On May 9, Miami Palmetto Senior High hosted their 2020-2021 Underclassmen Awards night. The ceremony, streamed via YouTube, started at 6:00 p.m. The nominated students received an invitation through an email from the board of student services. 

The ceremony, hosted by Mrs.Valero, featured several teachers, staff and administrators. The night began with the book awards presented by Mr. Nerenberg and Ms. Dwyer. Recipients include: 

Book Awards

Aiden Kong (Rensselaer Polytech Institute Book Award)

Cayetana Jaramillo (Princeton Book Award)

Rachel Graff (Brandeis Book Award) 

Allison Gould (Wellesley Book Award)

Brighton Brown (Yale Book Award)

Alexandr Kim (Tulane Book Award)

Anna Liu (Harvard Book Award) 

Lacey Buchwald (Barnard Book Award)  

Following the book awards, Mrs.Valero handed the ceremony over to PTSA president, Gina Vinueza, to present the PTSA sponsored awards. Mrs.Vinueza first presented the service award, given to students with an excellent academic record and involvement in their community. Mrs.Vinueza also presented the PTSA-sponsored leadership award, which recognizes students that work hard and display a well-developed sense of purpose and direction. 

PTSA Sponsored Service Awards

Sara Kramer

Julius Talas

Stella Sharpe 

Jaden Whittle

Emma Kramer 

Vivian Paredes 

Eli Underwood

Matias Martinez

Alexis Blackwell

Jacob Harris

Benjamin Joseph 

Emily Ulster 

Paul Yan 

Madison Morris 

Isabella Martinez

Carson Sleeman 

John Aitken 

Caroline Kinkade

Irene Lee

Marlee Golinsky 

PTSA Sponsored Leadership Award

Sophia Graff

Kate Markus

Cassandra Pita 

Ava Goldenberg

Cooper Menachem 

Robert Acosta 

Angelina Astic 

Rachel Greidinger 

Analysse Humaran 

Austin Spiegelman 

Caroline Wilburn 

Directly after, Assistant Principal Mr. Tellechea introduced the PAW award, given to students who are highly respected by teachers and classmates for their outstanding character. In the same category, Assistant Principal Mr. Barreras presented the Core Values Awards to students who devote themselves to the community while exuding Palmetto’s core values: honesty, cooperation, integrity, kindness, fairness, responsibility, respect, citizenship and pursuit of excellence. 

PAW Awards 

Josh Lipson 

Ryan Potash 

Ariana Rodriguez 

Emma Weinberg 

Rose Kobetz 

Virginia Martinez-Rodriguez

Caroline Green 

Alexandra Shapiro 

Lorenzo Vinueza 

Sebastian Soto 

Ella Karakadze 

Ashley Alfonso 

Hunter Anes 

Ashley Baxter 

Lauren Robbins 

Janiece Faison 

Sophia Fernandez 

Kelly Glassman 

Core Value Awards

Cameron Gussin 

Isabella Rivera

Jack Proulx 

Maria Chavarria 

Ruby Tenbroek 

Gabriella Martinez 

Mikayla Ashe 

Rebecca Blatch 

Moie Brenner 

Mateo Jimenez 

Isabella Martin 

Maya Padron 

Denise Vaque 

Mrs.Valero then introduced several Palmetto teachers to announce the departmental awards, starting with the achievement awards, then subject awards.

Achievements Awards

Mike Penn

Larry Glenn

Gabriel Banks 

Art Awards

Juana Armada

Mia Rodriguez 

Sarah McWhirter

Business Education Awards

Lilly De La Roca 

Connor Chain 

Capstone Awards 

Ziyah McGriff 

Diego Espinosa 

Josie Blohm 

Dance Awards

Sophia Wightman 

Halle Sagara  

Alexa Flores 

Drama and Technical Theater Awards 

Nicole Gloinsky

Kylie Sweikart 

Emma Shane 

Michael Elkins 

Lilija Stevenson 

Camila Moscoso

Family Consumer Science Awards

Ashley Marquez 

Tatiana Sanchez 

Ella Royce 

Health Science Awards

Aryana Motlagh 

Brooke Glover 

Nadia Young 

Foreign Language Awards 

Katerina Diaz 

Luke Yang 

Ana Martinez

Investigative Academy Awards 

Lorenzo Castillo 

Lucas Hudson 

Alyssa Rodriguez

Immersion Awards 

Samuel Alvarez

Katherine Vasquez 

Valerie Vasquez

iPrep Awards 

Nicole Draganoni 

Carolina Medina 

Aaron Jones 

Social Science Awards

Jasmine Judge 

Abigail Lambert 

Katriona Page 

Yearbook Awards 

Ella Pelz 

Katie Herskowitz 

Grace Weinbach 

Science Awards

Alexa Fein 

Sunny You 

Luke Yang 

Julian Orrego 

Language Arts Awards 

Isabella Diez 

Jordan McKean

Bruno Wencelblat

Mathematics Awards

Isabel Duran 

Tong Jing 

Delaney Dvorsky 

Music Awards 

Aaron Millian 

Christina Perez 

Richard Gonzaga

Newspaper Awards

Amy-Grace Shapiro 

Samantha Elkins 

Kate Stuzin 

Physical Education Awards

Andrea Nunez 

Daryl Doctor 

Grant Kavalir

Finally, the last awards of the night included Panthers on the Move, Panthers of Distinction and Students of the Year from each grade level.

Panthers on the Move Award

Kylie Zimmelman 

Madison Barbado 

Lukas Goldenberg 

Jillian Sanchez 

Matthew Lewis 

Catherine Vasquez 

Jasyn Altchek 

Cooper Josefsberg

11th Grade Panthers of Distinction 

Joshua Juarez 

Nicole Quintela 

Katherine Cruz-Alvarez 

Julia Strasius 

Jordyn Lazar 

Catherine Bales 

Daniel Solomon

Gianna Hutton 

Carlos Perez-Guzman 

Of the Year Awards 

Class of 2024: Emma Behar 

Class of 2023: Devica Shah 

Class of 2022: Nicolas Garavito