Class of 2026 celebrate accomplishments, $60K in scholarships at Senior Awards Night

Red Hook High School’s seniors and their families gathered Monday, June 1, at Bard College as dozens of scholarships totaling tens of thousands of dollars were awarded to the graduating Raiders.
The school’s Senior Awards Night celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2026. With the school unable to use its Performing Arts Center due to Friday’s fire, Bard allowed the school to use its Olin Hall auditorium, welcoming hundreds of attendees.
In all, upwards of $60,000 in scholarships were announced, with roughly 65 students visiting the stage to shake hands and receive a certificate at least once. Some, like valedictorian Eleanor Solomon, Board of Education student liaison Maddie Clements and Class President Quinn Boyd, needed more than one hand to count their honors.
“Tonight we gather to recognize and celebrate the outstanding academic, athletic and service accomplishments of our seniors,” Principal Dr. Kyle Roddey said in a welcome address. “We will also honor many students whose selfless commitment to serving others has made a meaningful impact on our school and the community.”
Nora Callaghan-Jurgens followed her principal with a performance of the national anthem. She, too, returned to the stage multiple times through the course of the night.
The awards announced were reserved only to locally awarded scholarships, most of which required students to submit their own applications, meet specific criteria for their areas of study or areas of interest, and many placed a heavy emphasis on personal experience or community involvement. The total sum of scholarship money did not include any other national or school-specific awards students may have earned. Still, the lengthy list of awards and remarks from local presenters explaining their choices lifted the veil on what the Class of 2026 has contributed.
The students “represent the bright future that lies ahead of us in this community and our world, Roddey said.
“This is an extraordinary group of young people,” the principal said. “They’re intelligent, hardworking, they’re kind and resilient. They are artists, thespians, athletes, scholars, leaders, innovators and creators. More important, they are individuals that make Red Hook high School a better place through their character and their contributions.”