The Du Bois Award is one of the highest honors at Boston Prep, awarded each week to one deserving student in front of the entire school community. Named after W. E. B. Du Bois, the award recognizes a student who embodies the core virtues of Boston Prep -- courage, compassion, integrity, perseverance, and respect. The award is an opportunity to highlight students who have shown high levels of academic achievement or growth along with a high level of character development. In essence, Du Bois Award winners are students who embody the mission of Boston Prep.
Every Boston Prep teacher has the privilege of presenting the Du Bois Award one time each year. As such, the selection of a student to honor is not taken lightly. Meet our recent Du Bois winners through excerpts of the speeches teachers gave while honoring them in front of the school community.
Ayub Tahlil, Grade 12 - Honored by Ms. Braymiller and Ms. Bacon
"This student demonstrated exceptional perseverance while working on his junior oral history project. Studying the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, he spent days calling countless organizations, sending emails and even reaching out to all of his teachers to find a survivor to interview. Despite repeated dead ends and false leads, he continued day after day after day to keep trying. He took his final paper through seemingly endless drafts, not giving up until he had met the expectations of the project, embodying the virtue of his house, Constantia."
Luis Tejada, Grade 12 - Honored by Ms. Wright, Mr. Cook, and Mr. Alexandre
"In the classroom, his charisma and charm are evident. In Learning Lab, he is focused and eager to ensure he understands the work. As a peer, he is engaging and supportive. As an athlete, he has emerged as a leader and a serious competitor. We have watched over the last three years as this student has increasingly thought about using the moments in front of him to better his tomorrow. And this student is absolutely fired up and ready to go. Ready to go for senior year. Ready to go to college."
Carl Orelcange, Grade 12 - Honored by Mr. Harvey and Ms. Crowley
"This student is not only driven for self-improvement in the classroom, but he is one of the most kind-hearted students I have ever worked with. He is dedicated to the betterment of not only himself but also those around him. Working with him has undoubtedly made me push myself to be more compassionate in my everyday life."
Willmer Garcia, Grade 8 - Honored by Mr. Blitzer, Ms. Harris, and Ms. Lapointe
"This student is earning the Du Bois Award not because he changed himself completely - he was already a strong student. This student is earning the Du Bois Award because he does the little things that separate the very good from the amazing. He re-does every assignment, he does all his homework, he re-takes every quiz, and his thirst for success will not be slaked until he is the best. "
Victor Taveras, Grade 7 - Honored by Mr. Black
"This student effortlessly and consistently exudes the core virtues of Boston Prep. Respect, integrity, courage, compassion, and perseverance are shown naturally by this scholar. His input and questions during class discussions are thought provoking and intriguing. He leads by example and can be caught pressing his way through his class work just to get back to reading his latest novel. He is respected by his peers and is a joy to have in class amongst his teachers. He strives daily to earn high honor grades and receiving demerits is out of the question."
Nic Adeleye, Grade 11 - Honored by Ms. Gregory and Mr. Springer
"He has a deep respect for his own learning and profound perseverance. Every year I have students write a statement on why they show up to school every day. This student wrote, “My goal in life is to become an intelligent, self-aware person. Lack of intelligence is the worst kind of sickness. I go to school every day because I value education and growing intellectually.’"
Isaiah Balthazar, Grade 6 - Honored by Ms. Rux, Ms. Burke, and Ms. Gaburo
"This student is at his best from 7:00am to 3:45pm every day. In 6th grade, by last period, I am consistently redirecting students who have given up or phoned it in. This student? Never. This student crushes every stereotype about middle school students. He is consistent and trustworthy. His near perfect GPA is just the cherry on top."
Joshua Cousin, Grade 9 - Honored by Ms. Tomlinson, Ms. Cheney, and Ms. Moskowitz
"He never takes the easy way out on assignments. He works diligently to show all of his knowledge. He is also hungry for feedback in class—he wants to make sure he leaves class each day with a fully correct class work. In learning lab, he simply cannot be distracted the way many of his ninth grade peers can be. He doesn’t try to make his success look effortless. He can always be seen working to improve. However, he isn’t one to work because he wants recognition. He seems to work hard for himself and for his own advancement and love of learning."
Desiree Lyons, Grade 10 - Honored by Mr. Kapteyn, Mr. Foran, and Mr. Ouellette
"This student has, throughout her time at this school, shown a command of and a willingness to practice her attention. She shows it in her classes, where she engages with challenging material and enjoys the process of learning it. She shows it when she has genuine and positive interactions with her classmates, rather than simply rushing to the next thing or the next moment. When she says hello, it is not a passing greeting. It is a moment in which her attention is fixed on the person in front of her. It is genuine."