JUNE 2025
Congratulations to our 99th Graduating Class!
On May 17, 2025, the Class of 2025 received their Father Ryan diplomas and stepped into their next exciting chapter! This is a remarkable class with diverse interests, achievements, backgrounds, and paths, yet they are bound by a deep respect and love for each other.
We are honored to share just a few of their accomplishments:
Submitted 1,200+ total applications to 270 unique colleges and universities
Attending 66 different institutions of higher learning in 26 states, Washington D.C., and Canada
Girls Rugby 15's Claim State Title
Earlier in May, our Girls Rugby 15’s squad won the State Championship in a 40-33 win over Riverdale! Bailey Wolfe '27 was named the Championship Match MVP. What a great way to cap off an incredible year of Irish athletics!
Camp Ryan Spots are Still Open!
$38 million+ in college scholarships offered 46% attending college out of state
13 continuing his or her education at a Catholic university
Acceptances include: Concordia University Montreal; EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University; Emerson College; George Washington University; Loyola Marymount University; Marist University; Northwestern University; Southern Methodist University; Spelman College; Tulane University; United States Naval Academy; University of Chicago; University of Notre Dame; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Washington; Vanderbilt University; Villanova University; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Completed 15,900+ service hours as a class in 2024-2025, including raising more than $140,000 for Relay For Life, bringing Father Ryan’s lifetime fundraising for the American Cancer Society to more than $2 million, and helping to collect more than 13,000 canned goods during the 2025 House System Canned Food Drive
89 class members participated in the SEARCH faith retreat, with 21 of them returning to SEARCH in a leadership role, and 77 members volunteering for other grade-level retreats
For a list of Class of 2025 award winners, visit the Class of 2025 graduation page.
Click here to view our graduates joining the Father Ryan Alumni Association:
At Commencement, our top students shared heartfelt, inspiring remarks:
Salutatorian Ellie Maxwell, who will attend the University of Chicago to major in Statistics and play volleyball, expressed how Father Ryan created an environment for members of the Class of 2025 to develop not only academically, but most importantly in their faith.
“Every friendship you’ve made at Father Ryan has helped shape who you are today. Embrace that. Know who you are as a son or daughter of God. Take that into college and be confident. But know that you will always have your
It’s not too late to have an Irish summer! Camp Ryan is underway and runs through July. Check out camp offerings at fatherryan.org/camps for a full list.
Register Today What Are You Reading This Summer?
We have enjoyed sharing reading suggestions from our faculty and staff. Want to know what our students are reading this summer?
Check out the list for English classes, developed according to class year and level of course:
All Quiet on the Western Front
The House on Mango Street
The Pearl
The Alchemist
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Great Gatsby Old School
Father Ryan roots to fall back on. This community of faith has formed us all into strong, confident young people, ready to tackle the future.”
Valedictorian Finn Saivar, a National Merit Finalist who is attending University of Notre Dame to study History, reflected on how these years at Father Ryan allowed each senior to create fond memories they would remember forever, from the big moments of beating MBA in football for the first time in 27 years to the small, every day moments in class with friends. Finn and his family relocated from Los Angeles just prior to Finn’s sophomore year, selecting Father Ryan. Read about why his family chose Father Ryan.
“As we leave the safe confines of Father Ryan and venture out into the world as adults, we will surely face challenges. There will certainly be times in our lives when things don’t go as planned, where we have to adjust or adapt. It happens. But it’s how we face these moments that will define who we are. Will we give in when things don’t go our way? Or, will we face the challenges head-on? If we see everything as an opportunity – if we tell ourselves each day that God has given us the chance to begin anew – no bad day seems too bad. Each day we must live out to our full potential, because with each day, we begin again.”
Till We Have Faces
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
1984
The Great Divorce
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Frankenstein
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Outliers: The Story of Success
Black Like Me
The Bookseller of Kabul
The Glass Castle
In These Girls
Hope is a Muscle
A Long Way Gone
A Walk in the Woods, When I was Puerto Rican Atomic Habits
Admissions Dates & Events
Mark your calendars for these 2025-2026 Junior Irish and admissions events.
Details will be shared later this summer and fall:
August 15: Application Opens for the 2026-2027 School Year
September 19: Junior Irish Night
October 26: Preview Day
October 29: Open Visit Day
November 6-8: Fall Play
Congratulations to Mr. Robin Dieterich ’73, the 2025 Bishop Alphonse Smith Outstanding Teacher Award Recipient! For over 40 years, Coach Dieterich has been a cornerstone of the Father Ryan Soccer programs and an esteemed member of the English Department.
The Bishop Smith Outstanding Teacher Award, established in 2011, recognizes the teacher, nominated by the faculty and staff, who best embodies the school’s mission “to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential.” This person lives out the ideals of faith, knowledge, and service in his/her daily life.
Coach Dieterich’s lifelong dedication to serving the students, athletes, and community of Father Ryan is inspiring. Nominating faculty and staff members wrote, “At the very core of this individual is an educator dedicating a career to forming the minds of Father Ryan students. From the very moment you interact with this teacher, you see faith at the center. This teacher’s love for his colleagues and their pride and respect for his craft are evident daily. In every interaction, they exude grace and humility. His joy for life and love for everyone around him feels like a direct interaction with our mission of being an experience of the living Gospel.”
Irish Insights Blog: Preparing Students for College and Life
November 8, 15: Placement Test
December 9-10: Christmas at Father Ryan
December 13: Breakfast with Santa
January 23: Junior Irish School Spirit Night
January 29 and 31: Incoming Student Interviews
February 7: Father Ryan Gala
February 28: Admissions Decision Release Date
March 28: Irish Easter Egg Hunt
April 10-12: Spring Musical
May 8: New Student Irish Game Night
It’s been an exciting school year! We are humbled and honored to have so many Junior Irish families join us for 100th-year celebrations, athletic and arts events, traditional Junior Irish events, Masses, and much more.
We will return with more Junior Irish News this September, but welcome you to reach out to us this summer with any questions or to schedule a tour at 615383-4200.
Go Irish!
Father Ryan Office of Admissions
This month, Paul Davis ’81, Father Ryan President, reflects on the preparation needed for today’s high school graduates to succeed in college, career, and life. He shares how Father Ryan’s faith-based perspective, combined with rigorous and supportive academics, uniquely prepares students for all that comes next.
Read the Blog
Do you have blog topic suggestions for Father Ryan to explore in Irish Insights for 2025-2026? Please reach out to Cara Hunter, Director of Communications, at hunterc@fatherryan.org.
