This year, Saint Thomas has seen some incredible seniors who have dedicated themselves to service: the Silver Knights. The Silver Knight Award Program is open to 12th grade students who have a strong record of service to their school and community that best shows an unselfish and continuous use of that person’s talent in helping others. There is a minimum number of seven nominees and schools may nominate one student per category.
For his Silver Knight Project, Andrew Dorton (Science) traveled to the Galapagos in Ecuador to work with scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature to fly drones to map marine iguanas, which are endangered species. In addition, the researchers tracked the migration of plastic pollution on the islands. His drone photos were then uploaded to a database where volunteers counted numbers of iguanas and the amount of pollution.
For her Silver Knight Project, Sawyer Dicowden (Drama) (Honorable Mention) founded Ceilis for Community, which was designed to promote mental health, inclusion, community and narratives through group Irish dancing and theatrical practice. She created modules that highlighted the mental health benefits of team dance and had multiple schools around the United States, Spain, and Australia participate.
If rising seniors wish to become Silver Knight nominees, they must apply through the school’s Silver Knight Coordinator appointed by the school’s principal. St Thomas Aquinas’ Silver Knight Coordinator is Dr. Jane Spanich. A nominee has to submit five copies of the Entry Form–a typewritten original and four photocopies. (A letter-quality computer printout is available on their website ).
Supporting documents must include a letter of recommendation with information about the nominee’s community service and its impact. The submission date for all Silver Knight entries is no later than the last Friday in January (January 31, 2025 for next school year).
The subjects students can be nominated for are music, social science, new media, speech, art, athletics, business, drama, mathematics, journalism, general scholarship, foreign language, English & literature, vocational-technical, and science.
For more information, visit the Silver Knight Application page.
Congratulations to all of the Raiders listed below for their dedication and selflessness!
World Languages – Joseph McCready
Art – Leila Murray (Honorable Mention)
Athletics – Timothy Q. O’Keefe
Business – Ava Rannazzisi
Digital Media – Nayana Joseph
Drama – Sawyer DiCowden (Honorable Mention)
English – Carlee Spellacy
General Scholarship – Alejandro De Santis
Journalism – Jessica Jara
Math – Anthony Tivda (Honorable Mention)
Music and Dance – Katie Fitzwilliam
Science – Andrew Dorton
Social Science – Jaden Natividad
Speech – Isabella Neustein (Honorable Mention)
Vocational Technical – Gianna Marando
