Seniors Melissa Kantor and Evan Reeves won the annual Jerome M. Marco Excellence in Leadership award, as announced by the SGA. They each won a 500 dollar scholarship in recognition of their leadership and excellence in and out of the classroom.

A panel of students and faculty members choose the recipients of the award. Students submit an application and participate in an interview with the panel, which consisted of the four class presidents, student body president Ari Kapner, SGA faculty advisor Sheryl Freedman, counselor William Kapner and art resource teacher Nancy Mornini.

“Melissa and Evan were both obviously fervent in their involvement in the Whitman community,” junior class president Jacob Rosenblum said.

The panel also considered which applicants would continue to show leadership skills after graduating. They felt that Kantor and Reeves would best apply their leadership skills at college, sophomore class president Marcela Falck-Bados said.

Kantor distinguished herself as captain of the varsity field hockey team and a member of the SGA. She was also the head coordinator for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society month.

“I have been so involved with leadership in all of my activities over the past four years and it feels amazing to get recognized for all of my hard work,” she said.

Reeves stood out to the panel as president of the Best Buddies club and as a member of the varsity baseball team.

The award was started in 2004 and honors former principal Jerome Marco, who was known for his strong leadership of the school and community. The scholarships for the winners come from a fund of donations set up in Marco’s name, principal Alan Goodwin said.

“It’s very prestigious,” Mornini said. “Having watched Dr. Marco and having seen what an exceptional leader he was, it means a lot to win that type of award.”