End of Year Family Awards 2026

Quinn, this year you completed your first year as a middle schooler. It wasn’t always easy, but you managed to push through it all. That’s why, this year, you are receiving the BULLDOZER award. I can think of several examples where you had to just plow through the difficult times in order to achieve your goal: pushing through the challenging PACE projects and sticking with it even when you wanted to give up, growing in baseball – from not wanting to get up to bat to swinging and having fun, taking on your Hebrew tutoring sessions and practicing even when it felt overwhelming, and never complaining when it was time to get ready and go to cotillion, even if it wasn’t your favorite thing. And there were a few times this year when others tried to take you down to their level, tried to upset, deceive, manipulate, or bully you, and you would not let them get to you. You were tough, driven, and stood up for yourself. Like a bulldozer that pushes through anything in its way to clear the path ahead, you are driven, decisive, and forceful in standing up for yourself and not taking anyone else’s “bull.”  

Knox, this year we are awarding you the “I GOT THIS” award. When I think back to a year ago, you were worried about going to camp, unsure you could be away for 3 and a half weeks. But when you got home, you were so sad that camp was over. You know that it’s okay to be a little homesick but still have fun with new and old friends. This school year, you learned so much! Your handwriting has improved greatly since August, you are on the A honor roll, and your math facts have vastly improved! At home, you’re sleeping in your own room again – even going to sleep without someone in the room with you. You are trying all kinds of new foods, packing your own lunch, taking charge of your snacks and knowing you need to be eating healthfully to grow taller. You tried baseball for the first time this year. You didn’t love the first season, but by the end, you saw that your team could come together and be really good! This season, you started swinging that bat, sliding, taking chances at stealing, and running so fast. You have grown so independent this school year, and it shows. You are capable of so much more – making your own meals at home, trying to earn money to buy what you want, getting yourself ready for school with less help, and remembering what you need each day. As our youngest, we often forget how capable you are, and I love hearing you say, “I got you!” Because you do – you got me, and you got this!

Banner, your award this year is the RELUCTANT ENTHUSIAST! If you think back to the beginning of the year, you were uncertain about marching band. You had also spent much of the summer preparing for baseball try outs. You didn’t know what was going to happen when the school year started. You were reluctantly along for the ride. But when things got underway and turned out the way they did, you were enthusiastic about all that you were involved with. You jumped into leadership roles in Kaplan and through the BBYO year – helping to steer a convention you couldn’t even attend, running for and being elected Moreh, and attending IC. You have put in so much time and practice to band, and you eagerly applied and auditioned for section leader. HGAP wasn’t always easy, but you pushed through it and learned the way Mr. Cotto teaches and tests in order to be more successful. You easily could have dropped the class, but you stuck with it and even taught us some of the lessons you learned. You weighed the options carefully and over time when it came to a couple of antisemitic classmates who were constant distractions in class. When you finally had enough, you set reluctance aside to stand up for what is right. Banner, sometimes you’re unsure, but when you finally put your mind to something, you are unstoppable. 

 

Tova, this year, you earned the RIGHT AT HOME award! This year, you learned to make yourself comfortable in our new house. You are the one who spends the most time here, and you have found some very cozy places to settle in. You found a favorite spot upstairs where you can see pretty much the whole house and everything going on. You don’t like using the turf to pee and poop, but you’re willing. You can navigate our new neighborhood with ease, and you know our new routines around this house. While I think you still prefer to go on walks behind the old house, and you still know exactly how to get to the Chesterwood house from the park, you know that wherever your people are, that is home.