Awards and Recognitions, 2022-23

Heathwood Hall has maintained a tradition of excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts since the school's founding in 1951. The 2022-23 Academic Year was no exception.

Academic Highlights

• Over 10% of the Senior class received National Merit recognition, and 5 Seniors advanced as Finalists in the National Merit Competition, more than all other independent schools in Columbia combined for the second consecutive year.
• 157 students between 10th and 12th grade took 413 exams in 17 AP courses. 89% of students who took three or more AP exams were named AP Scholars. Nationally, only 10% of students earn this distinction.
• 42% of the Senior and Junior Classes were honored as National Honor Society students.
• 3 students were named National African American Recognition Program Scholars.
• 1390 was the average SAT score, 25% higher than the 1050 national average.
• Heathwood maintains a 100% college acceptance rate. In 2023, students matched with great schools, including some of the most selective schools in the country, including USC Honors, Clemson, Washington & Lee, Wake Forest, Duke, the University of Virginia, and other prestigious schools. 2022 was the fourth consecutive year that a Heathwood graduate matriculated at Yale.
• $4M approximately in merit-based scholarships earned in 2023.

Championships

Team State Championships:

1. Boys Cross Country - 2022 SCISA State Champions
2. Girls Cross Country - 2022 SCISA State Champions (second consecutive SCISA State Championship)
3. Girls Basketball - 2023 SCISA State Champions
4. Highlander Math Team - 2023 SCISA Math Tournament Champions (Tied for 1st place with Hammond)
5. Upper School Chess Team - 2022 SCISA Spring Upper School Chess State Champions
6. Middle School Chess Team - 2022 SCISA Fall Middle School Chess State Champions
7. Middle School Chess Team - 2023 SCISA Spring Middle School Chess State Champions
8. Upper School Equestrian Team - 2022 SCISA Fall Hunt Seat Champions
9. Middle School Equestrian Team - 2022 Heathwood Hall Fall Classic Hunt Seat Show Champions
10. Ladies Shotgun Team - 2023 SCISA Skeet Champions
11. JV Girls Basketball - 2023 SCISA Regional Champions (Highest possible championship for JV basketball)
12. JV Ladies Shotgun Team - 2023 SCDNR Sporting Clays State Champions
13. Middle School Girls Track Team - 2023 SCISA State Champions

Individual State Championships:

1. Madelyn Gomez '24 - SCISA Girls Cross Country State Champion
2. Sophia Conner '23 - SCISA Girls Swimming: 50M Free State Champion
3. Sophia Conner '23 - SCISA Girls Swimming: 100M Free State Champion
4. Mills Babcock '28, Sophia Conner '23, Mary Frances Iseman '24, and Reston Wood '26 - Girls Track & Field: 4x800 Relay Champions
5. Gabby David '23 - Girls Track & Field: Long Jump and Triple Jump State Champion
6. Bre Monsanto '25 - Girls Track & Field: High Jump State Champion
7. Matthew Ferrario '24 - Boys Track & Field: Pole Vault State Champion
8. Max Hagood '23, Allison Davis '24, Regan Williams '24, and Edgar Jackson '25 - Omega Psi Phi Black History Quiz Bowl 6th District Champions (SC & NC)
9. Alex Myrick ‘23 - SCISA Fall & Spring Upper School Chess State Champion 
10. Hampton DuBose ‘27 and Cameron Wheeler ‘27 - SCISA Fall Middle School Chess State Champions (Tied for 1st Place with undefeated 6-0 records during the tournament)
11. Cameron Wheeler ‘27 - SCISA Spring Middle School Chess State Champions.
12. Lila Koon '28 - SCTP Ladies Intermediate Advanced Trap Champion and Intermediate Ladies Cumulative Champion (combined scores for Skeet, Trap, and Sporting Clays)
13. Laila Koon '30 - SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program) Ladies Rookie Trap Champion, Ladies and Overall Rookie Skeet Champion, SCTP Cumulative Rookie Champion (combined scores for Skeet, Trap, and Sporting Clays), and SCYSF (South Carolina Youth Shooting Foundation) Rookie Ladies HOA Champion.
14. Brionna Zimmerman ‘05 - Region I-4A Girls Basketball Coach of the Year

Awards in the Arts

Anna Alan '26 and Kate Tucker '25 were selected for the Midlands Region Honor Orchestra as 6th and 9th chair viola respectively. They performed in an honor-orchestra event that includes the best string players in the Midlands region of the South Carolina Music Educators Association Orchestra Division at USC-Aiken on November 19th.

At the 2022 State Fair Art Exhibition, Lower School students brought home more awards than any other independent school in the state, including:

• Troup Truluck - 1st Place, 3D Art
• Rowan Castle - 2nd Place, 2D Art
• Dylan Dojc - 2nd Place, Photography
• Grace Hutchinson - 2nd Place, 2D Art
• Maggie Coggiola - 3rd Place, 3D Art
• Mary Wallace Puhlasky - 3rd Place, Photography
• Allie Rae Novak - Honorable Mention 2D Art
• Emory Hesley - Honorable Mention, 2D Art
• Gavin McMahan - Honorable Mention, 2D Art

Students from all divisions entered the February 2023 SCISA Art Exhibition, winning the following awards:

• Troup Truluck - 1st Place: Multimedia 3D Art
• Lilly Martin - Honorable Mention, Painting
• Sally Carey - Honorable Mention, Acrylic Painting
• Roxie Floyd - Honorable Mention, Graphic Arts

The 10th Annual South Carolina High School Writing Contest recognized three Heathwood students for their essays:

• Sophia Conner '23
• Yana Johnson '24
• Liam Quan '23

An essay by Yana Johnson '24 won the Pat Conroy Literary Center/South Carolina Academy of Authors Award.

An essay by Liam Quan '23 was one of fifty-five essays to be featured in The Princeton Review's upcoming book, College Essays That Kick Apps.

At the SC International Thespian Festival Showcase, Webb Hodges ‘23 earned Superior rankings in two categories: Solo Musical Theater and Costume Construction. Madeline Kunz ‘23 earned a Superior ranking in Solo Musical Theater and a Superior ranking in Duet Musical Theater along with senior Elliott Cox ‘23. Cam Beck '25 earned a Superior ranking for Monologue Acting.

AP Scholars

The College Board has named 80 Heathwood students as AP Scholars. Nationwide, only about 10% of students earn the distinction of AP Scholar or higher by the time they graduate. 52% of the Class of 2023 received this honor, while 63% of the Class of 2023 received the distinction by graduation. 

List of AP Scholars

Accordion con

Pierce Avery *

Michael Balthazor *

Lyles Barre *

Annie Benoit **

Virginia Bowers

Davidson Bradley

Dean Brook *

Gregory  Brown **

Elizabeth Burns **

Jack Burrows *

Sally  Carey *

Erin Carns **

Maddie Clary *

Sophia Conner **

Anna Cooper **

Gabe Cooper **

Elliott Cox *

Nicole  Craft **

Allison Davis **

Celia  Deese *

Coleman Dukes **

Grayson Elliott **

Jackson Engh **

CeCe Fern

Matthew  Ferrario *

Roxie Floyd **

Lauren Free **

Emily Frick

Mela Gisewhite

Madelyn  Gomez *

Conor Greer **

Max Hagood

Owen Hart **

Austin Herndon

Robert Hodges **

Webb Hodges **

Sophie Hughes **

Madeline Hurst

Mary Frances Iseman *

Eddie Jiang *

Yana Johnson *

Eliza Kitchens **

Will Koon **

Payton Laubacker

Reid Liester

Weston Manning **

John McConnell **

Ellen McInnis *

Isabel Morehouse

Jack Morris

Abby Mullins

Alex Myrick **

John  Nagy **

Ally Ninh

Katie Noble

Tess Overstreet *

Lillian  Pagett

Krish Patel *

Myan Patel *

Sophie Peek **

Liam  Quan **

Davies Roberts *

Caleb Runyan **

Weston Searfoss **

Zain Shah **

Mia Singerling **

Ethan Smith *

Taylor  Smith

Abby Suber **

Ellie Tanner **

Cam Taylor **

Spencer Thomas **

Helen  Tinch **

Cameron Truesdale **

Thomas Wheeler

Charles Willcox *

Regan Williams **

Adair Wood

Cherry Zhang

John Zhang **

* AP Scholar with Honor

** AP Scholar with Distinction

2023 National Merit Scholars

Gabe Cooper was named a 2023 National Merit Scholar. 

Gabe Cooper, Jackson Engh, Robert Hodges, Will Koon, and Alex Myrick were named finalists in the National Merit Competition.

For the second consecutive year, Heathwood leads the Midlands in per capita recipients of this recognition. In fact, the number of Heathwood semi-finalists is equal to that of all other Columbia independent schools combined.

Congratulations to the three members of the Class of 2023 who were named National Merit Commended Students: Elizabeth Burns, John Nagy, and Liam Quan.

Together with our five National Merit Semi-Finalists, over 10% of the senior class again earned National Merit Recognition.

College Board National African American Recognition

The College Board has named Allison Davis ‘24, Mela Gisewhite ‘23, and Regan Williams ‘24 as National African American Recognition Program Scholars. The National African American Recognition Program honors academically exceptional African American students who score in the top 10% of their state on the PSAT, earn a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP exams by their junior year, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

National Honor Society 

The National Honor Society is the frontrunner of organizations and societies that recognize students who reflect outstanding accomplishments in the areas of scholarship, character, leadership, and service. 

In keeping with those ideals, membership in the Les Savants Chapter of the National Honor Society is one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a Heathwood Hall student. No student is inducted simply because of high academic achievement.  The Honor Society member not only presents an excellent academic record but also is an active school and community leader, possesses honorable and admirable character, and demonstrates a willingness to use talents and skills for the improvement of society and the community.  

In 2022-2023, 58 Heathwood students were members of the National Honor Society (36 Seniors and 22 Juniors). This accounted for 50% of Seniors and 33% of Juniors.

New Inductees

All Class of 2023 unless otherwise noted.

Lyles Barre ‘24

Annie Benoit ‘24

Dean Brook ‘24

Julia Claire Cooke ‘24

Anna Cooper ‘24

Elliott Cox

Nicole Craft ‘24

Allison Davis ‘24

Thompson DuBose ‘24

Coleman Dukes ‘24

CeCe Fern ‘24

Roxie Floyd ‘24

Lauren Free

Mela Gisewhite

Madelyn Gomez ‘24

Conor Greer ‘24

Owen Hart

Sophie Hughes ‘24

Mary Frances Iseman ‘24

Yana Johnson ‘24

Payton Laubacker

Weston Manning

Alex Myrick

Katie Noble

Tess Overstreet ‘24

Krish Patel

Sophie Peek ‘24

Davies Roberts ‘24

Caleb Runyan

Weston Searfoss

Zain Shah

Mia Singerling

Ethan Smith

Cam Taylor ‘24

Spencer Thomas ‘24

Helen Tinch ‘24

Previously Inducted Members from the Class of 2023

Virginia Bowers

Sophia Conner

Celia Deese

Maddie Clary

Gabe Cooper

Grayson Elliott

Jackson Engh

Emily Frick

Max Hagood

Webb Hodges

Robert Hodges

Madeline Hurst

Eliza Kitchens

Will Koon

Abby Mullins

John Nagy

Myan Patel

Liam Quan

Abby Suber

Ellie Tanner

Cameron Truesdale

Adair Wood

National Junior Honor Society

Class of 2028

Lachlan All-Black

Cullum Ashley

Mamie Biel

Ella Boston

Justin Bukowski

Niko Byrne

Drew Cauthen

Wylly Clarke

Evy Engh

Zahra Garrick

Ellie Griggs

Kate Hanna

Annabel Martin

Connor Melling

Gray Powell

Kasey Quinn

Chloe Rosenbaum

Deana Willia

Class of 2027

Juliana Angus

Cole Benoit

Sophia Bouleris

Hampton DuBose

Liam Edwards

Ouita Elliott

Philip Ervin

Rebecca Firetag

Charlotte Greer

Andrew Hodges

Elizabeth Howell

Catherine Jowers

Henry King

Annie Liu

Sarah McFarland

Bonnie Pope

Margaret Staub

Carson Thomas

Logan Wells

College Acceptance List

• American Musical and Dramatic Academy
• American University
• Anderson University
• Appalachian State University
• Auburn University
• Baylor University
• Belmont Abbey College
• Belmont University
• Berry College
• Boston College
• Boston University
• Brevard College
• Campbell University
• Charleston Southern University
• Christopher Newport University
• Clemson University
• Coastal Carolina University
• College of Charleston-Honors
• Columbia College-Chicago
• Duke University
• East Carolina University
• Elon University
• Emory & Henry College
• Emory University
• Erskine College
• Ferrum College
• Flagler College
• Florida Southern College
• Fordham University
• Francis Marion University
• Furman University
• Georgetown University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Hampden-Sydney College
• Hampton University
• High Point University
• Howard University
• Ithaca College
• James Madison University
• Lake Forest College
• Lander University
• Lehigh University
• Lenoir-Rhyne University
• Limestone College
• Long Island University
• Louisiana State University
• Manhattanville College
• Mary Baldwin University 
• Marymount Manhattan College
• Mercer University
• Michigan State University
• Millikin University
• New York University
• North Carolina State University-Honors
• Penn State University-University Park
• Pennsylvania College of Technology-Penn State
• Pfeiffer University
• Point Park University
• Pomona College
• Presbyterian College
• Radford University
• Randolph-Macon College
• Reed College
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Rhodes College
• Roanoke College
• Salve Regina University
• Savannah College of Art & Design
• Shenandoah University
• Southern Methodist University 
• Southern Mississippi University
• Spartanburg Methodist College
• St. Andrews University
• SUNY College at Cortland
• Swarthmore College
• Texas A&M University
• The Citadel
• The Ohio State University
• The University of the South-Sewanee
• Tufts University
• University of Alabama-Honors
• University of Colorado Boulder
• University of Georgia 
• University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
• University of Kansas
• University of Kentucky
• University of Michigan
• University of Mississippi
• University of North Carolina Asheville
• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
• University of North Carolina Charlotte
• University of North Carolina Wilmington
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Pittsburgh-Honors
• University of Richmond
• University of San Diego
• University of Scranton
• University of South Carolina-Honors
• University of Tampa-Honors
• University of Tennessee-Knoxville-Honors
• University of Virginia
• University of Washington
• USC-Upstate
• Vassar College
• Villanova University
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest University
• Washington & Lee University
• Wentworth Institute of Tech
• West Virginia University
• Western Carolina University
• William & Mary
• Winthrop University
• Wofford College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Yale University

Heathwood by the Numbers

• 875 students
• 8:1 student teacher ratio
• 14 SCISA Teachers of the Year, more than any other independent school in South Carolina, since the award’s inception in 2001
• 60% of our faculty and 83% of Upper School teachers hold advanced degrees
• 14 years average teacher experience
• Since the first graduating class in 1977, Heathwood Hall has had:
  • 1 Rhodes Scholar
  • 1 Jack Kent Cooke Scholar
  • 1 Emory Woodruff Scholar
  • 3 Presidential Scholars
  • 9 University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars
  • 81 National Merit Commended Students
  • 100 National Merit Finalists
• 122 acre campus
• 8,628 hours of community service last year
• 45 countries visited through Winterim