The 2026 Calisch Award recipients (top row, left to right): Sean Fielding, Sydney Carlson, Cristian Nava; (bottom row, left to right): Emma Taucher, Peter Kim, Sam Frye.
Six graduating seniors have been named the 2026 recipients of High School District 214’s annual Calisch Awards. This year’s honorees represent talent and leadership in the arts across District 214’s schools.
The 2026 Calisch Award students are: Sydney Carlson of Rolling Meadows High School, Sean Fielding of Wheeling High School, Sam Frye of John Hersey High School, Peter Kim of Buffalo Grove High School, Cristian Nava of Prospect High School, and Emma Taucher of Elk Grove High School.
The award was established in honor of Richard Calisch, a former English teacher and division head for humanities at Elk Grove High School. A passionate advocate for the arts, Calisch created the District’s Arts Unlimited event and anthology, the Friend of the Arts annual award, and at one point, partnered with the Elk Grove Village Public Library to establish an Arts Guild to expand community access to cultural programming and information.
Students are nominated by each school’s Fine Arts coordinator and staff, with an eye toward celebrating students who embody the spirit of a true "renaissance individual," with activities, accomplishments and involvement across various fine arts disciplines.
A closer look at our Class of 2026 award winners:
Sean Fielding
From day one at Wheeling High School, teachers say, Sean Fielding has shown commitment to becoming the best fine arts student he could be, demonstrating leadership passion, creativity and balance into vocal music, speech, musical theater and the District 214 summer musical. Sean’s theater director calls Sean a “theatrical genius” who has excelled in dramatic and comedic roles alike, from the despotic Lord Capulet and Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending to the quirky comedic Roy Phillips in The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens. When Sean joined orchesis as a sophomore, he made an immediate impact through choreography. He applied his creativity, artistry and instinct for storytelling to produce a breathtaking video of a school musical for the State Festival.
Sydney Carlson
Sydney Carlson has shared her multifaceted talents within Rolling Meadows High School’s music department and theatre program. As a collaborative pianist, composer and director, she demonstrates creative excellence not only as a performer but also behind the scenes with a variety of school and community projects. Sydney’s teachers say that her creativity, work ethic, and positive energy shine through her fine arts endeavors and they laud her artistic and emotional maturity. Sydney plans to major in piano performance with a focus in accompaniment and music direction for theater. Sydney has devoted much of her high school career to empowering and helping others through the arts, and she truly embodies the spirit of this prestigious award.
Cristian Nava
Cristian Nava’s enthusiasm, leadership and creative brilliance have left an indelible mark on every facet of Prospect High School’s fine arts department. He began as a member of the concert band, a cappella group, and a young lead of Chip in 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, evolving into a commanding stage presence, tackling diverse and challenging lead roles. His multifaceted musical contributions span instrumental and vocal disciplines. Cristian made history as the Marching Knights’ first-ever vocal soloist while serving as a trumpet member. Consistently selected for the ILMEA All-State Honors Vocal Jazz groups, he has been a featured soloist at school assemblies and is the voice of our community at sporting events, performing the National Anthem. On the speech team, Cristian has balanced his performance schedule with the demands of competitive public speaking, serving as varsity member for four years and peer coach for two.
Emma Taucher
Her Elk Grove teachers describe Emma Taucher as an extraordinarily talented and dedicated student. In the visual arts, her distinctions include Best in Show for a painting at the regional Art ConnectED Exhibition, first place in the Daily Herald Art and Writing Contest and multiple awards in the highly competitive Harper Art Show. In addition to the visual arts, Emma has been a vital element of the technical theater crew, having worked on every play, musical and variety show during her four years, focusing on set design and construction, along with sound engineering. Her willingness to work behind the scenes to support large-scale events demonstrates her versatility and dedication to the arts. Her strong work ethic, professionalism and commitment to excellence make her a role model for peers and younger students, as she balances an impressive range of artistic pursuits with grace and maturity.
Peter Kim
Peter Kim is an academically accomplished student and multidisciplinary artist who has completed Buffalo Grove High School’s most advanced curriculum while excelling across music, theatre and visual art. A four-year member of the choir, band and orchestra programs, he is part of the distinguished Golden Bison, recognizing participation in all three ensembles. Peter has served as principal oboe in the BGHS band and District 214 Honors Orchestra. He has earned multiple selections to the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) ensembles for band, orchestra and choir. He is also active in theater and has participated in the National Student Leadership Conference and the Illinois Summer Youth Music program. Peter additionally serves his community through the National Anthem program and is recognized for his integrity, leadership and work ethic.
Sam Frye
From the first day as a freshman, Sam Frye has been an enthusiastic and committed student who exemplifies creative excellence for a variety of fine and performing arts programs: as an actor, dance captain and director, as well as an anchor and lead participant in John Hersey High School vocal ensembles. Teachers cite Sam’s preparation and tireless work with character development and portrayal. As webmaster for the Multimedia Communications, Sam built strong relationships with managing editors across multiple beats, also stepping up to operate a camera at football and basketball games as needed. His enthusiasm, leadership, and generosity of spirit extend far beyond the classroom, making him not only a standout artist, but also an exceptional Huskie and community member.