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COURTESY PHOTO

By Janet Dovidio

NEWS@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM

Students at St. Mary Catholic School benefit from improved technology, a renovated auditorium, and an additional bathroom because of the St. Mary of Woodstock School Foundation.

“The foundation was created by Ray Benoy, Ty Keller, and Richard Merryman in 1986 for the sole purpose of supporting and enriching the educational experience at the school,” said Jeff Gillaspie, foundation president. “For over 30 years, the foundation has held fast to that mission.”

The staff at St. Mary School provides an annual “wish list” for school improvement projects.

“St. Mary School is so blessed to have the support of the foundation,” Principal Vince Sossong said. “Through their assistance, we are able to provide many needed improvements and resources to our students. The whole school community is the beneficiary.”

Sixty new Chromebook laptop computers were purchased to support the blended in-person and virtual learning at the school. St. Mary’s IT director, Carlos Gonzalez, donated a weekend of time to set them up.

The new handicap-accessible restroom in the main building, installed by BPS Plumbing Solutions, is located outside the school office and across from the auditorium. That site provides a nearby location for school activities that include older relatives and also enhances the school’s inclusive education needs. A future project will add an accessible ramp to the front of the building.

The auditorium now has a new luxury vinyl plank floor. Sossong and preschool parent Esau Hernandez donated their time for the installation. That project was scheduled to take place over the 2020 spring break, but was postponed to Christmas break because of COVID-19.

“This past year with the pandemic was extremely challenging for the teachers and staff,” Gillaspie said, “and we’re happy to support their extra efforts by providing resources to improve the school environment and enhance education for the students.”

Current foundation officers besides Gillaspie are Monica Amraen, vice president; Anne McCoy, secretary; Darren Fortin, treasurer; and board members Alice Howell, Harry Jablonski, Gina Kenyon, Virginia Peschke, and Larry Rafferty.

Caroline Cherniak of Woodstock was named to the dean’s list for the fall term at the St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

A student much achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale to earn the honor.

Four local students earned academic honors for the fall 2020 semester at Rockford University.

Named distinguished scholars for earning at least a 3.75 GPA were Caitlin Senn of Wonder Lake and Kayla Brady and Blake Shallenbarger, both of Woodstock.

Morgan Radcliffe of Woodstock was named to the dean’s list for earning at least a 3.5 GPA.

Five local students earned degrees during the summer or fall 2020 at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

They are Wonder Lake residents Paige Schnulle-Ward, elementary education, an Brennen Ward, criminal justice; and Woodstock residents Jarod Baker, forensic investigation; Zachary Emricson, industrial engineering; and Kristin Lemke, soil and crop science. Jasmine Castaneda on dean’s list at Elmhurst

Jasmine Castaneda of Woodstock was among students named to the Elmhurst University dean’s list for the fall term of the 2020-21 academic year.

The dean’s list is composed of students attained a GPA of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Isabel Rost of Woodstock has earned semester honors for the fall 2020 semester at Edgewood College in Madison, Wis.

Fulltime students who achieve a 3.5 GPA for the semester are eligible for the honor.

Ben Woodson of Woodstock was among more than 1,000 students from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, who received degrees during the virtual fall commencement on Dec. 11.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interactive media studies.

Kelly Read of Woodstock has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2020 semester at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

To be eligibile, a student must be enrolled full-time and earn a GPA of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale) for the semester.

Claire Helfman of Woodstock was named to the fall 2020 semester dean’s list at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

Eligibility requires a GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Dylan Kapp of Woodstock has earned a Master of Science degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga.

He was among about 3,800 undergraduate and graduate students who earned their degrees during the fall 2020 semester and were recognized during the institute’s 259th commencement exercises Dec.11-12 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Aurora University has named several Woodstock-area students to the dean’s list for the fall 2020 semester for earning a 3.6 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale.

They are:

Wonder Lake – Jazmyn Bottcher, nursing; Casey Dycus, health science; and Erik Fallon, graphic design

Woodstock – Sarah Drafall, nursing; Maria Esquivel-Cervantes, early child/ special education; Brian Flores, business administration, Spanish; Courtnie Gabala, nursing; Fatima Gomez, social work; Lesly Guarneros, business administration; Hanna Major, psychology; Ingrid Navarro, Spanish, biology; Dulce Olivar Lopez, nursing; Angel Ortega, pre-social work; Citlaly Velasco, nursing; Molly Viktora, pre-nursing; and Diana Zovkic, art.

Mary Campbell of Wonder Lake and Michael Forrester of Woodstock were named to the dean’s list for the fall 2020 semester at Wheaton College.

To earn dean’s List honors at Wheaton, an undergraduate student must carry 12 or more credit hours and achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher on the 4.0 scale.

Kasey Theil of Woodstock earned a Bachelor of Arts in English education from the College of Education at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Jacob Schmitt of Wonder Lake graduated in December 2020 from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis. He earned a Bachelor of Science in construction.

UW-Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes.

Five local students were among more than 7,400 undergraduates who were named to the dean’s list for the 2020 fall semester at the University of Iowa.

They are Mya Cermak of Wonder Lake, neuroscience; and Woodstock residents Andrew Gippert, finance; Linzie Harding, psychology; Samantha Stevens, health and human physiology; and Zachary Taylor, psychology.

Freshman Keegan Given from Wonder Lake made the dean’s list for the fall semester at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis.

The son of Greg and Lisa Given, he is studying computer science.

Melisa Paredes-Lopez is a senior at Woodstock High School. She is the daughter of Luz B. Paredes and Jose L. Paredes, Woodstock. “Melisa, an orchestra student for nine years, has a strong work ethic and an intrinsic desire to realize her fullest potential. Melisa is incredibly ambitious and dedicated, but never selfish. She is always positive, on top of her work, and willing to help guide and lead her peers. The focus and discipline she’s put on herself during eLearning are evident,”said one of her teachers. Melisa is on high honor roll and is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society. She is a member of Spanish club, girl’s soccer, L.U.C.H.A, varsity orchestra and Future Latino Leaders. Outside of school, she is involved with the St. Mary Catholic Church Youth Group. When asked who inspires her, Melisa said, “Someone who motivates me is my uncle Adan Lopez who passed away in 2011 just before he was about to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration. At the time, being so young, I wasn’t able to assimilate how important his learning career was to him, but as I grew older, I understood that he was willing to make many sacrifices, in order to achieve his goals. He taught me that, although at times it may seem hard, it will all be worth it. You just have to have hope and the will to keep moving forward.” When asked what makes her feel successful, Melisa said, “I feel that I am successful because I am very goal-oriented. When I put my mind to something, I do not allow myself to stop until I have accomplished it. Also, I always push myself to want to be better, both as a person and as a student, with the hope that, I will be someone in life and help make a difference in our world.”