There’s speeches, remembrances, a dinner, and an awarding of trophies. The Banquet tends to be a wonderful show, which would make even Barnum & Bailey proud. Indeed, there’s rarely an extra seat, which also means that regrettably over the years, some people have been turned away. WAVM has always tried to include everyone it could, so knowing someone, who wanted to attend a Banquet, couldn’t is a very unpleasant thought; every effort has been made not to face that possibility. The net effect is a Banquet Hall bursting at the seams.
At the end of each school year since 1982, WAVM has held an Awards Banquet to reward the students for all their hard work.
The Banquet event with a very creative video painstakingly edited for several weeks by WAVM students. This video may be in recognition of the parent’s who, among other inconveniences, were the ones to shuttle their kids back and forth from the station. Other videos, which always have sentimental or humorous touches, have recognized the residents of Maynard and the local area who have supported the station. In addition to celebrating the students’ efforts, the townspeople are recognized too, because the station, being a community effort, wouldn’t exist without them.
For the 1997 Banquet, WAVM students decorated the Maynard High School Cafe with great care. One of the novel ideas they used was to write out cards with all of the WAVM parents’ names. These cards were then strung to helium balloons and allowed to float around the ceiling. Unfortunately, the helium would slowly leak out of the porous balloons causing them to descend before the video screen or into the guests’ dinners. Everyone laughed;
It was a good idea.
After the opening video, there’s a series of speeches noting the past year’s milestones. For the 1996 Banquet, a speech focused on the success of The Maynard Web, a new task taken on by the WAVM students in 1995-’96. In 1997, June Morgan, editor of the Maynard Beacon newspaper, spoke about the achievements of WAVM’s 1996 Beacon Santa Telethon and their record total of $30,000; and how these achievements have benefited the community.
Following a dinner, there are the awards. On average, 30 trophies are given in such categories as Department of the Year, Outstanding Radio Show, Most Dedicated, Most-Improved, and Outstanding 8th Grader of the Year with the intention that all of the positive aspects should be rewarded. Furthermore, the Faculty Advisor is careful to give “honorable mentions” to the students who came very close to winning but did not. By recognizing these students, hopefully, they won’t think that their deeds and actions went unnoticed and that they should just give up the next year. Quite to the contrary, everyone at the station makes a valuable difference. are several special awards given in addition to the ones previously mentioned:
KAREN LEE MACGILLIVERAY SCHOLARSHIP
One such special award is The Karen Lee MacGilliveray Scholarship. Karen was a quiet and dedicated WAVM member who loved the radio broadcast at the station. Quite regrettably, Karen was lost to Lupus in her sophomore year at Maynard High School. Shortly afterward, the WAVM Parent’s group, now called the Friends of WAVM, established a scholarship award in Karen’s memory. Two $500 scholarships are presented yearly to a dedicated WAVM member who will be studying communications in college.
KAREN LEE AWARD WINNERS
Mark Diduca, 1983
Danielle Dentino, 1984
Anita Mannion, 1985
Pam Boothroyd, 1986
Gayle McMillan, 1987
Melissa Demambro, 1988
Geraldine Mannion, 1989
Chris Johnson, 1990
Chris Folk, 1991
Dan Kalafatas, 1992
Jill Oakman, 1993
Lindsey Cotter, 1994
Matthew McCall, 1995
Garrett Wisuri, 1996
Jonathan Place, 1996
Brian Nelson, 1997
ANNE DUCLOS CITIZENSHIP AWARD
The Anne Duclos Citizenship Award is given to a WAVM individual who exhibits a special dedication to the community. The member has to go further than just providing programming for the community, but also take part in activities in addition to the station that improve The Town of Maynard, such as the Girl or Boy Scouts.
Chad Allen, 1987
The Youth Achievement Award isn’t received by a member of WAVM but, instead, by a professional working in the Communications Industry; and that professional is a teenager just like the students of WAVM. Over the years, WAVM has welcomed teen stars like Anthony Michael Hall, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Sam Huntington.
Quite importantly, the Awards Banquet is also a chance to say goodbye to the graduating seniors who are about to pursue higher education or work. Deservedly, these seniors are seated at a front table to recognize their years of dedication to the station and also for these seniors to know that WAVM is just as dedicated to them. The station always wishes the best to its many generations.
The story of WAVM continues with The Friends of WAVM