Germantown High School continued one of its most enduring academic traditions last week, celebrating the achievements of high-performing students during the Fall 2025 Academic Awards Ceremony. Held each fall and spring, the event recognizes students who maintain a 3.5 cumulative grade point average or higher and highlights the school’s long-standing culture of honoring excellence in the classroom.
“It has been a tradition that’s been going on long before I was here,” said Student Services Counselor Perry Benz. “Sometimes we lose history a little bit, and the people who began a lot of these things are not even with us anymore. They’ve passed away.”
Benz shared that the tradition traces back to longtime football coach Phil Datka, whose impact reached far beyond the playing field.
“This started when Phil wanted to recognize students,” Benz said. “He always thought this was something kids could proudly display.”
Though the origin was passed down through colleagues rather than Datka himself, the tradition has endured for decades, serving as a visible celebration of academic accomplishment.
This year’s ceremony, held on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, honored 136 students for their academic achievement. Of those recognized, 91 students earned their academic letter, 37 received their silver pin, and 8 achieved the highest honor with their gold pin.
The school’s academic lettering system mirrors the structure of athletic and activity letters, rewarding students for sustained academic success. Students who earn a 3.5 to 3.99 GPA in a semester receive half a point, while those who achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA earn a full point. When a student accumulates two points, they earn their academic letter for their high school years. Continued excellence leads to additional points and opportunities to receive a silver pin, followed later by a gold pin.
Today, Germantown High School continues to uphold Datka’s vision, celebrating students whose hard work, consistency, and dedication earn them recognition. The Fall Academic Awards remain a testament to the school’s commitment to honoring student excellence.
List of Students Honored:
Mason Abraham - Silver Pin
Olivia Aiken - Letter
Vincent Altobelli - Silver Pin
Ryan Anderson - Silver Pin
Elliett Ankerson - Silver Pin
Alaina Ball - Letter
Paige Barney - Letter
Ava Barrett - Letter
Alexis Bengtson - Letter
Chase Boettcher - Letter
Akshat Bora - Letter
Sofia Borrelli - Letter
John Brunner - Silver Pin
Emily Burling - Gold Pin
Evan Buss - Silver Pin
Gavin Chapin - Letter
Brooklyn Chesir - Letter
Campbell Costigan - Letter
Jillian Croasdaile - Letter
Samantha Croke - Silver Pin
Randle Dawson - Letter
Meghan DeChant - Gold Pin
Logan Deml - Letter
Carson Depies - Silver Pin
Sandesh Dhami - Gold Pin
Amary Dione - Letter
Delila Draeger - Letter
Kendra Drake - Gold Pin
Amanda Estes - Letter
Gavin Ewert - Letter
Jackson Flynn - Letter
Natalie Frank - Letter
Ellery Freiburger - Silver Pin
Rocco Giguere - Letter
Ivy Grevenow - Letter
Shreya Gudise - Letter
Samantha Gumm - Letter
Kalum Hay - Letter
Janiru Herath - Silver Pin
Alikah Hesiak - Silver Pin
Sawyer Hildebrandt - Letter
Claire Holke - Letter
Kathleen Holloway - Letter
Vincent Inga - Silver Pin
Morgan Jacobson - Silver Pin
Brooke Jakubowski - Gold Pin
Ariana Jere - Letter
Addelyn Johnson - Letter
Morgan Johnson - Letter
Eden Jones - Gold Pin
Beatrice Jorgensen - Letter
Julia Joseph - Letter
Madalyn Jung - Letter
Claire Kamyszek - Letter
Clare Kanters - Silver Pin
Cassandra Kaszynski - Letter
Ellison Kaszynski - Letter
Isabella Kaszynski - Letter
Katherine Kazmierczak - Silver Pin
Sophia Knutsen - Letter
Rachel Kohls - Silver Pin
Lexi Kons - Letter
Ella Kranz - Letter
Maddison Krepps - Letter
Kailey Kudronowicz - Letter
Jack Kukowski - Letter
Payton Laabs - Gold Pin
Kalysta Lee - Letter
Kyu Lee - Letter
Sophie Lee - Letter
Nickolaus Leupi - Silver Pin
Alayna Liss - Letter
Mason Maciejewsju - Letter
Kaitlin Maier - Letter
Benjamin Matheny - Letter
Chloe McCabe - Letter
Ryan Melka - Letter
Ella Metz - Letter
Jeremiah Morrow - Letter
Cassidy Nelson - Silver Pin
Annabelle Newton - Silver Pin
Anh Thu Nguyen - Letter
Geetham Pabbisetty - Letter
Liam Paruch - Letter
Alison Pentek - Letter
Taylor Petska - Letter
Sydney Phan - Letter
Andrew Plambeck - Letter
Sarah Plambeck - Silver Pin
Zachary Prescott - Silver Pin
Adelaide Price - Letter
Leilah Prichard - Silver Pin
Lacy Privat - Letter
Madeline Quesenberry - Letter
Sierrra Rabideau - Letter
Sanvi Rathod - Silver Pin
Elise Redeker - Silver Pin
Chloe Reimer - Letter
Lauren Reineck - Silver Pin
Ella Saltarikos - Letter
Omar Sandoval Ruiz - Letter
Abigail Schiereck - Letter
Tessa Schissler - Letter
Jordan Schmidt - Letter
Josiah Schmidt - Silver Pin
Mila Schroeder - Letter
William Shermach - Letter
Rave Sickler - Letter
Kierta Siegert - Letter
Julia Skarda - Silver Pin
Maya Staples - Letter
Alana Steffen - Letter
Elyse Steuerwald - Letter
Mitchell Stimart - Letter
Kaitlyn Sweeney - Gold Pin
Eliana Szejna - Letter
Advik Talasila - Letter
Lydia Taraboi - Letter
Angelina Tarantino - Letter
Carson Tautges - Silver Pin
Anna Tchesnokova - Letter
Jay Ticku - Silver Pin
Adeline Timm - Silver Pin
Angelica Topp - Letter
Jack Van Hoof - Silver Pin
Anthony Wells - Letter
Alaina Williams - Silver Pin
Landen Wilson - Silver Pin
Kaylee Yang - Letter
Blake Yegge - Letter
Cassandra Zarder - Silver Pin