Significant graduation awards presented at Great Neck North and South include the annual Barstow and Scott Moss Awards.
Barstow Awards
The coveted Frederic Duclos Barstow Award was established in 1962 by Françoise and William Barstow, prominent Great Neck residents after whom Barstow Road is named, in memory of their only son who died of pneumonia at age 35.
The Barstow Award is given annually to two students at each high school. Recipients must be in the top 10 percent of their class and be “outstanding in leadership, citizenship, scholarship and service.” Each recipient receives a monetary prize.
North High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian are traditionally their school’s Barstow Award winners. This year’s recipients are valedictorian Yoel Hawa and salutatorian Joshua Rothbaum, both of whom were profiled in last week’s issue.
South High’s Barstow Award winners are Annie Dai and Aaron Nirenstein.
Dai was captain of the badminton team and a member of the Animal and Environmental Awareness Club, Art Club, Asian Culture Society, Ceramics Club, Community Action Committee, DECA, Midnight Run, Physics Club, Rebel Robotics and Science Olympiad. She will attend University of California, Berkeley.
Nirenstein was a member of the varsity lacrosse team, Animal and Environmental Awareness Club, Chess Club, Midnight Run, Peer Drug Educators and Philosophy Club. He will attend University of Michigan.
Scott Moss Award
The Scott D. Moss Memorial Award, established in 1977 in memory of the outstanding South High student who died of cancer, is presented to the senior at South who exemplifies the “service, concern, interest and ability of Scott Moss.”
Recipient Rachel Sakol is a member of the varsity lacrosse team, who performed with the chamber orchestra and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, and attended the NYS Summer School of the Arts School of Orchestral Studies. She will attend Binghamton University.
