Marist High School held its 58th annual commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 16, 2024, sending off an accomplished class of 378 young men and women.
The Director of Student Success, Mrs. Joy Lewis, was the master of ceremonies. The class co-valedictorians, Alan Treto and Andrew Viz, addressed the class. The salutatorian, Luke Becker, offered the opening prayer. The ceremony also featured a great speech from Principal Meg Dunneback.
The Class of 2024 held many accomplishments. Marykate Bartolotta was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. David Charles Fanelli, Alan Treto, and Andrew Stephen Viz were named National Merit Commended Students. Marist boasted 48 Illinois State Scholars, representing the top 10% of seniors in the state. Numerous students were named ACT scholars, Advanced Placement Scholars, and received prestigious awards and scholarships. The College Board National Recognition Program awarded eight of our students, 4 of which were seniors. There are 34 student athletes competing at the collegiate level. Four students were named Chick Evans Scholars: Danny Gallagher, Jose Antonio Lemus-Jamie, Emerson McGuire, and Isaac Soto. Brenna Leigh Dunlap and Francis Peter Bilecki were named IHSA All-State Academic Team Honorable Mentions.
The graduates continued to build Marist’s strong academic reputation. They sent out 2,631 college applications to 317 colleges and universities across the country. Graduates will be on the campuses of the University of Chicago, Miami University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, University of Illinois, and The Ohio State University and Yale University, to name a few.
This class will be represented in several local trade unions and three students will be enlisting in the United States armed forces: Joshua Ciesla, Darrien Foster-Vaval, and Trynten Taylor.
There were fourteen members in the Class of 2024 who had a perfect unweighted, cumulative GPA- meaning they earned an A in every class they ever took at Marist. The Class of 2024 came from 106 parishes or places of worship. They came to school every day from 14 different neighborhoods within the City of Chicago and from 42 different suburbs and Indiana. There were 60 students who have a parent that is a first responder (police officer, EMT, or fire fighter). Eight students earned the Seal of Bilteracy.
The Faculty Award, which is voted on by Marist teachers, honors students who embody the ideals of a Marist graduate in faith, service, and academics, and was given to Caroline O’Brien and Kamron Beal.
At the graduation ceremony, seniors were awarded Medals for Excellence and Next in Merit. The following is the list of recipients:
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH is presented to Alan Treto.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Cara Finn. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINE ARTS is presented to Tara Jeanne Duignan.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Maddox Medina. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN MATHEMATICS is presented to Luke Gabriel Becker.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Andrew Stephen Viz. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN PERFORMING ARTS is presented to Kathleen Godsel.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Sara Moran. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES is presented to Osmar Felix Rocha-Patino.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Connor Stanley Callahan. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE is presented to Luke Gabriel Becker.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Stephanie Dostal. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES is presented to Brenna Leigh Dunlap.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Brian Matthew Immordino. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN TECHNOLOGY is presented to Daniel Gleeson.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Timothy Patrick Malloy. - The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN WORLD LANGUAGE is presented to Sofia Amelie Vazquez.
NEXT IN MERIT goes to Luke Gabriel Becker.
At the heart of their Marist experience was spiritual growth. The class participated in retreats throughout their four years, service projects, and liturgical celebrations. Many seniors participated in the senior traditions of the Kairos retreat, where they deepened their faith and relationship with each other over a four days.
After the bell rang each day, these seniors participated in clubs and activities, sharing their leadership and expertise with the school community. Marist seniors were leaders on the math team, which finished sixth in state overall and 1st in Catholic Schools in Illinois. The chess team finished 31st out of 128 teams, with Shakira Luster making history as the first African American young lady to go seven for seven on board one at the IHSA Chess State Finals. Student council members planned a variety of events and activities throughout the year. The theater guild produced a fall drama and a spring musical of “Beauty & the Beast” which performed at Morgan Park Academy. The band and choir performed in spring concerts and the choir highlighted its seniors with special senior recital. Over Spring Break, we had groups of students travel to Paris, Argentina, and Ireland. The Marist Band traveled to New York City where they toured and performed. The Power Lifting Club sent students to the state competition and Conor Phelan placed second in his weight class. The IDEA Class winners consisted of all seniors, Xavier Almanza, Emmett Broderick, Josh Ciesla, and Padraig Murnin. James Kitchin, Conor Graefen, and Pedro Bear represented Marist at the Illinois High School Esports Association championship.
Many of our athletic teams had successful runs in the postseason. The cheerleading team placed first at the IHSA State Competition in February! The team was led by nine seniors from the class of 2024. Their state champion banner was unveiled in the Marist Main Gym at the final rally of the year. The boys’ volleyball team secured a state championship title on June 1, 2024! The team had an exciting season that was led by five seniors from the class of 2024. The girls varsity softball team headed down to the State Championship for the 5th year in a row. The team finished second in state, led by two seniors from the class of 2024!
This class was not afraid to follow their passions and share their talents with the world. Anna Smetak was named Queen of Polish Highlanders and raised over $100,000 to improve the lives and futures of children in need. Addison McBride was a Silver Key Scholastic Winner for a photo composite she designed in the Photography 2 course. Kate Hulne and Mairead O’Brien were on the team named as the 2024 All Ireland Champions. Keiran Mines earned the rank of Eagle Scout, a rank only 2% of eligible Scouts earn. Jax Valenti and his family built and donated a beautiful Nativity scene to be displayed outside the Marist main office. Morgan Gonzales worked as a Gameday Photographer for the Windy City Bulls.
Congratulations to the class of 2024! We Know you will make us proud!
