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.
Kaina Remy, Grade 12 - Honored by Mr. Springer, Mr. Canto, and Ms. Stephenson
”Over the course of four years, I have observed this student’s attitude toward school shift from a zealous pursuit of grades to that of knowledge and goodness. When she was a ninth grader, she pressed me for quiz retake opportunities and extra credit. Now a senior, she demands that both she and her colleagues wrestle with meanings of a text and questions that have no one right answer. It would not shock me that if I stepped away from the table, this student would facilitate the discussion herself, because she hungers for learning and appears to delight in the search for meaning and truth.”
Shaniya Gray, Grade 8 - Honored by Ms. Lapointe, Mr. Caswell, and Mr. Black
”What sets this student apart from others is her courage to be consistent day in and day out. It takes courage to come into class every day, to ask questions, to engage in work that might be difficult without giving up. It takes courage to be consistently respectful in almost every interaction with teachers and other students. It takes courage to have the total freedom to be yourself and to consistently bring joy to school, even when others around you might not. This student brings joy to our community day in and day out, and for that I am grateful each day to have this student in my class.”
Oshea Randall, Grade 11 - Honored by Ms. Shuman & Mr. Vermette
”His homework is always on time and completed with the utmost care. He reads meticulously and comes to class prepared to engage with the content. What’s more, he relishes a challenge and takes to his history reading with joy as part of what Du Bois called the ‘unhampered search for Truth.’ He is, by his choices and his nature, an academic in the tradition of Du Bois. He loves learning for the sake of learning.”
Destiny Gordon, Grade 7 - Honored by Ms. Ferreira & Mr. Looney
”This week’s Du Bois Award winner is a student who is passionate and dedicated about everything she does. She is a silent but obvious leader. She is a student who will consistently have her hand raised, ready to discuss any prompt, interpret any text, and very humbly show off that she is capable of doing rigorous work. She is a student whose bar is excellence, and every day she puts in the effort and work to achieve excellence and encourages those around her to do the same.”
Ayana Montalvo, Grade 10 - Honored by Ms. Turi, Mr. Geddes, & Ms. Dillmann
”She is a student who does not need to be told that approaching her day with positivity, attention, and focus is the surest way to success. She seems to know it intuitively. Her academic work is consistently reflective of effort—and over time, mastery. Her social interactions are joyful, positive, and respectful. She knows what matters and what doesn’t, and she consistently chooses the former.”
Cashbee Calderon, Grade 9 - Honored by Mr. Passineau & Ms. Becker
”He consistently masters content, takes strong notes, and participates in class. But this is not what sets him apart. While many students will be supportive and inclusive in front of the teacher, this student gives the majority of his support to his peers when a teacher is not watching. His offers to help a struggling student, his attentive listening to a peer even though he might not be close friends with them, and his easy welcoming demeanor set the tone for a warm, inviting classroom.”
Kevin Joseph, Grade 6 - Honored by M.s Williams, Mr. Turner, and Mr. Clark
”After finding out this student was receiving the Du Bois Award, one of his classmates excitedly said, ‘This student is always doing the right thing no matter what. He sets the model for what the expectation is for our class and always shows what it means to be a strong student.’ It speaks volumes that not only are teachers noticing the leadership this student carries, but his peers are seeing this as well.