Marmion Academy

Marmion Academy in Aurora graduated the 131 members of the Class of 2009 on May 24. Class valedictorians Ryan Boone of Geneva, Luke Friedman of Geneva and Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles and guest speaker Rev. John Schlegel, S.J., president of Creighton University, all addressed the graduates. Academic Dean Julie Garofalo announced that 77% of the graduates were awarded scholarships and grants totaling a record $16.4 million. The Class of 2009 will attend 66 different universities in 20 States next year. 117 graduates will attend a four-year college, twelve on full-tuition scholarships.

Scholastic excellence awards were presented to: Ryan Boone, Four years of Theology; Nathaniel Valaik of Naperville, Four years of English and Social Studies; Jeffrey Gerold, Four years of Latin, Mathematics and Science; Bryan Vanco of Naperville, Four years of French; and Luke Friedman, Four years of Spanish. Ryan Boone, David Brouch of Aurora, Daniel Conlin of Aurora, Luke Friedman, Jeffrey Gerold, Colin Hirsch of Genoa, Ryan Hoffman of Sugar Grove, Matthew Jacobs of Geneva, Colin King of Geneva, Jared Meyer of Batavia, Nicholas Matsie of Aurora and Nathaniel Valaik all received the Four years of Scholastic Excellence Award with GPA’s of 4.5 or higher on a 5.0 scale; Daniel Conlin and Matthew Jacobs received the Philip Sousa Band Award. Colin Hisrch, Colin King and Nicholas Scanlan of Aurora were presented with the Marmion Loyalty Medals.

At the ceremony, Headmaster John Milroy named the recipients of the Headmaster’s Leadership Award, honoring those seniors who have demonstrated uncommon leadership talent throughout their four years at Marmion achieving a cumulative leadership rank among the top 10% of their class. Those awarded are David Brouch, Daniel Conlin, Thomas Delves of St. Charles, Christopher Dukes of Elburn, Luke Friedman, Joseph Fuja of St. Charles, Jeffrey Gerold, Colin Hirsch, Ryan Hoffman, Colin King, Nathaniel Valaik, Nick Scanlan and Michael Shay of Aurora.

The following seniors were recognized at the graduation ceremony for their awards and scholarships:

Oscar Aguinaga of Aurora was awarded awarded the Jiffy Lube What Drives You Scholarship, and scholarships from Carthage College, St. Ambrose University, Southern Illinois University and University of Illinois Chicago. He will attend Miami University of Ohio.

Christopher Antolak of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Ball State University and DePaul University. He will attend Ball State University.

David Aquino of Aurora was awarded the Community Foundation August W. Fischer, Jr. Scholarship and scholarships from Aurora University, Creighton University and Dominican University. He will attend Aurora University.

Nicholas Assell of Sugar Grove was awarded scholarships from Carthage College and Southern Illinois University. He will attend Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

Stephan Ausman of Geneva, and Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Butler University, Loras College, University of Dayton and University of Iowa. He will attend University of Iowa.

Juan Avila of Aurora was offered athletic full tuition scholarships from United States Military Academy at West Point, United States Naval Academy and Eastern Illinois University. He will attend Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

Phillip Bakala of Sugar Grove was awarded scholarships from the Art Institute of Chicago, Kansas City Art Institute, Maryland Institute of Art and School of the Museum of Fine Art. He will attend Kansas City Art Institute.

John Baron of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Allegheny, Augustana College, Bradley University, DePauw University, Drake University, Illinois Wesleyan University, John Carroll, St. Ambrose University, St. Louis University, Spring Hill University, University of Dayton and Valparaiso University. He will attend DePauw University.

Timothy Benoit of Aurora, a National Merit Semifinalist and Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a Nomination and Appointment to both the United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He will attend the United States Naval Academy.

Ricardo Bird of North Aurora was awarded scholarships from Aurora University, Elmhurst College and St. Ambrose University. He will attend Elmhurst College.

Bradley Boettcher of Aurora was awarded scholarships from Benedictine University, North Central College and Northern Illinois University. He will attend the University of Illinois Chicago.

Ryan Boone of Geneva, a National Merit Finalist Scholarship Winner, Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar with Honors, Daily Herald Leadership Team Winner and US Presidential Scholar Nominee, was awarded the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates Scholarship, Chicago Federation of Labor Wm A Lee Scholarship, Full Tuition Scholarships from Boston University, Claremont McKenna College, Denver University, Fordham University, Lewis and Clark College, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and scholarships from American University, University of Notre Dame, University of Chicago and Villanova University. He will attend Clarmont McKenna College.

David Brouch of Aurora, an Illinois Sate Scholar, I.H.S.A All-State Academic Team Nominee, Daily Herald Leadership Team Honorable Mention and McCormick Foundation Citizenship Scholarship Finalist, was awarded First Tee Scholarship and scholarships from Creighton University, DePauw University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Miami University Ohio and University of Notre Dame. He will attend the University of Notre Dame.

Brian Burns of Aurora will attend College of Desert in Palm Desert, California.

Joseph Burrows of Aurora was awarded scholarships from St. Ambrose University and Bellarmine University. He will attend St. Ambrose University.

William Butzke of Batavia was awarded scholarships from Illinois Wesleyan University, Saint Louis University and Xavier University. He will attend St. Louis University.

Julian Cammarano of Aurora was awarded scholarships from Benedictine University, Cornell College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Loras College, Loyola University, Marquette University and Valparaiso University. He will attend Marquette University.

Tyler Capen of Lisle was awarded a scholarship from and will attend Eastern Michigan University.

Alain Cisneros of Elburn was awarded scholarships from DePaul University and University of Illinois at Chicago. He will attend the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Daniel Conlin of Aurora, and Illinois State Scholar and National Honor Society Scholarship Nominee was awarded the Community Foundation Aurora Jr. Womans’ Club Scholarship in Honor of Katy Fox, First Tee Scholarship, National Science Foundation Scholarship, Sam Walton Community Scholarship. He received a scholarship from and will attend St. Ambrose University.

Joseph Cordogan of Sugar Grove was awarded a scholarship from and will attend St. Ambrose University.

Austin Cox of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Miami University of Ohio, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northwestern University. He will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Peter Crifase of Downers Grove was awarded a scholarship from and will attend St. Ambrose University.

Jared Cummins of Batavia was awarded a scholarship from and will attend St. Ambrose University.

Thomas Currie of Batavia, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a Full Tuition 4-year ROTC Scholarship and scholarships from Bradley University, Iowa State University, Marquette University, University of Dayton, University of Wisconsin Platteville and Western Michigan University. He will attend the University of Dayton.

Pablo Del Toro, Jr. of Montgomery was awarded Full Tuition Scholarships from from Aurora University and North Park University and scholarships from Lewis University, Southern Illinois University and St. Ambrose University. He will attend North Park University.

Roberto Del Toro of Aurora was awarded scholarships from Lewis University and Northern Illinois University. He will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Thomas Delves of St. Charles, a Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Nominee, was awarded the Community Foundation Dickes Family Scholarship and scholarships from University of Miami and Xaivier University. He will attend the University of Miami.

James Derrico of Batavia, a Kohl’s Kids Who Care Scholarship Nominee, was awarded the Ted Brattin Civic Youth Leadership Award and scholarships from Regis University, St. Norbert College and St. Vincent College. He will attend St. Vincent College.

David DeSimone of Batavia was awarded a scholarship from Bradley University and will attend Iowa State University.

Marco Diaz, Jr. of Aurora was awarded the Community Foundation Aurora Junior Womans’ Club Scholarship and scholarships from Benedictine University, DePaul University, Loyola University and the University of Illinois. He will attend the University of Illinois Urbana.

Michael DiGiovanna of Yorkville, an Illinois State Scholar and Yorkville Junior Womans’ Club Scholarship Finalist, was awarded a Full Tuition four-year NROTC Scholarship and scholarships from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Jacksonville University, Ohio Dominican University and University of Dubuque. He will attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Michael Duhig of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Benedictine University, University of North Florida and University of South Florida. He will attend the University of South Florida.

Christopher Dukes of Elburn, an Illinois State Scholar and National Merit Commended Student, was awarded a Nomination to United States Military Academy at West Point and Full Tuition four-year ROTC Scholarship as well as scholarships from Eckerd College and University of Miami Ohio. He will attend Eckerd College.

Bryce Emory of Aurora is undecided pending athletic offers.

Andrew Ferrer of Plano was awarded scholarships from Barry University, Hofstra University and Loyola University. He will attend Loyola University in Chicago.

Sean Fichtel of Aurora was awarded scholarships from Elmhurst College, North Central College and Quincy University. He will attend Elmhurst College.

Salvatore Filardi, Jr. of North Aurora, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a scholarship from Loyola University and will attend the University of Illinois Urbana.

Benedict Fischer of Batavia, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Augustana College, Butler University, Creighton University, Drake University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Knox College, Lake Forest College, Lawrence University, Truman College, University of Dayton and Xavier University. He will attend Augustana College.

Kyle Fischer of Geneva was awarded scholarships from Loyola University, Marquette University, St. John Fisher College, St. Louis University and University of Dayton. He will attend the University of Dayton.

Ryan Fitzgerald of Big Rock will attend Purdue University.

Charles Foster, Jr. of Batavia was awarded scholarships from Augustana College, Benedictine University, Carthage College, Elmhurst College, Knox College, Luther College, Mt. Mercy College and St. Ambrose University. He will attend Knox College.

Luke Friedman of Geneva, an Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar and Chicago Tribune Scholar-Athlete Nominee, was awarded scholarships from University of Iowa, Case Western Reserve, Southern Methodist University and University of San Francisco. He will attend Southern Methodist University.

Joseph Fuja of St. Charles, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a scholarship from and will attend St. Louis University in Madrid.

Patrick Gannon of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Benedictine University and University of Dayton. He will attend the University of Dayton.

Ruben Garcia of Aurora will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Matthew Garza of Aurora was awarded scholarships from Bellarmine University, Benedictine University, Briar Cliff University, Iowa Wesleyan University and Loras College. He will attend Bellarmine University.

Kyle Gensler of Geneva will attend the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles, a National Merit Finalist Scholarship Winner, Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction and US Presidential Scholar Nominee, was awarded acceptance at Harvard University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal, Chicago Tribune All-State Academic Team Scholarship, Full Tuition Scholarships from Michigan State University and Washington University in St. Louis and scholarships from Loyola University, Marquette University, Purdue University, Rice University and University of Illinois. He will attend Washington University in St. Louis.

Joseph Green of North Aurora will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Philip Greener of South Elgin was awarded a Nomination to United States Air Force Academy and scholarships from Cornell College and Lincoln College. He will attend Cornell College.

Joseph Gregorio of Batavia will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Michael Gruesen of St. Charles, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Indiana University and University of Iowa. He will attend Indiana University.

Anthony Gurbal of Geneva will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Timothy Hagerty of Batavia was awarded Illinois AMVETS ROTC Scholarship, Full Tuition four-year ROTC Scholarship and scholarships from Michigan State University, St. John’s University and University of Missouri. He will attend the University of Missouri.

Alex Hardison of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Austin College and McDaniel College. He will attend Austin College.

Thomas Heffernan of Batavia was awarded scholarships from Carthage College, St Mary’s of Winona, Southern Illinois University and University of Dayton. He will attend Southern Illinois University.

Andres Hernandez of Aurora will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Colin Hirsch of Genoa, an Illinois State Scholar, Coca Cola Scholars Nominee, National Honor Society Scholarship Nominee and McCormick Foundation Citizenship Scholarship Finalist, was awarded the Sam Walton Community Scholarship, Full Tuition Scholarship from St. Ambrose University and scholarships from Creighton University, Marquette University, St. Louis University and University of Dayton. He will attend St. Louis University.

Ryan Hoffman of Sugar Grove, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Bellarmine University, Benedictine University, Indiana University, Knox College, north Park College, Oberlin College, Texas Christian University, Tulane University and Wabash College. He will attend Knox College.

Brian Hoss of Sugar Grove was awarded scholarships from Indiana University, Marquette University, St. Louis University, University of Miami of Ohio and Xavier University. He will attend St. Louis University.

Michael Hughes, Jr. of North Aurora will attend Western Illinois University.

Robert Hunt of St. Charles will attend the University of Kentucky.

Matthew Jacobs, an Illinois State Scholar, National Merit Commended Student and Daily Herald All Academic Team Winner, was awarded scholarships from Illinois Wesleyan University and Iowa State University. He will attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

Joseph Jimenez of Aurora, an Illinois State Scholar and National Hispanic Recognition Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Arizona State University, Ball State University and University of Illinois. He will attend the University of Illinois Urbana.

Kevin Kavanaugh of Yorkville, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a scholarship from and will attend Indiana University.

Colin King of Geneva, an Illinois State Scholar, Prudential Spirit of Community Scholarship Nominee and National Honor Society Scholarship Nominee, was awarded a scholarship from Marquette University and will attend the University of Notre Dame.

Michael Kocour of Aurora was awarded a scholarship from St. Ambrose University and will attend University of Iowa.

Johnathon Koechley of Geneva was awarded scholarships from Carthage College and University of Wisconsin Platteville. He will attend the University of Wisconsin Platteville.

Justin Kolka of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from University of Dayton, Michigan State University and Augustana University. He will attend the University of Iowa.

Andrew Konovodoff of Sugar Grove was awarded a scholarship from and will attend Elmhurst College as Marmion’s first collegiate wrestler.

Zachary Korstick of Aurora was awarded scholarships from St. Ambrose University, Benedictine University and Bradley University. He will attend Illinois State University.

Matthew Kramer of Sugar Grove, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded the Illinois AMVETS ROTC Scholarship and Community Foundation Robert G. Schweitzer Scholarship and scholarships from Bradley University, Drake University, Purdue University, University of Dayton and University of Illinois. He will attend the University of Illinois Urbana.

Brian Kus of Batavia will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Andrew Larsen of Glen Ellyn, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Butler University, Southern Illinois University and University of Minnesota. He will attend the University of Minnesota.

John Ledvora of St. Charles, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from DePaul University, Indiana University, Marquette University, St. Louis University, University of Colorado and University of Dayton. He will attend St. Louis University.

Matthew Lifka of Downers Grove was awarded a scholarship from and will attend Eastern Michigan University.

Kevin Lill of Yorkville, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a scholarship from Marquette University and will attend University of Illinois Urbana

Justin Lirot of Batavia will attend Western Illinois University.

Gregory Liske of Bristol, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded the Principal’s Leadership Award and scholarships from Christopher Newport University and Illinois Wesleyan University. He will attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

Brett Loehmann of Big Rock, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from Iowa State University and Ohio State University. He will attend the University of Illinois Urbana.

Peter Marek of Geneva will attend the University of Missouri.

Nicholas Matsie of Aurora was awarded scholarships from Indiana University, Loyola University, University of Colorado and University of Iowa. He will attend Pepperdine University.

Nathan McGinn of DeKalb, an Illinois State Scholar and AP Scholar, was awarded a scholarship from University of Oklahoma and will attend Penn State University.

Adam McGowan of Yorkville will attend College of DuPage.

Patrick Merritt of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Carthage College and St. Ambrose University. He will attend St. Ambrose University.

Jared Meyer of Batavia, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded a Full Tuition Scholarship from St. John’s University and scholarships from Bradley University, Briarcliffe University, Creighton University, Drake University, Iona College, Loyola University, Marquette University and University of Dayton. He will attend St. Johns University.

Patrick Milder of Winfield was awarded a scholarship from and will attend St. Ambrose University.

Robert Miles of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from University of Dayton, University of Iowa and Texas A & M University. He will attend the University of Dayton.

Matthew Milroy of Batavia was awarded a Full Tuition Athletic Scholarship from Ohio University and an athletic Scholarship from University of Illinois. He will attend the University of Illinois Urbana.

Jacob Moore of North Aurora was awarded scholarships from North Central College and Olivet Nazarene University. He will attend Olivet Nazarene University.

Erik Murphy of Geneva was awarded a scholarship from and will attend the University of Nebraska.

Ralph Palmeri of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Central College, Loras College and Loyola University. He will attend Central College at Iowa.

Brent Pesel of Batavia was awarded a scholarship from Valparaiso University and will attend the University of Oklahoma.

Kurt Peterson of Naperville was awarded at scholarship to and will attend the University of New Mexico.

Kasey Reetz of Batavia will attend College of DuPage.

Alexander Richardson of Elburn will attend Indiana University.

Alexander Rindone of Geneva was awarded scholarships from Augustana College and St.. Ambrose University. He will attend Augustana University.

David Rocha of Aurora was awarded the Illinois State Farm Scholarship, Community Foundation Donald E. & Annabelle Keefe Nelson Scholarship and a scholarship from Kettering University. He will attend the University of Illinois.

Pedro Rodriguez, Jr. of Montgomery was awarded scholarships from Aurora University, DePaul University, Loyola University and North Central College. He will attend DePaul University.

Michael Rubino of St. Charles will attend Western Illinois University.

Mitchell Ruble of Aurora, an Illinois State Scholar and Toyota Community Scholars Nominee, was awarded scholarships from Case Western University, Marquette University, St. Louis University and University of Iowa. He will attend Marquette University.

Johnny Runzel of Elgin, an Illinois State Scholar and McCormick Foundation Citizenship Scholarship Finalist, was awarded a scholarship from and will attend the University of Missouri.

Alex Salsbury of Oswego will attend Western Illinois University.

Nicholas Scanlan of Sugar Grove was awarded the Character Counts Award and a scholarship from University of Dayton. He will attend Miami University of Ohio.

Christopher Schmalzer of Batavia was awarded scholarships from Mount St. Mary’s College and St. John’s University. He will attend St. John’s University.

Reid Schmidt of Homer Glen was awarded scholarships from Franciscan University and Lewis University. He will attend Lewis University.

Gregory Schmit of Aurora will serve our Country in The United States Marine Corp Infantry Command Control.

Joseph Schubert of Glen Ellyn will attend Northern Illinois University.

Michael Shay of Aurora was awarded direct entry acceptance to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at St. Louis University and scholarships from Butler University, Marquette University, St. Louis University, St. Norberts University and University of Iowa. He will attend St. Louis University.

Matthew Shine of Geneva will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Jonathan Silva of Oswego was awarded scholarships from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and Loyola University. He will attend Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

Ryan Stubben of Winfield will attend College of DuPage.

Reed Sullivan of Naperville will attend the University of Arizona.

Juan Terrazas of Aurora will attend Waubonsee Community College.

Mitchell Thar of Winfield was awarded scholarships from the Art Institute of Chicago, Kansas City Art Institute, Maryland Institute College of Art and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He will attend the Art Institute of Chicago.

Kyle Thompson of Bristol will attend the University of Illinois at Chicago.

David Tobey of St. Charles was awarded a scholarship from and will attend Alma College.

Steven Urbik of Lisle was awarded a scholarship from St. Ambrose University and will attend the College of DuPage.

Nathaniel Valaik of Naperville, an Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar, Daily Herald All Academic Team Honorable Mention and Daughters of the American Revolution Award Nominee, was awarded a Nomination and Appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and a scholarship from Indiana University. He will attend the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.

Bryan Vanco of Naperville, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from College of Wooster, Cornell College, Earlham University, Hendrix College, Knox College, Laurence University, Marquette University and Xaiver University. He will attend Hendrix College.

Samuel VanDyck of St. Charles, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from, Augustana College, Indiana University, Loyola University and Northern Illinois University. He will attend Indiana University.

Andrew Vasquez of North Aurora was awarded scholarships from Indiana State University and Lewis University. He will attend Southern Illinois University.

Brian Vasquez of Batavia, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded the Chick Evans Caddie Full Tuition Scholarship and scholarships from Indiana University, University of Illinois and University of Iowa. He will attend Indiana University.

Nicholas Wachs of Geneva was awarded scholarships from Arizona State University and Colorado State University. He will attend the University of Colorado.

Josef Weber of South Elgin was awarded scholarships from Augustana College, Carthage College, North Park University, Quincey University, St. Ambrose University and St. Francis University. He will attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Jackson Weiler of Hinckley will attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Michael Weiler of Downers Grove was awarded scholarships from Marquette University, St. Louis University and Valparaiso University. He will attend St. Louis University.

Adam White of St. Charles was awarded scholarships from Drake University and St. Norbert College. He will attend Drake University.

James Wollwert, Jr. of Batavia, an Illinois State Scholar, was awarded scholarships from De Paul University, Loyola University, St. Louis University and Tulane University. He will attend DePaul University.

Yuto Yamanaka of North Aurora was awarded scholarships from De Paul University and Trinity College. He will attend De Paul University.

The Marmion Alumni Association is hosting a reunion celebration for the Silver Jubilee class of 1984 and the General 5-Year classes of 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004 on Saturday, June 13. Reunion activities begin with Mass in the Abbey Church at 5:30 pm and continue with a reception and dinner in the Academy Dining Hall. A separate reception for the Silver Reunion Class will be held at 6:15 pm in the Administration Building. Cost is $80 (Silver Reunion) and $65 (General Reunion). For more information or to make reservations, contact the Alumni Office at (630) 897- 6936, Ext. 228 or at maalumni@marmion.org.

For more information about the Marmion Alumni Association, visit www.marmion.org.

Marmion Academy’s leadership programs announced their new student leaders for the 2009-10 school year during awards ceremonies earlier this month. Top students from each program were also recognized for their outstanding work throughout this school year.

Marmion Academy’s JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program announced junior Zachary Young of Batavia as the Battalion Commander selected to lead the 2009-10 Cadet Corps. Command of the corps was passed to Young from the graduating Battalion Commander David Brouch of Aurora during the program’s annual Change of Command on May 8.

During the awards presentation at the ceremony, twenty-three cadets were honored for their superior work and dedication to the program: Young was presented with his sabre as head of the next year’s Marmion JROTC Cadet Corps; Superior Cadet Decoration (US Army) - senior David Brouch of Aurora, junior Andrew Slade of St. Charles, sophomore Benjamin Kanute of Geneva and freshman Brian Wulff of Batavia; Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War – senior Colin Hirsch of Genoa; AMVETS ROTC Medal, Post #103 - seniors Christopher Dukes of Elburn and Dan Conlin of Aurora; VFW ROTC Medal, Post #1197 – seniors Thomas Currie of Batavia, Nicholas Assell of Sugar Grove and Nathaniel Valaik of Naperville; VFW ROTC Medal, Post #7452 - seniors James Derrico of Batavia and Michael DiGiovanna of Yorkville; American Legion ROTC Medals, Aurora Post #84 – seniors Timothy Benoit of Aurora and Pedro Rodriguez of Montgomery; American Legion School Awards, Aurora Post # 84 - seniors Brian Vasquez of Batavia and Michael Welier of Downers Grove; US Army Recruiting Command Award – senior David DeSimone of Batavia; US Army Recruiting Command Athletic Award - senior Luke Friedman of Geneva; US Marine Corps Scholastic Award - senior Matthew Jacobs of Geneva; US Marine Corps Semper Fidelis - senior Julian Cammarano of Aurora; Best Company - Bravo Company, senior Michael Shay of Aurora; Best Platoon, Bravo Company - senior Nicholas Assell; US Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award - senior Juan Avila of Aurora.

The forty cadets who have received promotions for the 2009-10 school year will be honored at the Sabre Ceremony next September.

Marmion’s LEAD (Leadership Education And Development) program announced junior Max Rosenfelder of Batavia as the 2009-10 Executive Student Director. Rosenfelder received his director lapel pin from the current program leader Ryan Boone of Geneva during the LEAD Awards Presentation on May 13.

The LEAD executive team acknowledged their fellow students who together accumulated over 2,000 hours of service to the community this year alone. Awards were presented to students for their application of leadership through service and academics.

The Canterbury Award was presented to students who have performed more than forty hours of volunteer service during this school year: seniors Brad Boettcher of Aurora, Ryan Boone, Joe Burrows of Aurora, Will Butzke of Batavia, Joe Fuja of St. Charles, Mitch Ruble of Aurora, Chris Schmalzer of Batavia and Jon Silva of Aurora; juniors Steve Anderson of St. Charles, Aaron Horwitz of Carol Stream, J.J. Hughes of Aurora, Alex Kaputska of St. Charles, Ryan Lovelace of North Aurora, Nolan McKanna of Batavia, Jeff McLean of Batavia, Max Rosenfelder of Batavia, Ryan Roth of Sugar Grove, Tony Vecchiolla of St. Charles and Nick Weis of Batavia; sophomores Mike Gerold of St. Charles, Andrew Koch of Aurora, Evan Lefelstein of St. Charles, Bennett Marsh of Batavia and Connor O'Dea of Geneva; and freshmen Nathaniel Green of Sugar Grove, Tim Hall-Reppen of Geneva, Chris Patterman of Aurora, Alex Purcell of Batavia, Connor Riddell of Batavia and Reid Weigelmann of Sugar Grove.

The Canterbury Award with Honors and Distinguished Service Award were presented to students who have completed over 100 and 200 hours (respectively) of volunteer service throughout their high school career: seniors Brad Boettcher (113), Ryan Boone (226), Joe Burrows (251), Will Butzke (101), Joe Fuja (188), T.J. Heffernan of Batavia (109), Brent Pesel of Batavia (106), Mitch Ruble (286), Chris Schmalzer (119), Jon Silva (265) and Bryan Vanco of Naperville (250); juniors Aaron Horwitz (135), Alex Kaputska (121), Ryan Lovelace (190), Max Rosenfelder (105), Ryan Roth (128); sophomores Evan Lefelstein (124) and Connor O'Dea (275); and freshmen Tim Hall-Reppen (120), Connor Riddell (173) and Reid Weigelmann (105).

The Father Joseph Battaglia Award was given to the student(s) from each class with the highest LEAD grade point average: senior Ryan Boone, junior Jeff McLean, sophomore Bennett Marsh and freshman Alex Purcell.

The Water Carrier Award was presented to five students for their continued loyalty, faithfulness and dependability: senior Ryan Boone, junior Ryan Lovelace, sophomore Evan Lefelstein and freshman Connor Valaik.

Three individual awards, nominated on by the Marmion faculty, were also presented: Joe Fuja was awarded the Abbot Marmion Award for Spiritual Leadership; Mitch Ruble received the William J. Dickson, Sr. Award from Outstanding Citizenship and Ryan Boone received the Father Peter Enderlin Award for Outstanding Leadership.

Marmion Academy, a Catholic-Benedictine college preparatory high school for young men, is a community dedicated to spiritual formation, academic excellence and leadership development. Marmion offers students a unique leadership track in addition to their college-prep curriculum. Students choose to participate in either the Army JROTC or LEAD program. To find out more about the Marmion Leadership Programs, visit www.marmion.org/academy/programs.html.

Marmion Academy’s LEAD (Leadership Education And Development) program is hosting its fifth “Make It Happen” Summer Leadership Camp (for Boys and Girls) on June 17-18 on the Marmion campus at 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora. The registration deadline is June 1. To register, contact LEAD program director Vince Bellafiore at vbellafiore@marmion.org or at (630) 897-6936, Ext. 224. Registration forms are available at www.marmion.org/academy/lead.html.

The camp is designed to develop the leadership and communication skills of student in 7th and 8th grades to prepare them to be leaders in the high school environment. The camp fee is $40 per person. Advanced registration is required and the camp will be limited to the first 50 registrants.

The “Make It Happen” Summer Leadership Camp will use Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens as a basis for the camp. The curriculum will consist of an exploration of the themes of the book through short, dynamic presentations given by student leaders within Marmion’s LEAD program and group activities that reinforce those themes in a hands-on, interactive way. The camp’s student co-directors, Drew Koch of Aurora, Mike Gerold of St. Charles and Evan Lefelstein of St. Charles, will be assisted by students from both Marmion Academy and Rosary High School.

The LEAD program is a four-year program at Marmion designed to educate students for and about leadership. The mission of LEAD is to provide an educational foundation of practical leadership skills based on Christian values and ethics with a goal to become educated and accomplished in the field of leadership while instilling a commitment to life-long learning for the mutual benefit of our students and the community.

The Marmion Alumni Association is holding their annual Steak Fry/Lobster Boil on Friday, June 5 at Marmion Academy, 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora. Dinner tickets are $30 for either lobster or steak must be purchased in advance by calling the Alumni Office at (630) 897-6936, Ext. 228. Lobster tickets will only be sold through May 29. Alumni, parents and friends of Marmion are welcomed to attend, but must be at least 21 years of age. Advanced reservations required.

A social hour begins at 6:30pm and dinner will be served at 7:30pm. Dinner tickets include: Rib Eye Steak or 1.5lb Maine Lobster, baked potato, corn on the cob, vegetables, all the trimmings, Beer, wine, soft drinks and coffee.

The evening features $2 and $5 split-the-pot, raffles and a live auction. The Alumni Association will hold their Big Ticket XVIII Raffle at 9:00pm with twenty-five chances to win and a Grand Prize of $25,000. Only 1000 will be sold (licensed by the City of Aurora) and only 70 tickets are still available. To purchase a $100 ticket, call Donna Bohr at (630) 897-6936, Ext. 228.

All proceeds from the evening benefit the academic scholarships and financial aid programs for Marmion Academy. For more information about the Marmion Alumni Association, visit www.marmion.org.

High school and middle school athletes can improve their basketball skills at three summer camps offered by Marmion head basketball coach and former De Paul starting point guard Rashon Burno. Marmion coaches and players are hosting the five-day camps open to boys in Grades 6-12: June 8-12, June 15-19 and July 6-10. The fee is $120 per participant. All camps will take place in the gym at Marmion Academy 1000 Butterfield Rd in Aurora. Early sign up for the camps are now underway, to register contact Coach Rashon Burno at (773) 410-7964.

The five-day camps will follow the same training regimen used by the Cadets basketball team. In addition to games, all campers participate in fundamental station work, shooting drills, team practices, contests and mini-clinics. The camps will also feature academic and basketball guest speakers.

Marmion Academy seniors Oscar Aguinaga of Aurora, T.J. Heffernan of Batavia and Andrew Larsen of Glen Ellyn have each signed a National Letter of Intent to continue their Cross Country/Track careers at the collegiate level next year.

Oscar Aguinaga has committed to compete at Miami University of Ohio next fall. He was the solid number 2 runner for the Cadet cross country team and missed qualifying for the State meet by 3 spots. He was SCC Conference runner-up and an All-Region honoree. In indoor track, Aguinaga had the State’s second fastest time in the 800 meters and the seventh fastest in 1600 qualifying him for the Illinois Prep Top Times meet. He remains undefeated at the 800 meter distance, boasting one of the top 4 times in the State as well as a top 20 mark in the 1600.

T.J. Heffernan will run for Southern Illinois University next fall. He broke onto the scene at the end of his junior track season winning the 1600 at the SCC Championships. As a result of mononucleosis, his senior cross country season was not as successful as he had hoped, but he still managed to contribute as an All-Conference athlete. During the indoor track season, Heffernan posted the third fastest time in the State in the 1600 meters and qualified for the Illinois Prep Top Times Meet. “Although T.J. decided to focus on his college transition eliminating the remainder of his high school career due to injury, he has become an example to his teammates for never giving up, no matter what is put in your way,” said Coach Dan Billish. “T.J. has proven that with hard work anything is possible.”

Andrew Larsen will attend the University of Minnesota on a track scholarship this coming fall. Andrew is a two-time All-State performer in cross country and an All-State track athlete in the 1600 meters. This year he won an outstanding 12 races, including a Conference and Regional title. His season was extended qualifying for the Nike Nationals in Portland, Oregon. During the indoor track season, he posted one of the fastest times in the State and qualified for the Illinois Prep Top Times in both the 1600 and 3200. His outdoor season began with a formal invitation to the Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, California. He competed in the 5000 meters finishing 4th behind the country’s best and one of the fastest high school times in this year’s event. Larsen holds one of the top State times in the 3200, with a goal to get under the coveted 9:00 mark in that event.

Marmion Academy’s Flannigan Rifles competed with ten teams from across the Midwest, to win the Commander’s Cup 1st place trophy in the Earnest Dawson Memorial Drill Meet at Romeoville High School on March 28. This was the final competition before the Flannigan Rifles travel to Daytona for the National Drill Meet in early May.

The Cadets finished their regional season with an impressive performance. Senior Nate Valaik of Naperville led the IDR Platoon to earn their fourth consecutive 1st place trophy and senior Michael Shay of Aurora led the IDR Squad to their third consecutive 1st place trophy.

Other 1st place trophies were awarded to the Armed Exhibition Platoon commanded by senior Brett Loehmann of Big Rock; the Armed Exhibition Squad, commanded by senior Ralph Palmeri of St. Charles and Color Guard commanded by senior Michael Shay of Aurora. Seniors Brett Loehmann and Andy Konovodoff of Sugar Grove earned a 1st place for their Armed Duet performance.

Senior Jimmy Derrico of Batavia, commanded the Unarmed Exhibition Platoon to earn 2nd place.

Armed Knockout medals were awarded to senior Jared Meyer of St. Charles, 1st place; sophomore Eddy Grahovic of Yorkville, 8th place; and sophomore Henry Kinane of Downers Grove, 15th place. In the Unarmed Knockout division, medals were awarded to senior Ralph Palmeri, 10th place and junior Michael Lopez of Aurora, 13th place.

Flannigan Rifles, directed by John Gissel, SGM, USA (retired), will next compete at the National Drill Meet in Daytona Beach, FL. They have been recognized as one of the top teams in the nation each of the last several years.

Registration has opened for Marmion Academy's baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, lacrosse, tennis and wrestling summer athletic camps. All camps are held on the Marmion Campus at 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora.

Camps are run by Marmion Head Coaches and focus on fundamental skills, technique and teamwork through practice and scrimmages. For a list of sessions and fees, download the camp brochure at marmion.org/academy/athletics.html or contact the Academy at (630) 897-6936. To reserve a space, early registration is recommended.

Marmion Academy honored alumnus Albert McCoy of Aurora as the fourth recipient of the Ad Regnum Dei Award. This award is given to an alumnus in recognition of exceptional public witness and service of Gospel values for the kingdom of God. McCoy, a former mayor of Aurora, accept his award on March 25 at an All-School Mass in the Marmion Abbey Church.

Al McCoy graduated from Marmion in 1944. During his time at Marmion, he was a member of the varsity baseball and football teams and achieved a perfect attendance record.

Following graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He was assigned to the aircraft carrier the USS Monterey, whose crew included future president Gerald Ford. During McCoy’s tour of duty on the carrier, he participated in combat operations in support of the Okinawa invasion in 1945 and was part of Task Force 38 that was involved with the final air strikes on mainland Japan. He was present in Tokyo Bay during the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945. He won five battle stars for his participation in World War II.

After the war, McCoy returned to Aurora, attending then Aurora College. He then won a football scholarship to the University of Montana in Missoula.

McCoy returned to Aurora after graduation and worked as an assistant controller for a local manufacturing firm. In 1965, at the age of 39, he was elected Mayor of the City of Aurora, the first Marmion graduate to hold that office. He served as mayor from 1965-1977. During his tenure as mayor, Aurora annexed 6800 acres of land in DuPage County, the second largest annexation of land in Illinois history. This accomplishment gave rise to Aurora’s current distinction as the second largest city in Illinois.

After leaving the office of mayor, McCoy served as Chairman of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission from 1977-1998. He was a past president of the Aurora (now Community) Foundation, served as a member of the Lions Club for 46 years, as a lector for Holy Angels Church for 27 years, and as a member of the Serra Club of Aurora for 26 years. He served on the Marmion Alumni Board of Directors for nine years and is a recipient of the Marmion Centurion Award. He was married to the late Mary Ann McCoy for 54 years and continues to live in Aurora.

Seventeen Marmion Academy students were recognized for their performance on the National Italian Exam and the Illinois State and National Latin Exams.

In its first year offered as a foriegn language subject at the school, two Italian students placed in the top 10 (out of 481 Illinois students participating) on the National Italian Exam, juniors Pat Greco of St. Charles (5th) and Kevin Garofalo of Aurora (9th).

Freshman Michael Currie of Aurora and sophomore Edward Malnar of Wasco qualified for the State Latin Finals, having received an Excellent and Superior score in the qualifying round of the Illinois State Latin Tournament.

On the National Latin Exam, a gold medal and Summa Cum Laude Certificates of Merit were awarded to: senior Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles; sophomores Spencer Buyansky of Yorkville and Edward Malnar; and freshmen Luke Currie and Michael Currie, both of Aurora.

Silver medal and Maxima Cum Laude Certificates of Merit winners were junior Mitchell Hymel of Batavia and sophomore Michael Conway of Naperville.

Magna Cum Laude Certificate recipients were junior Matthew West of Montgomery, sophomore Dennis Sheehan of St. Charles and freshmen Frederick d’Escoto of Aurora, Daniel Gotlund of St. Charles, Zachary McNally of Batavia and Daniel Wycklendt of Naperville.

Cum Laude Certificate recipients were junior Jeffrey McLean of Batavia and sophomore Jonathan Wolfgram of Naperville.

The National Latin Exam was taken by more than 135,000 students from all fifty states and eleven foreign countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, England, Italy, Mozambique, New Zealand, Poland and, for the first time, Israel and Lithuania.

At Marmion, the subject of Italian is taught by Isla Arcaro and Latin by Mary Strand. For more information on the academic programs of Marmion Academy visit www.marmion.org.

Marmion Academy’s Flannigan Rifles Drill Team competed at Concordia High School in Fort Wayne, IN on March 21. The cadets competed against sixteen high school teams to win the coveted Clendenen Trophy. Flannigan Rifles earned fifteen trophies and seven medals at the meet.

First place trophies were earned by seniors Andrew Konovodoff of Sugar Grove and Brett Loehmann of Big Rock for Armed Duet Exhibition; Armed Exhibition Squad commanded by senior Ralph Palmeri of St. Charles; Armed Exhibition Platoon commanded by Loehmann; Unarmed Exhibition Platoon commanded by senior Jim Derrico of Batavia; Unarmed Exhibition Squad commanded by senior Nick Assell of Sugar Grove; Unarmed Color Guard commanded by junior Kevin Garofalo of Aurora; IDR Armed Squad commanded by senior Michael Shay of Aurora; IDR Unarmed Squad commanded by senior Nate Valaik of Naperville; and Unarmed Inspection commanded by Shay.

Second place trophies were earned by senior Tom Currie of Batavia for the Armed Solo Exhibition and IDR Armed Squad commanded by senior Will Callahan of St. Charles. The Armed Color Guard commanded by Michael Shay earned a 3rd place trophy.

Armed Knockout medals were awarded to : junior Matt Derrico of Batavia (1st), senior Jared Meyer of St. Charles (3rd ); freshman Stuart Quinn of Sugar Grove7th; junior Sean Kalisz of Oswego (9th); junior Mitch Loehmann of Big Rock (10th). Unarmed Knockout medals went to: Jared Meyer (4th) and senior Ralph Palmeri of St. Charles (9th ).

The team recently hosted their 5th annual Buchan Drill Meet on February 21. Marmion performed, but did not compete for trophies. The team also competed at the Springfield High School Drill Meet in Holland, OH on March 7 winning four trophies and four individual medals.

Flannigan Rifles, directed by John Gissel, SGM, USA (retired) complete across the Midwest during the spring and at the National Drill competition in Daytona Beach, FL in May.For more information, visit the Flannigan Rifle website at www.marmion.org/academy/drill.html

Seniors: Christopher Antolak*, David Aquino, Stephen Ausman, Timothy Benoit*, Ryan Boone*, David Brouch*, Julian Cammarano, Daniel Conlin*, Austin Cox*, Thomas Currie*, Christopher Dukes*, Andrew Ferrer*, Salvatore Filardi*, Benedict Fischer*, Luke Friedman*, Joseph Fuja*, Jeffrey Gerold*, Timothy Hagerty, Colin Hirsch*, Ryan Hoffman*, Matthew Jacobs*, Joseph Jimenez, Jr.*, Colin King*, Zachary Korstick*, Matthew Kramer*, Kevin Lill*, Gregory Liske*, Brett Loehmann*, Nicholas Matsie*, Nathan McGinn*, Jared Meyer*, Robert Miles*, David Rocha*, Mitchell Ruble*, Johnny Runzel*, Michael Shay*, Nathaniel Valaik*, Michael Weiler, James Wollwert

Juniors: Brian A'Hearn*, Elliot Anderson*, Stephen Anderson*, Daniel Brankin*, Nicholas Brennan, Ryan Brisson*, Joseph Burroughs, Thomas Cruger*, Michael Deufel*, Samuel Duffield*, Kevin Filip*, Kevin Garofalo, Jack Gunderson, Daniel Hillis*, Aaron Horwitz*, Mitchell Hymel*, Sean-Patrick Kalisz, Nicholas Knudtson*, Juliocesar Landivar, Ryan Lifka*, Ryan Lovelace, Lucas Magee*, John Mason*, Jeffrey McLean*, Sanjay Prakadan*, Maxwell Rosenfelder, Joseph Schaeffer*, Eric Schwendner*, Russell Semmler*, Andrew Slade*, Anthony Vecchiolla*, Jeffrey Voss*, Matthew Wenzel*, Matthew West*, Zachary Young

Sophomores: George Bardenheier*, Trevor Boone, Spencer Buyansky*, Alexander Caton*, Michael Currie, Matthew Frost*, Michael Gerold*, Graham Glasgow*, Cole Gleason, Edward Grahovec*, Charles Greener, Christopher Hebert*, Benjamin Kanute*, Henry Patrick Kinane*, Evan Kline-Wedeen*, Dennis Koranda*, Evan Lefelstein, Charles Leonard*, Mitchell Loehmann*, Eric Lutz*, Edward Malnar*, Bennett Marsh*, Kelan McDonnell*, Nathan O'Brien*, Connor O'Dea*, Nathan Pacer*, Samuel Rebenstorf*, Timothy Roche*, Nathan Shorr, Travis Siwiec*, Michael Tavierne*, Evan Tentinger, James Weiler*, Benjamin Wilkinson, Jake Winkel, John York*, Michael Zolfo*

Freshman: Zachary Bennett*, Edward Birth*, Edward Catich, Benjamin Cole*, Michael Currie*, Casey Dant*, Frederick d'Escoto*, Nolan Dickson*, John Donnelly*, Michael Eberth*, Luke Elder*, Christian Fitzsimmons*, Austen Friedman*, Jeffrey Garofalo*, Joseph Glemkowski*, Peter Gonzales*, Daniel Gotlund, William Graft*, Mitchell Heaton*, Kyle Kozak*, Erik Liesen, Michael Maley*, Joseph Marovich, Zachary McNally*, Connor Medernach*, Blake Mickey, Connor O'Brien*, Nicholas Ondrla*, Thomas Pacer*, Christopher Pattermann*, Alexander Purcell*, Stuart Quinn*, Jonathan Rios*, Jacob Roberts*, Alexander Ruble*, Michael Shares*, Christopher Simon*, Casey Smith*, Macade Thorpe, Connor Valaik*, Robert Voirin*, Reid Weigelmann*, Bradley White*, Brian Wulff*, Patrick Zepeda*

Seniors: Philip Bakala, William Butzke, Tyler Capen, Alain Cisneros, Pablo Del Toro, Roberto Del Toro, Thomas Delves, James Derrico, David DeSimone, Marco Diaz, Michael DiGiovanna, Michael Duhig, Bryce Emory, Sean Fichtel, Kyle Fischer, Ruben Garcia, Joseph Gregorio, Michael Gruesen, Alex Hardison, Thomas Heffernan, Brian Hoss, Michael Kocour, Justin Kolka, John Ledvora, Matthew Lifka, Peter Marek, Patrick Milder, Matthew Milroy, Jacob Moore, Ralph Palmeri, Brent Pesel, Kurt Peterson, Alexander Richardson, Pedro Rodriguez, Nicholas Scanlan, Christopher Schmalzer, Jonathan Silva, Mitchell Thar, David Tobey, Steven Urbik, Samuel VanDyck, Brian Vasquez, Yuto Yamanaka

Juniors: Lucas Brandt, Matthew Brengman, Tyler Clark, James Duhig, Ian Duncan, Daniel Emanuel, John Heneghan, Henry Konen, David Lopez, Michael Lopez, Jeffrey Martin, Ryan Novack, William Parkhurst, Edward Randerson, John Riordan, Christopher Soris, William Sterne, Jacob Strickland, Brian Strohmaier, Alexander Strong, Nicholas Weis, Casey White

Sophomores: Patrick Bohac, David Cesario, Michael Conway, John Duguay, Douglas Feltz, Matthew Ferrer, Tyler Friel, David Garza, Tyler Heinen, Sean Howard, Rehan Kapadia, Philip Kloc, Andrew Koch, Ryan Kolka, Benjamin Minnis, Thomas Rogers, Collin Rowley, Colin Smith, Connor Vass, Brendan Whiting, Jonathan Wolfgram, Daniel Wycklendt

Freshmen: Nevin Abraham, Ryan Anderson, Shane Cano, Matthew Choice, Luke Currie, Matthew Fazio, Colton Gallt, Ryan Glasgow, Brady Hunt, Davis Kessler, Daniel Klug, Austin McWethy, Morgan Moeller, Richard Parilla, Michael Pipp, Trevor Rea, Connor Riddell, Ryan Riggs, Christopher Rockwood, Mark Tiger, John Walsworth, Evan Wells, Jeffrey Winkle, Andrew Young, Joseph Zidek

Seniors: Oscar Aguinaga, Nicholas Assell, Juan Carlos Avila, John Baron, Bradley Boettcher, Ryan Fitzgerald, Matthew Garza, Kyle Gensler, Joseph Green, Anthony Gurbal, Michael Hughes, Robert Hunt, Andrew Larsen, Justin Lirot, Alexander Rindone, Reid Schmidt, Gregory Schmit, Kyle Thompson, Bryan Vanco, Jackson Weiler

Juniors: Gregory Askwith, Scott Bauman, Alonso Cisneros, Alexander Dela Cruz, Mauricio Dominguez, Michael Froehlich, James Gabel, Pasquale Greco, Alexander Karas, David Klug, Roy Logan, Peter Naughton, John Nelson, Christopher Perillo, Felipe Rangel, Paul Reyna, Nicholas Searles, Samuel Soliz, Trevor Stein, Terence Vant, Joseph Wulff, Charles Zidek

Sophomores: Mario Avila, Joshua Beltz, Michael Duy, William Evensen, Benjamin Faunce, John George, Andrew Healy, Brett Hoover, Lucas Hughes, Todd Johnson, Taylor Kanute, Matthew Kluber, Tyler Kramer, Terrence Lally, Steven Lill, Matthew Lochmueller, Zachary Metrou, Joseph Munder, IV, Antonio Ortiz, Robert Peters, Nicholas Runge, Dennis Sheehan, Timothy Tarter, John Wascher, Kevin Weltzer

Freshmen: Peter Bowe, Joseph Brennan, Emmanuel Dela Cruz, Daniel Duhig, Patrick Duhig, Michael Frasca, Adam Johnson, Marshall Kanute, John Keilty, Samson Kellett, McCarthy Kessler, Jacob Kluber, Patrick Knudtson, Timothy Kritzler, Joseph Lappin, Nicholas Mandarino, Mitchell McGuire, Daniel McLean, Jared Moore, Michael Mueller, Nicholas Nasharr, Wayne Sanchez, Trevor Schmalzer, Jeremy See, Jacob Siegler, Mitchell Sterne, David Thielen, Alexander Vaisvil, Justin Wade, Zachary Woytych, Zachary Zielinski

Brother Anselm Mangano OSB of Marmion Abbey in Aurora was honored with Marmion Academy’s Fr. Alcuin Deck OSB Distinguished Service Award for the second semester of the 2008-09 Academic Year.

Br. Mangano has been a fixture at the Academy for many years, serving as a study hall moderator from 1975-2005 and helping as moderator in the Academy Library. He served as a dormitory prefect from 1990-95 and as a leader for the senior Kairos retreat team for several years. Even in his "retirement", Br. Mangano remains active as a spiritual guide for many, an old hand at grooming gardens and baking bread and a faithful monastic presence.

“From his study hall prayers and memorable Kairos talks to his courageous battle with cancer and his tireless assistance in maintaining the Abbey church and beautifying the landscape of Marmion’s Abbey and Academy campus, we are much indebted to Br. Mangano,” states Fr. Joel Rippinger, Marmion’s Faculty/Staff Chaplain.

Br. Mangano served as a baker in the school kitchen from 1964-66 and was one of the first monks to work on the Christmas tree farm from 1966-68. He served as the abbey cook for twenty years, from 1968-1988. His other abbey duties have included serving as vocation director and as landscaper for the abbey grounds. He became the first brother in the community to serve as subprior and helped to oversee the construction of the Abbey church in 1997-98, serving for a number of years as custodian of the church.

The Fr. Alcuin Deck OSB Distinguished Service Award is presented to an Academy faculty or staff member each semester during the school year in recognition of outstanding contributions and faithful service to Marmion Academy and in gratitude for exemplifying a spirit of charity and dedication. Marmion’s faculty, which includes 36 lay teachers and 12 Benedictines, has an average of more than 17 years of teaching experience at Marmion. Approximately 12% of the faculty hold Ph.D’s and nearly 65% have a master’s degree. For more information on the faculty and staff members at Marmion Academy, visit www.marmion.org/academy/faculty.html.

Marmion Academy seniors Ryan Boone of Geneva and Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles have received Finalist recognition in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Competition. These academically talented high school seniors are eligible to compete for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards with over $35 million.

Boone and Gerold are both members of the Marmion Chapter of the National Honor Society and Illinois State Scholars. Boone is the Student Executive Director of the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program and Gerlold is Alpha Company Commander in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program.

Boone and Gerold join 111 Marmion Academy graduates that have received the honor of being named a National Merit Finalist throughout the competitions fifty-year history. For more information on Marmion Academy visit www.marmion.org.

Nine local eighth graders have been awarded scholarships to attend Marmion Academy, the all-boys, Catholic, college-prep high school in Aurora. Scholarships were awarded based on performance on Marmion’s first entrance exam held in December 2008, in which 176 eighth grade boys participated. The following boys have received scholarships as members of Marmion’s class of 2013:

Colin Angeles, son of Dennis and Gayle of Aurora, received the Rev. Sebatian Crow OSB Memorial Alumni Association Scholarship. Angeles attends St. Rita of Cascia School in Aurora. His brothers Jason and Nathan Angeles are both graduates of Marmion.

Samuel Eallonardo, son of Damian and Christine of Yorkville, received the Dr. Casey ’87 and Julia Mulligan Scholarship. Eallonardo attends St. Mary School in Plano.

Patrick Garvin, son of James and Kristen of Batavia, received the Rev. Peter Enderlin OSB Memorial Alumni Association Scholarship. Garvin attends Rotolo Middle School in Batavia. His grandfather Thomas Streit and uncles Thomas and Michael Streit and John and Paul Garvin are all Marmion graduates.

Jacob Gilmore, son of Matthew and Kathleen of Aurora, received the Rev. Alcuin Deck OSB Memorial Alumni Association Scholarship. Gilmore attends Holy Angels School in Aurora. His grandfather Fred Zilly is a Marmion graduate.

Laurynas Kalesinskas, son of Nerijus and Ausra of Naperville, received the Edwin and Laurina Witting Memorial Scholarship II. Kalesinkas attends Gregory Middle School in Naperville.

Benjamin Pho, son of Binh and Vi Pho of Maple Park, received the Dorothy and Larry Dempsey Memorial Honor Scholarship. Pho attends Faith Christian Academy in Geneva.

Matthew Smith, son of Eric and Michele Smith of North Aurora, received the Karl '54 and Barbara Greiter Scholarship. Smith attends Annunciation School in Aurora.

Matthew Switzer, son of Ronald and Diane Switzer, received the Edwin and Laurina Witting Memorial Scholarship I. Switzer attends Haines Middle School in St. Charles.

Alexander Theisen, son of Christopher and Christine Theisen, received the Dr. Alfred G. '32 and Mary Chione Memorial Scholarship. Theisen attends Immanuel Lutheran School in Batavia. He represents the fourth generation of his family to attend Marmion.

The scholarships have a total value of $130,800 over four years. The three Alumni Association Scholarships are awarded based on exam performance but are restricted to sons, grandsons, nephews or brothers of Marmion alumni. A Financial Assistance Program is available for students not selected for scholarships. During the 2008-09 school year, 20% of Marmion students are receiving some form of tuition assistance. For more information on Marmion’s admissions process or to download an application, visit www.marmion.org or call the Admissions Office at 630/897-6936, Ext. 227.

Twenty-one local junior high schools competed at the Marmion Academy Junior High Math Contest on January 31. Da Vinci Academy placed first in Division I after a tie-breaker with Holy Angels Catholic School. Granger Middle School teams took first and second place with Washington Junior High placing third in Division II.

In the Division I individual competition (7th Grade) Michael Foley of St. Patrick Catholic School placed first and Eric Lifka of St. Rita of Cascia Catholic School placed second; (8th Grade) Keith Kimberling of Da Vinci Academy placed first, Mark Miller of Holy Angels Catholic School placed second and Shayna Oriold of Da Vinci Academy placed third. In the five-person team competition Holy Angels (team 1) placed first, followed by Da Vinci Academy (team 1), St. Rita of Cascia (team 1), Holy Angels (team 2) and Da Vinci Academy (team 2).

In Division II individual competition (7th Grade) Matt Cosentino of Rotolo Middle School placed first and Arunkumar Kumararaj of Still Middle School placed second; (8th Grade) Roy Fu of Jefferson Junior High School placed first, Sunny Duan of Jefferson placed second and Max Dribinsky of Washington Middle School placed third. In the five-person team competition Granger Middle School took first and second, followed by Still Middle School (team 1), Washington Junior High School (team 1) and Still Middle School (team 2).

The Junior High Math Contest is hosted by the Marmion Academy Math Department and assisted by the Math Team. For additional information on activities at Marmion visit www.marmion.org.

The Marmion-Rosary Jazz Band competed with 57 jazz ensembles and combos at the North Shore Jazz Festival at Glenbrook South High School on January 24. The Band received first division ratings in both jazz ensemble and combo. The Marmion-Rosary jazz combo received the third place trophy in Class A competition with the ensemble finishing fourth overall.

Members of the Marmion-Rosary jazz combo are Evan Kline-Wedeen of Big Rock on alto sax, Matt Jacobs of Geneva on trumpet, Brendan Whiting of Aurora on trombone, Rachel Maley of Aurora on piano, Julian Cammarano of Aurora on Bass and Peter Naughton of St. Charles on drums.

Nationally ranked Marmion Academy’s Flannigan Rifles Drill Team won its ninth consecutive Purdue University Annual ROTC Drill Meet on February 7. Junior ROTC Drill Teams from fourteen schools competed in individual, exhibition, armed and unarmed events at the meet.

Led by this year’s commanders, seniors Nathaniel Valaik of Naperville and Brett Loehmann of Big Rock, the Flannigan Rifles 65-member team won the overall meet earning them the coveted Commander’s Cup. They also earned seven first place trophies: Armed Duet Exhibition, seniors Tom Currie of Batavia and Ralph Palmeri of St. Charles; Armed Exhibition Platoon commanded by Brett Loehmann; Unarmed Exhibition Platoon commanded by senior James Derrico of Batavia; Unarmed Exhibition Squad commanded by senior Nick Assell of Sugar Grove; Armed IDR (Infantry Drill Regulation) Platoon commanded by Nathaniel Valaik; Armed IDR Platoon Inspection commanded by junior Andrew Slade of St. Charles; Armed IDR Squad Inspection commanded by junior Mike Lopez of Aurora.

The Armed IDR Squad, commanded by senior Michael Shay of Aurora earned a second place trophy. Third place trophies were awarded to the Armed IDR Platoon commanded by junior Andrew Schroeder of Batavia and the Color Guard commanded by Michael Shay.

Several hundred Cadets compete individually in the Knockout competition (a test to execute commands in rapid succession). Marmion Cadets earned nine of the top ten awards. Armed competition winners were senior Jared Meyer of St. Charles; sophomores Mitch Loehmann of Big Rock, Connor Vass of Geneva, Alex Caton of Geneva and William Evanson of Batavia; and freshman Michael Mueller of Batavia. Unarmed competition winners were Jared Meyer, Andrew Schroeder and Alex Caton.

Marmion’s Flannigan Rifles Drill Team, directed by John Gissel, SGM, USA (retired), competes in five regional Drill Meets in preparation for the National Drill Team Competition at Daytona Beach in May.

Flannigan Rifles will host the Earl K. Buchan Drill Meet at Marmion Academy on Saturday, February 21. The meet is free of charge and open to the public.

For more information, visit the Flannigan Rifle website at www.marmion.org/academy/drill.html

Three Marmion Academy alumni were inducted into the Marmion Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony on January 17. At the ceremony, held prior to the Cadet’s varsity basketball game, Cadet fans, family members and past inductees celebrated the induction of new members: Thomas Erath (class of 1964) of Aurora, Edward “Ned” Sharpenter (class of 1965) of Sarasota, FL and Bernard Van Ham, Jr. ‘72 (class of 1972) of Crystal Lake.

Thomas Erath was a three sport athlete at Marmion, playing baseball, basketball and football. In his senior year, Erath quarterbacked his team to an 8-1 season and the Suburban Catholic Conference championship. He was also co-captain and received All Conference first team as quarterback. During his entire four years as quarterback, Erath lost only one game.

Ned Sharpenter played basketball at Marmion for Hall of Fame coach Hank Berg. His junior year, he was the 3rd leading scorer on the team with 155 points – 10.3 points per game (ppg) and the 3rd leading rebounder with 116. During his senior year, Sharpenter led the Cadets to a 21-5 record, the 3rd highest scoring team in Marmion history. That team is first or second in 5 different all-time Marmion team records. Ned scored 457 points – 18.2 ppg and he pulled down 193 rebounds. He was All-Area and special mention All-State. His 457 points rates him as the fourteenth leading scorer (single season) in Marmion history. Ned is the number two player in Marmion history for personal fouls with 96. After Marmion, Sharpenter went to the University of Dayton on a basketball scholarship. In his sophomore season Ned was a member of the Flyer team that finished second to UCLA in the NCAA tournament. As a junior Ned was a starter on the team that won the NIT tournament.

Bernard Van Ham, Jr. was a starter at center field on the Marmion baseball team and batted clean-up for two years. In his senior year he was named All-City and All-Conference. In football Van Ham was the first linebacker at Marmion to record over 100 solo tackles and an additional 80 assisted tackles in a nine game season. Bernie was voted All-City, All-Conference and All-Area. He was tri-captain and defensive captain in his senior year. After Marmion, he played football for one season at Illinois Wesleyan University. He has been involved for 25 years in Aurora youth sports and Crystal Lake “Raiders”. Van Ham was Assistant Tournament Director of the CABA 15-year-old World Series in Crystal Lake.

The Athletic Hall of Fame honors outstanding individual alumni athletes of Marmion. All varsity athletes (living or deceased) become eligible for induction once they have reached the tenth anniversary of their graduation from Marmion. For a full membership list of the Marmion Athletic Hall of Fame visit the Alumni section of www.marmion.org.

Rick Holinger, Ph.D. of Geneva was nominated by the editor of Green Hills Literary Lantern for the 2008 Pushcart Prize for his story "The Heads." This is his third nomination for The Pushcart Prize - Best of the Small Presses, the most prestigious award given to writers of fiction, poetry, and the essay whose works appear in small literary magazines.

"The Heads" is the story about a young boy who develops a phobia for mounted animal heads on a trip with his widowed father to a posh Wisconsin resort. It appears in the current issue of Green Hills Literary Lantern, an online literary magazine.

Holinger has been a member of the Marmion Academy English Department for nearly 30 years. Since 2000, he has written the weekly column “View from Geneva” in The Geneva Sun. He is a facilitator of the St. Charles Writers Group, sponsored by the St. Charles Public Library, and is a member of Great Books discussion group, a monthly book discussion taped live by NCTV, Naperville, shown weekly and biweekly on local west-suburban cable television stations.

He has had over 25 stories, 100 poems, and many essays, critical articles and book reviews published in literary magazines. His awards include: Bulwer-Lytton Contest First Place winner, Purple Prose category (2006); Pushcart Prize Nomination. Clackamas Literary Review – Poetry (2001); Pushcart Prize Nomination. Boulevard –Poetry (1994); Illinois Arts Council Short Term Artists Fellowship (1994); Honorable Mention, The World’s Best Short Short Story Contest, Sundog (1996); Illinois Arts Council Artists Grant for Poetry (1983); The Arthur Baer Fellowship, The Chicago Literary Club (1982); and an invitation to The White House for “A Celebration of Poets and Poetry (1980).

The Pushcart Prize - Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America. Hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in the pages of this annual collection. Writers who were first noticed here include: Raymond Carver, Tim O’Brien, Jayne Anne Phillips, Charles Baxter, Andre Dubus, Susan Minot, Mona Simpson, John Irving, Rick Moody, and many more.

For information on the faculty and staff members at Marmion Academy, visit www.marmion.org/academy/faculty.html.

Marmion Academy’s JROTC Adventure Platoon provided ten Kane and Kendall County families with the makings for a Thanksgiving feast. On Tuesday, November 25 each family, selected by DayOne Network in Geneva, was presented with a 15-lb. frozen turkey and all of the trimmings expected for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The families were also given gift certificates to Jewel-Osco for any additional needs.

To provide these dinners, the cadets raise money by holding a “Turkey Raffle” with $5 chances to win one of four turkeys and by collecting canned goods from the local communities. Decorated wreaths were donated by the Marmion Mothers’ Club.

“The cadets and I would like to thank the community for donating canned food and purchasing the turkey raffle tickets,” says Adventure Platoon Moderator Sergeant Wayne Dotson. “Without their generous donations we would not have been able to provide for these ten deserving families.”

This is the eleventh year that Marmion has teamed up with DayOne for their Thanksgiving Drive. DayOne Network, Inc. is a community based nonprofit that has been providing service coordination and advocacy services to developmentally disabled and delayed individuals of all ages in Kane and Kendall Counties, and in Hanover Township since 1989.

Marmion Academy, a Catholic-Benedictine college preparatory school for young men, is a community dedicated to spiritual formation, academic excellence and leadership development. Marmion Academy is located at 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora. For more information visit www.marmion.org.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has named thirty-five Marmion Academy seniors (27% of the class) Illinois State Scholars. Students from nearly every high school in Illinois competed in this year’s program. The following Marmion students ranked in the top ten percent of the state’s high school graduating seniors to receive this honor:

Aurora: Timothy Benoit, David Brouch, Daniel Conlin, Joseph Jimenez, Mitchell Ruble, James Wollwert
Batavia: Thomas Currie, Benedict Fischer, Jared Meyer, Brian Vasquez
Big Rock: Brett Loehmann
Bristol: Gregory Liske
DeKalb: Nathan McGinn
Elburn: Christopher Dukes Elgin: Johnny Runzel
Geneva: Stephen Ausman, Ryan Boone, Luke Friedman, Matthew Jacobs, Colin King
Genoa: Colin Hirsch
Glen Ellyn: Andrew Larsen
Naperville: Nathaniel Valaik, Bryan Vanco
North Aurora: Salvatore Filardi
St. Charles: Joseph Fuja, Jeffrey Gerold, Michael Gruesen, John Ledvora, Samuel Van Dyck
Sugar Grove: Ryan Hoffman, Matthew Kramer
Yorkville: Michael DiGiovanna, Kevin Kavanaugh, Kevin Lill

Tom Lentz of Aurora was honored with Marmion Academy’s Fr. Alcuin Deck OSB Distinguished Service Award for the first semester of the 2008-09 Academic Year.

Lentz has been a member of Marmion’s maintenance staff since 2001 and is a founding member of the Faculty/Staff Community Life Committee. A 1967 Marmion graduate, he has served on the Marmion Alumni Board for five years.

He has been a faithful volunteer at the Abbey’s Christmas Tree Farm since the early 1970s. With his wife Peg and his grandchildren, Tom is a regular and avid fan of Marmion athletics and is an example to all of generous and patient service in the mission of the Academy and the Abbey.

“In the year celebrating the 75th anniversary of Marmion’s founding, it is appropriate to have someone with deep roots at Marmion receive this award,” states Fr. Joel Rippinger OSB, Marmion’s faculty/staff chaplain. “Tom’s father was a 1940 graduate of Marmion and his grandmother was a charter member of the Marmion Mothers’ Club. His brother, two sons and a son-in-law are also Marmion graduates.”

Marmion Academy senior Matt Milroy of Batavia has signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini next year.

"Matt is an athletic two-way player who throws in the 88-91 mph range off the mound and runs a 6.8-second 60-yard dash,” said Illinois Assistant Coach Ken Westray. “He's a solid outfielder with a good hitting approach and as a pitcher, he has an above-average arm with command of a plus slider."

Milroy is listed as the No. 8 recruit in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report which also lists him as the No. 1 two-way player, having the No. 4 fastball, No. 7 defensive outfielder and the No. 9 best athlete in the State in the Class of 2009. In 2008, he hit 467 with 44 RBIs, a .900 slugging percentage, 43 hits and seven home runs, blasting three home runs in 2008 Sectional game. He is a three-year baseball varsity letter winner.

Milroy broke the Marmion records for average, home runs and RBIs in 2008. He played in the Plainfield South Showcase and was a member of Team Illinois, a summer club team. He was named All-Area by the Aurora Beacon News, the Daily Herald and the Kane County Chronicle and was the 2008 Beacon News Player of the Year.

The Milroy family continues its Marmion legacy in college sports. Matt’s brother, Tim Jr., plays baseball for Concordia. His cousins, Joe and John Milroy, played baseball for Northern Illinois and Northwestern, respectively, and V.J. Bellafiore played football for Eastern Illinois. His grandfather, Bernard Milroy, played basketball at Loras College. His grandfather and father, Tim Sr., are both members of Marmion's Athletic Hall of Fame.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program has named twenty-seven Marmion Academy students AP Scholars. This title is given in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Only 18 percent of the more than one million students who took AP Exams in May 2008 performed at a sufficiently high level to merit such recognition.

Thomas Hymel of Batavia and Rich Peck of St. Charles, 2008 graduates, received the National AP Scholar Award.

Scholar with Distinction Awards, for students earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of their exams, went to senior Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles and Nick Daly of Winfield, Tim Handell of Aurora, C.J. Heuman of Aurora, Thomas Hymel of Batavia, Ed Leonard of Geneva, Michael O’Brien of St. Charles, Rich Peck of St. Charles and Bill Simon of LaGrange, all members of Marmion’s graduating class of 2008.

Scholar with Honor Awards, for students earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of his exams, went to seniors senior Ryan Boone of Geneva and 2008 graduates Mike Meszaros of Batavia, Joe Minardi of Yorkville, Gordon Scott of Aurora and Taylor Weis of Batavia.

AP Scholar Awards, for students completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher went to seniors Luke Friedman of Geneva, Nathan McGinn of DeKalb and Nathaniel Valaik of Naperville as well as 2008 graduates Henry Carlson of Batavia, Dan Garofalo of Aurora, Dan Housh of Aurora, Ryan Hunt of Aurora, Conor McDonnell of Winfield, Garrett Morales of St. Charles, Graeme Quinn of Sugar Grove, Robert Rodriguez of North Aurora, Josh Stein of Aurora and Chris West of Montgomery.

Most of the nation’s colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on the AP exams, some Marmion graduates have been able to enter college at the sophomore level due to their achievement on AP exams. Marmion offers students Advanced Placement classes in eleven subjects. For more information on Marmion Academy visit www.marmion.org.

Bob Rebenstorf, Marmion Academy’s Head Cross Country Coach for the last 24 years, has announced his retirement from athletics effective at the end of the current season.

During his tenure, Rebenstorf’s varsity teams have amassed a dual meet record of 186-52 overall and 122-29 in the SCC. His teams have won the Conference Championship nine times (including seven out of the last ten years). They have not lost a conference dual meet since 2005. He has coached several All-State runners, and this year’s team is on track to advance past the Class AAA Regional and qualify additional runners for state competition. In addition to Cross Country he has coached Track and Basketball at Marmion, and was Head Basketball coach at Rosary High School in Aurora for two seasons.

“I made my decision at the beginning of the summer, knowing that I had the best team in my career waiting for me; so far they have not disappointed. Any coach dreams of going out on top and on his own terms, and my current situation allows me to do both,” remarked Coach Rebenstorf. “I am grateful to the Administration and Monks of Marmion, as well as all the wonderful Cross Country parents, for all of their support throughout the years. Most of all I’d like to thank the many dedicated distance runners I’ve coached for nearly a quarter of a century-without them our program would not have been as successful for as long as it has!”

“Bob has been a pillar in the Marmion athletic program for the last 20+ years,” said Marmion’s Headmaster John Milroy. “He’s developed the Marmion Cross Country program into an area power-house through his own hard-work and dedication to the sport and to his runners. He has had a huge positive impact on the lives of hundreds of young men as a coach and mentor; I know I speak for the entire Marmion community by saying, ‘Thank you, Bob – and well-done!”

Rebenstorf will remain at the school as an English teacher, sophomore class moderator, and sophomore spiritual retreat director. He is also a member of the Faculty Review Board.

On October 4, members of the Marmion Academy Fishing Club assisted the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in rescuing fish during the draining of stocking ponds at Shabbona Lake State Park. In total, 3,000 largemouth bass were released from the stocking ponds into Lake Shabbona. The Marmion volunteers assisted by wading through the muck and silt of the drained pond to rescue the fish that did not make it during the draining process and by helping to scoop fish that got stuck in the netting of the drainage system.

The Marmion Fishing Club is open to students looking to improve their fishing skills, while also giving something back by helping with local environmental projects. For more information on the club, please contact faculty moderator Joe Large at 630-897-6936 x268 or jlarge@marmion.org.

Marmion welcomed 521 students and 10 new faculty/staff members at the start of the 2008-09 school year. Marmion currently has 48 teaching faculty (including 12 Benedictine monks) with a student/teacher ratio of 11:1 and an average class size of 26.

Isla Arcaro of Wheaton joins the faculty as a teacher of Spanish and Italian. Arcaro recently retired after 35 years at Rolling Meadows High School. She is a graduate of DePaul University, earned a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University and has studied at the Catholic University in Barcelona, the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago and the Italian Language Academy in Florence.

Paul Desruisseaux of Aurora joined the faculty as a teacher of mathematics. He comes to Marmion with more than eight years of teaching experience with the last four years at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, where he also served as the Head Swim Coach. He has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University. Desruisseaux will serve as Marmion’s assistant swim coach.

Br. Martin Gardiner OSB of Aurora is a world history teacher and assistant to the Academic Dean. He was most recently employed by the Diocese of Lake Charles LA as a teacher, but he has nearly 30 years of professional experience in Catholic, independent and public school environments. He earned a Doctorate of Education (Administration) from the University of St. Thomas and has degrees in Educational Psychology/Counseling, Theology/Pastoral Counseling and Education.

Daniel Gataoulin of Chicago is a physics and chemistry teacher. Gataoulin has a Bachelor’s Degree from Grand Valley State University and a Master’s Degree in Biology with an emphasis in Biotechnology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has six years of instructional experience (Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics) at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and the Hebrew Theological College.

Frank Giangrego of St. Charles joins the faculty as a teacher of theology. He is the Director of Religious Education at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Addison. Giangrego has previously served as a Theology instructor and the Director of Campus Ministry at Marmion for ten years. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Lewis University and a Master’s in Religious Education from Loyola University of Chicago.

Jennifer Schmidt of North Aurora joins the Marmion staff as Assistant Treasurer. She is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Millikin University. Schmidt most recently was employed by the accounting firm of Selden-Fox in Oak Brook as an Audit Manager and Accounting Services Manager.

Betty Sellen of Oswego is the Marmion Development Office secretary. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Rosary College (Dominican University) and a Master’s Degree from Columbia College in Chicago. Sellen is also a part-time teacher at Waubonsee Community College.

Mike Stroup of Sandwich is Abbey and Academy Mechanic and Garage Manager. He is a master mechanic and most recently was employed by Gjovik Auto Dealership in Sandwich.

Kristin Voris of North Aurora joins the faculty as an English teacher. She earned a Master’s Degree in Film and Literature from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Illinois. Voris has six years of teaching experience at West Aurora High School and St. Edward High School.

Cindy Zaeske of Aurora is the Assistant to the Academic Dean/College Guidance Office. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from National-Louis University and has been very active in local youth theater and dance program.

Marmion Academy is a college preparatory school in Aurora, IL. Its mission is the education of young men in leadership skills and a value-based liberal arts education, founded on the Roman Catholic Faith and the Benedictine tradition of a desire for God and a love for learning. For more information on the faculty and staff of Marmion visit www.marmion.org/academy/faculty.html.

Marmion Academy’s JROTC program honored 40 cadets with military promotions at the annual Sabre Ceremony held September 5, 2008. These senior cadets were presented with a sabre (officers) or a sword (sergeants) by their parents, as they were promoted to the highest ranks in available in the JROTC program. The following are Marmion’s JROTC student leaders for the 2008-09 school year.

BATTALION HEADQUARTERS: Battalion Commander David Brouch of Aurora, Executive Officer Colin Hirsch of Genoa, Adjutant Luke Friedman of Geneva, Information Officer Brett Loehmann of Big Rock, Operations Officer Christopher Dukes of Elburn, Supply Officer Matthew Jacobs of Geneva, Command Sergeant Major Nathaniel Valaik of Naperville, Personnel Sergeant Kevin Lill of Yorkville, Information Sergeant Salvatore Filardi of North Aurora, Operations Sergeant Michael Duhig of Winfield and Supply Sergeant James Wollwert of Aurora.

COMPANIES: Headquarters Company Commander Daniel Conlin of Aurora, Company Executive Officer Andrew Ferrer of Plano, 1st Platoon Leader Julian Cammarano of Aurora, 2nd Platoon Leader Robert Miles of St. Charles and First Sergeant Jacob Moore of North Aurora.

Alpha Company Commander Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles, Company Executive Officer Colin King of Geneva, 1st Platoon Leader Jared Meyer of Batavia, 2nd Platoon Leader Austin Cox of St. Charles, 3rd Platoon Leader Matthew Kramer of Sugar Grove and First Sergeant Christopher Antolak of St. Charles.

Bravo Company Commander Michael Shay of Aurora, Company Executive Officer Nicholas Scanlan of Sugar Grove, 1st Platoon Leader Nicholas Assell of Sugar Grove, 2nd Platoon Leader Thomas Delves of St. Charles, 3rd Platoon Leader Samuel VanDyck of St. Charles and First Sergeant Nicholas Matsie of Aurora.

Charlie Company Commander Juan Avila of Aurora, Company Executive Officer Nathan McGinn of DeKalb, 1st Platoon Leader Andrew Konovodoff of Sugar Grove, 2nd Platoon Leader Ralph Palmeri of St. Charles, 3rd Platoon Leader Kurt Peterson of Naperville and First Sergeant David Aquino of Aurora.

Delta Company Commander Ryan Hoffman of Sugar Grove, Company Executive Officer Thomas Currie of Batavia, 1st Platoon Leader Gregory Liske of Bristol, 2nd Platoon Leader Kevin Kavanaugh of Yorkville, 3rd Platoon Leader Kyle Gensler of Geneva and First Sergeant Michael Kocour of Aurora.

Marmion’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps is a U.S. Army high school program. In the program, cadets learn to become better citizens through classes which focus on such topics as history, leadership, and oral communication. They take part in military drill, inspections, and parades. As they advance through the ranks, they assume increasing responsibility for leadership among other cadets in their company. The JROTC program supports a competitive Rifle Team and Drill team. In addition cadets can participate in an Adventure Platoon and a one week JROTC Summer Camp

Five Marmion Academy seniors have been honored with Semifinalist and Commended status in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

Timothy Benoit of Aurora, Ryan Boone of Geneva and Jeffrey Gerold of St. Charles were named Semifinalists and are now eligible to compete for 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards with over $33 million. Semifinalists are the highest scoring participants in each state and represent less than one percent of the state’s seniors.

Christopher Dukes of Elburn and Matthew Jacobs of Geneva were both named Commended Students. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Dukes and Jacobs placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students participating.

Marmion Academy, a Catholic-Benedictine college preparatory school for young men, is a community dedicated to spiritual formation, academic sxcellence and leadership development. For more information on Marmion Academy visit www.marmion.org.

Brother Aaron Devett OSB and Brother Sebastian Switalski OSB pronounced three-year Temporary Vows as Benedictine Monks of Marmion Abbey in Aurora on July 11, 2008, the feast of St. Benedict.

Brother Aaron Devett comes from Middleton, WI where he has lived for the last twenty years and has been in private practice in nearby Madison as a marriage and family therapist. He holds a M.A. in English and a M.S. in Social Work, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and also a Master of Divinity degree.

Brother Sebastian Switalski came to Marmion from Norfolk, VA after a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer. He has a BA in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in psychology from Norfolk State University.

Anyone interested in receiving vocation information about Marmion Abbey can contact Father Abbot Vincent Bataille OSB at vbataille@marmion.org or (630) 897-7215 ext. 312. Additional information about Marmion Abbey can be found online at Marmion.org.