Awards and Honors
Awards and Honors
Samuel Bancroft, Jr. Memorial Prizes
The Samuel Bancroft, Jr. Memorial Prizes, recognize outstanding personal compositions written for the English 110 class. The selection process involves nomination by First-Year Program faculty, with anonymous review by a committee of the department of English faculty.
Anna Janney DeArmond Memorial Scholarships
Established by an anonymous donor in honor of Prof. Janney DeArmond, this annual scholarship recognizes an English major from Delaware who has demonstrated academic merit and financial need.
Allen Friedman Memorial Scholarships
The annual Friedman scholarship recognizes an English student who has demonstrated academic merit and financial need.
Gregory Family Celebration of Creative Writing Awards
Through the generous support of the Gregory Family, the Department of English hosts a celebration of writing each spring, in conjunction with the annual publication of UD's student literary magazine, Caesura. The celebration includes the presentation of six awards: two Elda Wollaeger Gregory Poetry Prizes; the Thomas W. Molyneux Fiction Award; the Thomas W. Molyneux Creative Non-Fiction Award; Academy of American Poets Harold Taylor Award; and the Caesura Art Award.
Margaret Tindall Award
The Margaret Tindall Award is presented every year by the department of English to its graduating English Major with the highest cumulative grade-point average.
Edward H. Rosenberry Undergraduate Writing Awards
Established by the late Professor Emeritus Edward H. Rosenberry, the Rosenberry Undergraduate Writing Awards recognize excellence in writing. The goal of these awards is to promote that good writing matters, and that it matters to everyone.
Outstanding Student/Teacher in English Education
The Outstanding Student/Teacher recognizes the special promise demonstrated in becoming an exceptional secondary English teacher and is given annually by each secondary education program at the University of Delaware to a top graduate in their teacher education major.
George Henry Memorial Award
Established by a bequest of Professor George Henry, a Delaware educator who began his career in 1926 as a high school teacher in Lewes and later served as principal of Dover High School, the George Henry Memorial Award honors strong performance in student teaching and an interest in teaching secondary English in Delaware public schools.
Exceptional Growth in the Professional Year
This award, given to a graduating XEE senior, recognizes one who has excelled in the transition from an education student to a novice teacher to a confident and effective educator.
Secondary Education Award for Educational Promise
This Secondary Education Award for Educational Promise is given to students who have taken EDUC413, EDUC414 or EDUC419 and who have demonstrated exceptional potential as future educators.
Award Recipients
Lauren Dienna and Jenna Scandale are the 2026 Outstanding Student/Teachers in English Education, an award that recognizes the special promise demonstrated in becoming an exceptional secondary English teacher. Lauren and Jenna were selected for this award by the English Education faculty and field instructors based on their consistently outstanding professional practice over the past academic year, from courses through student teaching. They have demonstrated strong classroom practice and professionalism, planned and implemented exceptional lessons, developed admirable rapport with students and colleagues, and incorporated suggestions and new ideas, all of which has made them dynamic classroom teachers.
Gracie Knepper and Gabby Rabold received the 2025 George Henry Memorial Award, which honors successful teacher candidates who show great promise of becoming exceptional secondary English teachers. The award was established in 1991 by a bequest of Professor George Henry, a long-time Delaware educator. As a member of the UD faculty, he became a nationally known scholar and teacher in the field of English Education. Their outstanding performance as student/teachers and determination to teach are recognized through this award.
Richard Oboryshko is recognized for Exceptional Growth in the Professional Year. Richard was selected by the English Education faculty for this honor because of his remarkable growth–from education students to novice teachers, and now to a confident and effective educator. His performance in student teaching and commitment to the profession earned him this award.
Anna Welsko received the Secondary Education Awards for Educational Promise. This award is given to students who have taken EDUC413, EDUC414 or EDUC419. The winners have demonstrated exceptional potential as future educators. Anna was selected for this award by the School of Education faculty members who teach the EDUC core classes, who note that awardees have exhibited "excellent understanding" about diverse groups of adolescent learners, professional dispositions, and promising teaching practices.
Sheyenne Faircloth was recognized with this award, selected from all of the graduates of the teacher education programs across the university. The Scholar-Leader award is given annually to a graduating senior in a UD teacher education program who has demonstrated outstanding qualities of scholarship, leadership, and character and shows promise of making a meaningful contribution to the teaching profession.
ARAK Award
The Arak Journal, an annual anthology of student writing from the past year ENGL 110 class.
Mr. Sydney F. Arak and Ms. Ruth Toor, University of Delaware alumni, have funded celebrate student writing. They established an award in honor of their parents, John and Frieda Arak.
More than 4,000 students enroll in English 110, our required first-year writing course each year. Students with outstanding essays are encouraged to submit their papers for consideration for the Arak Award.
