St. Bede Academy announces first quarter honor roll

PERU ‑ Nick McLaughlin, principal of St. Bede Academy, has announced St. Bede’s honor roll for the first quarter period of the 2023-2024 school year. 

Seniors: Alex Ankiewicz, Yigit Arslan, Joseph Bima, Johnna Bogatitus, Bella Boggio, Ali Bosnich, Macklin Brady, Maximus Bray, Ella Burris, Summer Conlin, Madelyne Dalton, Rubi De La Torre, Erin Dove, Tessa Dugosh, Ella Englehaupt, Evan Englehaupt, Evan Entrican, Aleah Espel, Daliayah Farris, Seth Ferrari, Milana Gayan, Molly Gonzales, Georgina Guo, Isabella Hagenbuch, Gavin Hahn, Makenzie Hanson, Katelyn Harth, Macy Hartt, Mariella Hermes, Teagan Hewitt, Kylie Hill, Nathan Husser,  Jeanna Ladzinski, Henry Mertel, Ariella Mudge, Ava Mueller, Kyra Newman, Khue Nguyen, Olivia Orteza,  Isabella Pinter, Zachary Popurella, Logan Potthoff, Drew Roda, Anna Rudenko, Hunter Savage, Kaelyn Schwemlein, Sierah Shaver, Casey Shearer, Aubrey Siebert, Ryan Slingsby, Madison Stanbary, Reagan Stoudt, Marly Tillman, Amie Tomaszewski, Vy Tran and Katherine Zeller.

Juniors: Teer Ao, Haiden Ator, Jazmin Barreras-Vazquez, Veronica Bartlett, Andrea Brandner,  Qiyu Chen, Ziheng Chen,  Garrett Connelly, Trayger Davis, Alondra Delao, Lorelei Denny,  Madalyn Dittmar, Bailey Engels, Avery Entrican, Yibo Fan, Phillip Gray, Mirella Haskell, Halden Hueneburg, Elizabeth Huffaker, Kathleen Hunter, Tyler Jordan, Yuno Kawai, Maci Kelly, Sadie Koehler, Jaxon Kozak, Lin Le, Violet Lopez, Haohongze Ma, Haiqing Mao, Greyson Marincic, Gavin Marquez, Jack Maschmann, Quinn McClain, Victoria Mendez, Jake Migliorini, Grace Millington, Adeline Mitchell, Mason Moreno, Aidan Mullane, Kaden Nauman, Ryan Nawa, Kaden Newman, Huy Nguyen, Alivia Payne, Logan Pineda, Mason Ross, Emma Smudzinski, Zixuan Song, Alan Spencer, Paige Tomaseski, Mina Trandinh, Arthur van den Berg, Samantha Wagner, Tyler Walsh, Abraham Wiesbrock, Kefei Wu, Solomon Zhang and Jinhao Zhao.

Sophomores: Margaret Arkins, Ava Balestri, Genavyve Barnes, Landon Boggio, Lily Bosnich, Noah Buck, August Burr, Drew Carboni,  Anna Cyrocki, Emerald De La Torre, Haoxuan Du, Madeline Fabish, Gino Ferrari, Harrison Fess, Ashton Gonzales, Mae Hagenbuch, Brody Hahn, Weston Heersink, Aiden Hermes, Micah Huetteman, Zachary Husser, Shuyu Jiang, Isaac Kang, Wanyu Liu, Lili McClain, Ruby Michels, Ella Mudge, Sophia Ni, Jillian Pinter, Trajan Raffety, Xiangyi Ren, Carson Riva, Chipper Rossi, Sara Ruiz, Alyssa Savitch, Emma Slingsby, Lillian Soliman, Ryan Soliman, Shujie Song, Devin Steil, Miranda Torres, Khoa Tran, Julian Villava,  Peiwen Wu, Xindi Wu, Hongsheng Yang, Yannis Yong, Kian Zeller, Sora Zepeda, Ruihan Zhang and Yijing Zhang.

Freshmen: Faith Ankiewicz, Yesenia Avila, Caleb Barto, Chloe Brandt, Sean Brayton, Brody Burris, Calen Cass, Geno Dinges, Kate Duncan, Kyra Finley, Grace Gahan, Eden Galvan, Daniel Garcia, Cecilia Giacalone, Gavin Gillan, Ashlan Heersink, Brennen Hirst, Emma Huffaker, Lila Koehler, Ella Lamboley, Landon Marquez, Lucy Maus, Emma Mavity, Stuart McGunnigal, Matilda Mitchell, Stephanie Ni, Niko Pappas-Anniballi, Chase Riva, Olivia Ross, Ranbir Saini, Alaina Schulz, Michael Schulz, Nancy Shi, Mackenzie Stanbary, Macy Strauch, Bryce Stuepfert, Lex Tillman, Alec Tomsha, Judith Torres, Carter Vasquez, Ariana Villava, Kerstin Williams and Lillian Wray.

St. Bede Academy students qualify for Advanced Placement Scholar Award

PERU – The College Board Advanced Placement Program has recognized six St. Bede Academy students as being AP scholars.

The Ap program provides motivated and academically-prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the 1.8 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

St. Bede students who earned this recognition include Kylie Cofoid, Gianna Grivetti and Madelyn Torrance, who graduated from the academy in May 2023; and Ella Englehaupt, Bella Hagenbuch, who are seniors this year and Greyson Marincic, a junior.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams:

·        Students qualify for the National AP Scholars Award by earning an average score of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken and scores of four or higher on eight or more of these exams.

·        To qualify for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and scores of three or higher on five or more of these exams.

·        To earn the AP Scholar with Honor Award, students must score an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of three or higher on four or more of these exams. 

·        By completing three or more AP Exams with grades of three or higher, students qualify for the AP Scholar Award.

Through more than 30 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admissions process. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation’s leading liberal arts and research institutions. More than 3,600 colleges and universities annually receive AP grades. Over 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or placement for qualifying exam grades. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest) typically experience greater academic success in college and higher graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.

St. Bede Academy students awarded academic honors through College Board National Recognition Programs

Pictured are St. Bede students who have been awarded the National Rural and Small Town Award through the College Board National Recognition Programs (back row, from left) Logan Potthoff, Greyson Marincic, Evan Englehaupt; (front row, from left) Bella Hagenbuch and Ella Englehaupt. Not pictured: Ziheng “Gordon” Chen.

Awards recognize high-performing students and help them stand out to colleges

PERU – Six students at St. Bede Academy have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.

The following students from St. Bede have received the National Rural and Small Town Award: Ella Englehaupt, Evan Englehaupt, Greyson Marincic, Bella Hagenbuch, Logan Potthoff and Ziheng “Gordon” Chen.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate our students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing. We’re proud of their strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments like the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and AP exams,” said Nick McLaughlin, academy principal. “There’s so much that makes our students unique, and receiving this honor reinforces this as an asset for their future.”

The criteria for eligible students include:

·        GPA of 3.5 or higher.

·        PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10 percent of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams in ninth and tenth grade.

·        Attend school in a rural area or small town or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino or Indigenous/Native.

Eligible students are invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.

“It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities,” said Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.”    

Bruin alumni and friends return to celebrate Homecoming

‘There’s no place like Homecoming’           

PERU– St. Bede’s alumni and friends from far and near reunited over the weekend for the academy’s largest weekend celebration of the year. The annual Homecoming weekend was full of celebrations and recognitions – not to mention the Bruins beat the Elmwood Park Tigers 49-26.

The traditions kicked off on Wednesday evening with the annual girls’ powder puff football game on campus. Then, on Friday evening, St. Bede paraded downtown Peru before the annual variety show in the Abbot Vincent Gymnasium.

Saturday morning after the annual Jim Lattin 5K Run/Walk, the St. Bede Athletic Hall of Fame inducted posthumously St. Bede coach and teacher Ken Anderson, Emily (Arkins) Balestri ’02, Caitlin (Gidcumb) Colling ’06, Ralph Levaccare ’73, Richard “Dick” Verruchi ’66 and the 1972-73 football team.

The Class 1A State Champion Softball Team reunited on the Abbot Philip Davey Field where a recognition ceremony and ring dedication took place among friends, family, fans and former softball players. Four women alumnae, who were players on the first softball team at St. Bede, also were also recognized and received an honorary state championship medal for being the trailblazers in the sport at the academy. Those women were Sam (Lijewski) Pump ’79, Margaret Comiskey ’77, Patricia (Perona) Collins ’76 and Hilde (Luther) Grivetti ’76.

Presenting this year’s game ball at the start of the varsity football game was 1948 graduate Eugene Kunkel, who was celebrating his 75th class reunion. His niece, Rosemary Kunkel-Wall, a graduate from the class of 1973 and one of the first females to graduate from St. Bede Academy, flipped the game coin.

The halftime show featured the Class of 1973 who were escorted by the St. Bede cheerleaders to acknowledge becoming the newest Golden Bedans and recognizing their generous 50th reunion class gift to the academy.  

The Class of 1973 raised funds to renovate a classroom on the first floor of the academy in support of St. Bede’s Legacy Project.  

“This generous gift fulfills a significant project.” stated Julia Yaklich, director of mission advancement and major gifts. “We are blessed that our 50th reunion classes continue to honor their experience at St. Bede by ensuring that today’s Bruins have access to the same life-changing education and experience that they did.”

Alumni and friends had the opportunity to tour the newly-renovated academy building. St. Bede is currently raising funds to complete the final phase of the renovations. The project, which encompasses complete renovations of two floors within the academy, is on track to be completed in 2024 with about $700,000 of $13 million left to raise.

The popular 7th annual BruinsJam took place following the football game on Saturday, which included a lineup of performances by St. Bede alumni.

On Sunday, the St. Bede Alumni Association held its annual Bruins Brunch in the Perino Science Center and presented Fr. Larry Snyder ’68 with the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award. In addition, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of admission of women to the academy, the alumni association presented an award to all women graduates of the academy. Accepting the award were three of four of the first-female graduates of St. Bede Academy in 1973 – Debb (Garncarz) Ladgenski, Rosemary (Kunkel) Wall and Lissa (Harrison) Balda.

Save the date for St. Bede’s 2024 Homecoming, which will be held Oct. 18-20.                                

St. Bede hires first-ever school social worker

This school year, St. Bede has welcomed its own Megan (Considine) Theisinger '09 to the Academy's new role as school social worker. Theisinger comes from a long line of proud Bruins dating back to the class of '54. In her new role, Theisinger will work to advocate and be a support for all students, especially those with social-emotional needs impacting learning. Her job will be to intervene and problem-solve so that students not only are taught the skills they need, but also do not fall further behind in academics.

"It's important for students to have access to a social worker because of the rise in mental health needs in teens and adolescents. I think it's important to have this role in a school to be proactive and intervene quickly," she said.

Theisinger explained teens have a lot to navigate between schoolwork, teachers, extra curriculars, friends, etc.

"It can be a lot to juggle, especially when you add traumatic life events such as loss of loved ones, depression and anxiety. Students are challenged with lots of pressure and I am eager to be a friendly face to help them through it," she said.

While a new position at St. Bede, social work is not new territory for Theisinger. In addition to working at The Center for the Homeless in South Bend as part of her internship at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN, being a Foster Care Caseworker at the Center for Youth and Family Solutions in LaSalle and working as a Hospice Social Worker at St. Margaret’s Health, she interned as a School Social Worker at LaSalle Elementary during her time at Aurora University, where she earned a master of science degree in social work, and just completed her sixth school year as a School Social Worker within the Streator Elementary School District.

"My experiences working with trauma, anxiety, depression and social skills coupled with my Catholic education and faith have well-equipped me to dive in at St. Bede," she said. "It is so special to be back here. I loved growing up here with my mom, sisters, grandparents and aunts and uncles (all proud alums). This was my favorite spot to spend on a Friday night when I was little. I don't think I would have made it through high school without the support of some amazing people in a variety of roles at St. Bede checking in on me, believing in me and cheering me on. I always had people here that I could count on as a support. I became a school social worker to be what I needed when I was younger. This is an opportunity to be the same support to St. Bede students that I had when I was a student here."

If you or your student is seeking Mrs. Theisinger’s assistance, they can call her at 815-250-0343, or via email at mthesinger@st-bede.com.