On May 28th, the WHS Theater Department attended the annual Seven Angels Theatre Halo Awards, a statewide celebration of high school theatre featuring over 100 participating schools. Watertown High School earned 11 nominations this year, including “Best Contemporary Musical,” “Best Orchestra,” and “Best Stage Management,” recognizing the talent and dedication of the cast, crew, art team, and pit. WHS brought home two Halo Awards: Hailey Peguero won Best Performance in a Featured Female Role in a Musical for her role as Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act, and Ava Stango won Best Program Art for Sister Act. In addition to these awards, students were honored with special recognitions, including Kiley Pienczykowski for Student Director for The Truman Show and Ava Stango for Music Director for The Truman Show. Congratulations to all nominees and winners for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the WHS theater community!
Categories:
Halo Awards 2026
June 10, 2026
More to Discover
About the Contributor
Ava Stango, Editor-In-Chief
Ava Stango, Senior, is ending her 4-year career at the Warrior’s Wire as the Editor-In-Chief. She was featured in Watertown’s Town Times News as a reporter and as a designer for event advertising at Watertown High School. She succeeds in academics, for she is in the World Language Honor Society, the Tri-M Music Honor Society, National Honor Society, and President of the National Technical Honor Society. Ava also has achieved perfect attendance from Kindergarten through Grade 12. This remarkable milestone reflects her commitment, perseverance, and dedication throughout her entire school career.
Ava is one of the captains on the Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team and pushes her skill to play in a winter club tournament team. Music is a major part of Ava’s life. She play the tuba in the Wind Ensemble and in the Pit Orchestra for the school’s musical productions. For two years, Ava directed the all-student Pit Orchestra for the fall plays, helping bring live music into the world of theater at WHS. She was honored to receive many Halo Awards, such as, “Best Incidental or Original Music in a Play,” “Best Program Art,” and “Best Music Director.” Ava was also recognized with the CIAC/CAS Student Performing Arts Spotlight Award. In addition, Ava runs the Instagram account for the music department, helping promote performances and highlight student achievements
Out of school, Ava enjoys hanging out with her friends and boyfriend and shopping. After graduation, Ava is attending Quinnipiac University to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic & Interactive Design, followed by a Master’s degree in Producing for Film & TV.

