By Raelynn Harris ’25
The Q1 Recognition Celebration assembly took place on Friday, December 16, 2022, as a way to recognize staff and students for their great work around the school in the first quarter of the year. All of the faculty was heavily involved in nominating both staff and students for awards.
The assembly, a recognition assembly, lived up to what one would expect it to be. It was a very supportive environment, and students and staff both celebrated their peers and each other. The dark auditorium was lit up by a big screen that showcased all being celebrated. Every time a name was called, cheers were coming from all over the auditorium. Students and staff listened attentively to staff on the microphone introducing the different departments that people were being recognized for. The amount of cheer coming from everyone continued from the beginning and introduction of the assembly to when students and staff were dismissed.
The assembly introduced that day was built from the ground up by DHS principal Jen Olson and DHS social worker Gabrielle Delgado. There was a major amount of staff working along with the assembly’s main coordinators, including administrative assistant and attendance coordinator Jenn Moffat, guidance secretary Holly Orazietti, assistant principal Ray Coplin, freshman academy coordinator Nick Diluggo, athletic director and counselor Teg Cosgriff, English department coordinator and instructional coach, Rebecca Bell, and instructional coach Molly Sullivan. They all worked along with each academic and elective department to properly recognize staff and students.
All those that were working on the assembly’s slide show took sections to piece it together into one presentation for the school to enjoy. There was a process of putting students in sections like honors and high honors. When figuring out what students were going to be recognized, teachers recommended students for specific awards. Staff also decided what staff were going to be recognized for their contribution to the school community in the assembly.
Delgado said, “We had to figure out who was getting recognized and then put the presentation together, so the visual part that you saw, but also just the order how we were going to get people in how we were going to get people recognized and the best way to do that.”
Olson relates the word recognition with celebration: “I think sharing accomplishments and finding a way to bring a spotlight to people doing great things.” Olson said the idea for a school-wide recognition assembly came from wanting the school community together, “to celebrate, to be able to share all the good things that are happening in our classrooms and to put a spotlight on teaching and learning.”
Before the assembly, Olson expressed that she hoped students would enjoy it. Olson’s afterthought is that the recognition assembly acted as motivation for students to work hard, “I think people had a great time. I think kids were really excited to recognize their friends and felt proud when they were recognized as well,” she said.
When Delgado hears the word recognition she connects it with calling attention to something important, which is why she thinks the recognition assembly is important to DHS, commenting “I think that a lot of times we get sort of stuck in our own day-to-day experiences and we don’t stop to look at all the really great things that are happening around the school, so it’s really important to pull attention to students who are doing all sorts of great things for our school community.”
Delgado hopes that after the assembly students will see that staff do pay attention to their work and that “students will feel some pride in being recognized for all sorts of different things, and maybe even students who feel like they don’t get noticed, or they don’t get attention will feel like they can be recognized too, and they have the chance to get a recognition.”
Diluggo is hopeful that students understood the point of the ceremony and felt appreciated. Diluggo overall thinks the assembly was well received, and students were enthusiastic about it: “I thought it showcased a lot of the different things in our school that make it different, such as the step team, cheer, the band, and athletics, as well as not only academics but also students that have been making improvements with their citizenship at DHS and students that have perfect attendance and excelled in each area.”
Kaelyn Dimartino ’25 shared a positive opinion about the assembly, remarking “I think the recognition assembly was a very important gathering. I think it was very special and important that the students got recognized for what they have achieved and accomplished!”
The Q1 recognition assembly is the first of many after its introduction. All look forward to students and staff being recognized for their hard work and achievements.
The Raider Press 