LEGACY GRADUATES 2021

At Marist High School, we value tradition. We value our traditions of faith formation, family spirit, and preparation for the future. There is another tradition that truly humbles us. It is when a family chooses to send a child to Marist after the father has graduated from here. It is a testament to the experience of those alumni, their belief in our mission, and their trust in our care for their children. We salute the legacy families of the class of 2021. 

2021 VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN

Marist High School is proud to announce that Colin Dillon and Caitlin McGrath are the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the class of 2021.

Dillon is a National Merit Finalist, and while at Marist participated in math team, academic team, National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, student council, and the tennis program. Outside of Marist, he was a member of the Worth Township Peer Jury during his junior year and was a summer volunteer at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center during sophomore and junior year. Dillon will attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.

Dillon said he had hoped to land among the top twenty students in his class. “It was quite a surprise and a blessing when I found out I was number one, which is a great honor to be among many of my bright peers,” he said. Dillon said he kept a healthy balance with school by allowing for time to relax and recuperate from academics and other responsibilities. “It also was important to keep a positive attitude as the amount of work sometimes could be overwhelming, so I found it best to remind myself that I can get it done on time,” he explained. He will address the class at graduation.

McGrath was a four-year member of the math team, a student ambassador, and Explore Program member. She was elected vice-president of the National Honor Society and secretary of Spanish National Honor Society during her senior year. She also played volleyball at Marist for two years. Outside of Marist, McGrath volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House. She will attend the University of Notre Dame and major in chemical engineering. McGrath will offer the prayer at graduation.

McGrath said being at the top was something she kept in the back of her mind. “Initially, I was more focused on staying in challenging classes and keeping good grades,” she explained. “As time went on, I realized that being at the top was a possibility, so it just drove me to work harder in my classes. In the end, I enjoyed pushing myself to be the best I could and it worked out pretty well.”  McGrath credits time management with being able to make the most of school and other activities.

Marist will hold its 55th annual commencement exercises on Friday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at Soldier Field.

CLASS OF 2021 ILLINOIS STATE SCHOLARS

Marist High School is proud to announce Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) named 50 Marist seniors Illinois State Scholars. This brings the total of Illinois State Scholars from Marist to 664 over the past ten years.

Illinois State Scholars represent approximately the top ten percent of high school seniors from more than 700 high schools across the state. Illinois State Scholars possess strong academic potential and are chosen based on a combination of exemplary ACT or SAT test scores and sixth-semester class rank. 

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 members who were named Illinois State Scholars: