2020-2021 Ferguson Silver Knight Nominees Have Been Announced

The prestigious 2020-2021 Silver Knight awards will be presented this year and the John A. Ferguson Senior High nominees have already been decided.

The award embodies an outstanding student who both excels in academics and devotes their time to helping their community and school. Receiving a Silver Knight is ultimately the most highly recognized student award one can receive. In order to obtain the award, nominees must have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.2 and a clear commitment to serving their community.

There are 15 categories students can be nominated for including Art, Athletics, Business, Drama, English & Literature, General Scholarship, Journalism, Mathematics, Music and Dance, New Media, Science, Social Science, Speech, Vocational-Technical and World Languages.

Students who wish to be chosen first fill out an application then proceed to go through a series of interviews with the panel of judges. The applicants are then selected by said judges who decide the winner of the Silver Knight per category along with three Honorable Mentions based on merit and overall worthiness. The winning Silver Knight receives an award of $2,000 dollars, a Silver Knight statue and a medallion, while the three winning Honorable Mentions are given $500 and an engraved plaque. 

The Ferguson Silver Knight nominees are:

Art: Raquel Buriani

“I am extremely excited to have won the art nomination! As a self-taught fashion designer, I was amazed to learn that a decade-long passion of mine developed into such a wonderful opportunity. As a Peer Health Educator and Intern for Health Information Project (HIP), my goal when writing curriculum or doing presentations is to help destigmatize important issues that face my peers and create a safe environment for growth. Before my nomination, I was vocal about encouraging sustainability by entering my garments in various fashion design competitions to help educate and raise awareness. Now, I still maintain my love for competitions and plan to enter many more to continue my passion for fashion design,” said Raquel Buriani.

Athletics:  AnnMarie Munecas

Digital and Interactive Media: Alexandra Tabares

Drama: Angelica Rodriguez

“When I found out that I won the nomination I was so happy! It was what I dreamed about for the longest time and wanted to become a nominee to make my grandmother proud. My overall goal with my project was to help women who couldn’t help themselves. A lot of pregnant women and new mothers struggle to get the help and necessities they need, and I wanted to be able to help them. We have collected hundreds of donations and brought them to the Lotus House and provided them with what they needed,” said Angelica Rodriguez in regards to her nomination.

English Literature: Isabella Garcia

General Scholarship:  Josh Lian

Journalism: Emily Rivera

“I’m thrilled to be this year’s Journalism nominee. I’ve been following the Silver Knight Awards since middle school and it’s exciting to have a long-time goal actualized. My Silver Knight project was the Falcon Climate Initiative––an activity that combined climate change awareness, STEAM education, and activism. I worked with peers to create a school-wide survey to assess the student body’s opinion on climate change and organized a climate conference with speakers from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Following the conference, we coordinated a workshop where we gave students the resources to reach out to their local representatives on issues they care about. On the category-specific side of things, I’ve been interning at the Miami Herald since my junior year and now work on the School Scene column, where I produce articles about education in South Florida,” said Emily Rivera.

Mathematics: Saul Balcarcel

“My journey in math throughout high school has been driven by curiosity. When I’m introduced to a new concept, I like to review it until I understand it enough to explain it to someone else. Once I reach that confidence, I will chase after applications and implications of my finding. This passion has led me to take a variety of math classes and integrate math to my extracurriculars, both in expanding my own knowledge and teaching others. The goal of my project was to expand civic engagement to my school community. Given the rise in sociopolitical tensions over the months leading to the 2020 election, I felt compelled to promote voter registration to as many of my peers as possible. My team worked through the nonpartisan organization When We All Vote to bridge the gap between young people in our community and the power to voice one’s vision in a democratic society. Beginning my freshman year, I found that Mu Alpha Theta offers a tight-knit community to share mathematical knowledge and passion. I have consistently felt empowered by this community, from our amazing sponsors to the inspiring class cohorts I have learned with each year,” said Saul Balcarcel.

Music:  Amanda Lopez

Science: Ana Pereira

Social Science: Lianet Miramontes

Vocational-Technical: Sebastian De Jesus

World Languages: Lea Llano

Congratulations and good luck to our Silver Knight nominees!