The Edward Smilde Award

For the graduating senior who best embodies the legacy of Whitney teacher Edward Smilde. Mr. Smilde taught History and Literature and Latin, and coached students to improve their vocabulary and writing skills by reading the Week in Review section of The New York Times each Sunday, where essays and opinion columns discussing current events are written as well-reasoned arguments rather than as news articles. He famously hung the ironic sign “eschew obfuscation” on his classroom window, and taught students unpronounceable words that were used by the Dutch during WWII to expose Nazis who couldn’t say them correctly. And when he delivered the faculty address at Whitney's graduation ceremonies, he would start quoting an obscure literature passage, and his students would immediately recite the entire passage in unison with him, demonstrating that with enough discipline and practice, anyone could start with heads full of mush and be transformed into logical thinkers armed with useful ideas. Mr. Smilde pointed out that our school is an ivory tower, a place where the president of the Korean Club could be Latino and no one would bat an eye. He warned that the outside world is a lot messier and not so ideal, but we should always remember how Whitney shows us what's possible, so we can strive to make that a reality in this imperfect society that we live in.