Awards and Honors
The Grey School recognizes academic achievement and contributions to School life through established awards. Each award has its own purpose and conditions, and recognition should be recorded through the responsible School office.
The Lodge Cup
The five Lodges compete for the Lodge Cup, with results announced twice each year at the equinoxes. The competition recognizes the combined contribution of academic progress and Merits over the preceding six months.
The calculation uses the following method:
Multiply the credits earned by a Lodge during the period by four.
Add the Merits earned by the Lodge.
Divide the combined total by the number of pupils in that Lodge.
The Lodge with the highest combined average wins the Cup. Pupils can follow the published standings on the Lodge Competition page.
The Lumos Award
The Lumos Award recognizes Lodges that demonstrate effective leadership and a strong pattern of shared activity. Academic advancement and the participation of Lodge members contribute to the assessment.
Lumos awards are made at the equinoxes. The requirements are set out in the Challenge and Merit System, and Lodge leadership should consult those conditions when preparing its work for review.
The Dean's List
A Dean's List appointment is one of the School's highest academic honors. It recognizes Apprentices who earn three nominations for work completed during Levels 1 through 7. Magisters and pupils at Level 8 or above are not eligible.
The Master of Studies administers the Dean's List, with the Provost where that office is appointed. Any instructor may nominate an Apprentice for academic excellence demonstrated in a course taught by that instructor. The three nominations may come from different instructors or from the same instructor for different courses.
A nomination may recognize performance at 98% or better on all or most assignments, or another clear demonstration of academic excellence. Work that goes beyond the assignment's requirements through insight, careful reasoning, or sustained curiosity may also justify a nomination.
Three nominations earn Dean's List status for the pupil's current Level. The appointment is recorded through the academic office, and the pupil's name remains posted for six months from the appointment date.
If an Apprentice who has already earned Dean's List status receives three further appointments while still at the same Level, the recorded appointment date is updated to reflect reappointment. Additional Merits are not awarded for that reappointment. On advancing to the next Level, the Apprentice becomes eligible for a new appointment at that Level.
Graduation Honors
Dean's List recognition contributes to the honors recorded on the Journeyman Letter:
A Dean's List appointment at one Level earns cum laude, “with honor.”
Appointments at two to five Levels earn magna cum laude, “with high honor.”
Appointments at six or seven Levels earn summa cum laude, “with highest honor.”
These distinctions recognize achievement across the Apprenticeship and are recorded on the graduate's Journeyman Letter.
The Wizard's Cap
The Wizard's Cap recognizes an Apprentice whose service or activity exceeds the ordinary expectations of wizardly conduct. A Faculty member who is impressed by such work may nominate the Apprentice and send the nomination to the Master of Pupils.
The Master of Pupils forwards the nomination to the Administration Council for review. An Apprentice who receives the Wizard's Cap is awarded a free term at GSW.
Lodge benefits associated with the Wizard's Cap are described separately in the Challenge and Merit System.
Departmental and Other Awards
Faculty may authorize departmental awards and Merit Challenges within established guidelines. Departmental awards provide recognition for individual academic excellence and contributions by Apprentices or Magisters. Their criteria and the means of earning them should be made available through the relevant departmental information.
Other appropriate staff or Faculty members may establish non-academic awards connected with their responsibilities. Clubs and Lodges may, for example, recognize contributions according to the criteria of an established award.
Viewing current Lodge awards
The trophy case in Lodge Commons displays current holdings of the Lodge Cup, Lumos Award, Wizard's Cap, and Berserker Trophy. A gold trophy denotes a current holding; an impression denotes an award not currently held. Selecting either opens the award's explanation. This display records official assignments and does not change the award procedures or benefits described in the Handbook. Awards do not cost Perk Points.