Marist High School held its 59th annual commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025 sending off an accomplished class of 371 young men and women. The Class of 2025 proudly continues a legacy more than 60 years strong—one rooted in faith, excellence, and community.
The Marist band, lead by Mr. Andrew Creagh, played beautiful processional music as the graduates processed into the Marist High School Main Gym. Dean of Student Success, Mrs. Joy Lewis, was the master of ceremonies. The class valedictorian, Celia Lindokken, addressed the class. The salutatorian, Nathen Toth, offered the invocation. The ceremony also featured a great speech from Principal Meg Dunneback.
The Class of 2025 held many accomplishments. Phillip Haddad (Jerling Jr. High) and Owen Murphy (St. Barnabas) were named National Merit Finalists. Nathan San Gabriel (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin), Celia Lindokken (Central Middle School), Quinlan McNerney (St. Barnabas), Qasim Shirazi (Palos South) and Nicholas Sifuentes (St. George) were named National Merit Commended Students. Marist boasted 55 Illinois State Scholars, representing the top 10% of seniors in the state. Celia Lindokken earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. Numerous students received prestigious awards and scholarships. The College Board National Recognition Program awarded sixteen of our students, 8 of which were seniors. Four Marist seniors graduated from the Chicago Ambulance Alliance EMT program: Ellie Fey (Cassell), Timothy Graber (Mount Greenwood), Ronnie Shalabi (Mount Greenwood), and Christine Stephenson (St. Damian). There are 45 student athletes competing at the collegiate level. Caitlin O’Brien (St. Alexander) was named a Chick Evans Scholar. Claire Cotter (St. Christina) was nominated for the IHSA All-State Academic Team, and Ricky Ericksen (Arbor Park Middle School) earned Honorable Mention.
The graduates continued to build Marist’s strong academic reputation, sending out 2,821 applications to 398 colleges and universities. 99% of our graduating class will be attending a college, university or junior college. They will be on the campuses of Harvard University, Brown University, United States Military Academy at West Point, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Miami University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, and The Ohio State University to name a few.
This class will be represented in several local trade unions and six students will be enlisting in the United States armed forces or ROTC program at the university they are attending: Matthew Coffey (St. Alexander), Joshua Hernandez (Hamlin Upper Grade), Michael McDonnell (Palos South), Cedric Norwood (Clissold), Sophia Rittorno (Dore), Robert Shepard (Sutherland), and Matthew Turner (Mount Greenwood). Thank you for you future service the United States of America.
The following students were recognized as the top 20 seniors – or top 5% – of their class based on their weight GPA. Congratulations to these incredible Marist scholars:
- Emma Paige Billows (St. Daniel the Prophet)
- Claire Margaret Cotter (St. Christina)
- Brendan Doran (Most Holy Redeemer)
- Philip Victor Haddad (Jerling Jr. High)
- Addison Samantha Hinkes (St. Michael)
- Jacob Joseph Klooster (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin)
- Celia Lindokken (Central Middle School)
- Luke B. Molenhouse (Mount Greenwood)
- Andrew Joseph Mucksavage (St. Linus)
- John Newark (St. Germaine)
- Gabriella R. Novickas (St. Christina)
- Alicia Raymond (St. Mary Star of the Sea)
- Nathan Angelo A. San Gabriel (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin)
- John Schultz (St. Cajetan)
- Qasim Shirazi (Palos South)
- Raven T. Thomas (St. Benedict)
- Nathen Toth (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin)
- Kayla Trevino (St. Damian)
- Tony Uchman (Mount Greenwood)
The distinguished Marist Faculty Award is the highest honor that the Marist High School community can bestow upon a graduating senior. The winner of this award possesses all of the qualities we expect of a Marist student: scholastic excellence, leadership, honesty, integrity and spirituality. The award is presented to 1 male student and 1 female student. For the Class of 2025, the Faculty Award was presented to Madison Berry (Most Holy Redeemer) and Achilles Anderson (New Open World Academy).
The following students were nominated for the award: Achilles Anderson (New Open World Academy), Will Denny (Manhattan Junior High), Ricky Ericksen (Arbor Park), Matt Harmon (Most Holy Redeemer), Nathen Toth (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin), Madison Berry (Most Holy Redeemer), Emma Billows (St. Daniel the Prophet), Bella Bullington (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin), Raven Thomas (St. Benedict) and Molly Topa (Most Holy Redeemer).
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 Emma Paige Billows (St. Daniel the Prophet) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Caitlin Patula (St. Michael)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINE ARTS is presented to Sophia Francesca Bukiri (Orland Junior High) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Ellie Fey (Cassell)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN MATHEMATICS is presented to John Schultz (St. Cajetan) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Celia Lindokken (Central Middle School)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN PERFORMING ARTS is presented to Matthew Michael Harmon (MHR) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Lola Isabella Alvarado (Mount Greenwood)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES is presented to Alexander Smith (St. Sabina) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Emma Paige Billows (St. Daniel the Prophet)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE is presented to Nathen Toth (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Raven T. Thomas (St. Benedict)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES is presented to Caitlin O’Brien (St. Alexander) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Celia Lindokken (Central Middle School)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN TECHNOLOGY is presented to John Schultz (St. Cajetan) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Phillip Victor Haddad (Jerling Junior High)
- The MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN WORLD LANGUAGE is presented to Celia Lindokken (Central) NEXT IN MERIT goes to Luke B. Molenhouse (Mount Greenwood)
At Marist, faith is the center of our school. Members of the Class of 2025 lived that mission—leading retreats, attending mission trips, planning liturgies, and serving others through countless projects. Through the senior service program, students volunteered daily at more than 16 community organizations.
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 fourth in state overall and 1st in Catholic Schools in Illinois. Student council members planned a variety of events and activities throughout the year. From gallery-worthy visual art to sold-out performances of Clue Jr. and Bye Bye Birdie, the Class of 2025 made their presence known. The celebrated Marist marching band capped four incredible years with a performance aboard the USS Missouri and a featured role in the 2025 Vietnam Veterans Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Power Lifting Club sent students to the state competition where the boys team took 2nd overall.
Many of our athletic teams had successful runs in the postseason. State champions from the Class of 2025 include:
- Girls’ Volleyball
- Cheerleading
- Individual Wrestling Champions: Will Denny (Manhattan Jr. High) and Ricky Ericksen (Arbor Park Middle School)
- Boys’ Volleyball
To the Class of 2025, always remember that you are: “students 4 years; brothers and sisters for life.”
