues

• Kwantia Griffin (ICSD transportation specialist) – Committed – A dedicated employee, who is always going above and beyond to help new and existing employees in the Transportation Department

• Kate Wheeler (IHS art teacher) – Committed - Kate serves a wide range of students through highly differentiated instruction seeking to meet each of their needs while celebrating diversity and cultivating a joyful environment

• Trinity Odom-Reed (12th grade) – Committed – Through her leadership of I-RISE, Trinity has shown exceptional commitment to social and racial justice work at Ithaca High School

• Rachel McDonald, Nicholas Carbonaro, and Kasey Crandall – Caring – Rachel, Nicholas, and Kasey created the ICSD Community Closet, a free and confidential place for students to shop for clothes, shoes, and toiletries

• Enfield Elementary School – Committed, Caring, Selfless, Patient, Trusting, Honest, Forgiving – Members of Enfield held a Celebration of Learning on December 15, a holistic example of how the school works together to create learning opportunities for students and families