Seniors Emily Cull and Jen Kotrady Receive Arts Awards at All Saints Chapel

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Each year at a special All Saints Chapel, CCES recognizes two outstanding students in the arts in a service that is both honor and remembrance: honor for the current students for their achievements in the arts, and remembrance of two students in whose names the awards are made.

On November 2, senior Jen Kotrady was awarded the 2007 Chris Ferrell Scholarship, and senior Emily Cull became the recipient of this year’s Maggie McLeod Memorial Scholarship. According to tradition, their selection was a closely guarded secret up until the moment of the announcement. Parents and grandparents, notified in advance and sworn to secrecy, are kept hidden in the chapel until the awards are revealed, lest their appearance at the beginning of the service tip off the recipients. And two students, usually close friends, who are selected to deliver tributes to the recipients, must also keep secret about the speeches they will give honoring their classmates.

CCES senior Jen Kotrady was honored for excellence in vocal music and became the eighteenth recipient of the Chris Ferrell Memorial Scholarship, given annually in memory of Chris Ferrell ’89, to a sophomore, junior, or senior student demonstrating outstanding gifts and performance in the Fine Arts. In her speech of praise for Kotrady, Upper School music instructor Molly Hoffman Aiken remarked that “she’s personable, a natural leader, a solid performer, and a friend to many. In addition to her strong supportive work in chorus, the cabarets and the musicals, Jen is a leader of The Blue Belles this year, having been with the group for four years now. She makes a strong statement in the fine arts in whatever she does, and we’re all very proud to have her.” The student tribute was delivered by Elizabeth Beeson ’08.

CCES senior Emily Cull received the Maggie McLeod Scholarship Award in recognition of her writing talent. This scholarship is given in memory of Maggie McLeod ’06 and is awarded to a member of the senior class who exemplifies Maggie’s qualities of creativity and love of life, and who possesses aspirations in the arts. Cull is a talented writer whose work covers a vast array of writing styles and touches on a wide range of topics; several of her pieces have appeared in the CCES Delphian. During the past two years she has also attended the Fine Arts Center for writing to help hone her writing skills. Upper School Spanish teacher Jeanne Kotrady, who presented Cull with the award, stated:

“Emily shares Maggie’s open-mindedness because she is accepting of people and diverse perspectives. She has actively helped people in need by going on mission trips. For the past three summers, she worked in Mexico and Honduras to help promote better circumstances for victims of poverty in these countries. She states that she will go abroad to help others as much as possible throughout her lifetime.

“Emily smiles easily and sees humor in the most unusual circumstances. She helps those around her laugh and helps them have a good time. Just like Maggie [McLeod], her sense of humor is original, timely and somewhat unexpected. For her love of life, her commitment to writing, her open-mindedness and sense of humor, Emily is recognized today.”

The student tribute was delivered by her twin brother, Thomas Cull.

Following the chapel service, a reception was held in the Art Gallery for the recipients and their families, classmates, the family and friends of Chris Ferrell and Maggie McLeod, CCES faculty and staff, previous recipients and their families, and invited guests.

Truly, the All Saints Chapel is one of the highlights of the academic year in the Upper School. It is a triple celebration—of the arts as a reflection of the divine, of the excellence of our students’ work in the creative fields, and of the lasting gifts of the students in whose memory these awards are bestowed.