The Ward Melville Awards are a well-received event at the end of the year, with awards in many categories, from the usual superlatives to some more unique ones such as “Best Dimples.” In order to participate, students fill out a sheet given out at the commons listing all the categories, which they can fill out with the names of people they think should win. Afterwards, each category is narrowed down to the three most popular responses in each category, and then students vote once again to decide the final winner.

It is a popular activity for the graduating seniors as they near their final days at Ward Melville. Many express interest in participating, and as senior Sarah Jiang noted, “Most of my friends at least took a sheet.” However, whether it is more of a “popularity contest” than an actual, fair competition could be debated. Students could potentially vote in blocks by getting all their friends to vote for the same person, for example. Therefore, there would be a higher chance that they would be selected in the top three for a particular category. Nonetheless, the Ward Melville Awards are an exciting event for seniors at the end of the year, eagerly anticipated by many students.