On the Cover Rosary High School Announces 2015 Graduates Rosary High School held a Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2015 on May 20 at St. John Neumann Church in St. Charles, Illinois. The Mass was celebrated by Father David Peck and Deacon Paul Iwanski. Diplomas were presented to the 101 graduates by Rosary Principal Sister Ann Brummel, O.P., Assistant Principal Sister Katrina Lamkin, O.P., and Class of 2015 Valedictorian Isabelle Ylo. Music was provided by Rosary’s orchestra and chorus, directed by Ms. Megan Drahos. The graduation speaker was Alyssa Mertka. “It’s not just the building and the Isabelle Ylo memories made in it that make Rosary Valedictorian so beautiful: it’s all of you,” Mertka said. “God made each person in the Class of 2015 unique and precious in His eyes. Whether you sang your heart out onstage, or scored the winning point in a basketball game, or wrote a killer dialogue for philosophy class, or finished that huge art project you were working on, or finally solved that calculus problem that was giving you so much trouble, you all found ways this year to glorify God through the talents He gave you, whatever they might be.” She concluded, “Francois Rabelais’s last words were reported to be “I am off to seek the Great Perhaps.” It is time for us now to head out into the world to seek our own Great Perhaps’s, wherever they may be. Though we might not feel like it, we are ready. Rosary has formed each of us into strong women of “capital T” Truth who can handle anything the world decides to throw at us.”
Alyssa is the daughter of William and Susan Mertka of Geneva. She will attend the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, and is enrolled in the University’s Honors Program. She is investigating a major in Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Media in the College of Arts and Sciences. Alyssa’s graduation speech is available on Rosary’s YouTube channel and the text of her speech can be found on www.rosaryhs.com. Valedictorian Isabelle Ylo is the daughter of Eugene and Terry Ylo of North Aurora. She will be studying Chemistry at Northern Illinois University in the Fall. By city, the Rosary Class of 2015 graduates are:
Alyssa Mertka Graduation Speaker
Aurora: Jill Bottarini, Megan Conlin, Megan Deller, Brittany Hamling, Kathryn Higgins, Elizabeth Kaczorowski, Abigail Koch, Sarah Lawinger, Mary McSharry, McKenna Novack, Jennifer Orta, Jannessa Ramos-Galvez, Mallory Rettenmeier, Mallory Rhamy, Savannah Semmler, Genevieve Streich, Alexis Thomas, Isabel Trujillo. Batavia: Sophia Barrett, Mary Dant, Isabella Davison-Arancio, Cassie Duck, Isabella Figueras, Melody FisherLewek, Madison McDonald, Rachel Neff, Sarah Neidermann, Katelyn Paradis, Michaela Ping, Joanna Wedge, Adrienne Winkel, Maria Witte, Elizabeth Yeske. Big Rock: Melissa Bronski. Bolingbrook: Dariana Slater. Continued on page 4
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