ACT scores rise again, continue outpacing state and nation The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that the average for the 5,747 Catholic high school students who took the ACT test in 2013 showed gains in nearly every testing area, and in the composite score. The average composite score for Catholic high school students in the archdiocese is 23.1, which is a 0.2 point improvement over students’ performance last year, and 2.5 points above the State of Illinois’ average. All scores continue to be above the average for the state and nation. On the English section, students scored 3.3 points ahead of the state average, with 85 percent demonstrating college-readiness in that subject. In the science section, Catholic high school students scored an average of 22.3, 1.8 points above the state average. Math scores rose to 22.3, up 0.1 points over last year and 1.6 points ahead of the state. Reading scores also increased to 23.6, up 0.5 and 3.2 points above the state. “Preparing young people for college and for life is not just a mantra, it is a hard-working, prayerful reality in our Catholic high schools,” said Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, superintendent. “While we are proud of the 2013 ACT performance, the schools are positioned for continual improvement.” More than 98 percent of Catholic high school seniors graduate, and the 5,747 students who took the ACT represents 98 percent of all seniors across the 37 high schools in the archdiocese. The ACT test assesses high school students’ general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. Ignatius team takes first place in model UN conference in China The Model United Nations team from St. Ignatius College Prep took first place in their category in the World Expo Model United Nations Conference held in Beijing this summer. The categories were based on the size of the team. St. Ignatius had 16 students on its team. The trip, from July 30 to Aug. 13, provided an opportunity to interact with students from mainland China. Students came from 22 countries and teams from 59 schools participated, said Diane Haleas Hines, chairman of St. Ignatius’ social studies department. The teams did not necessarily represent their homeland, however. The St. Ignatius students participated in discussions as delegates from Russia or Turkey. Our Lady of Charity teacher a Symetra Hero Sarah Kirkpatrick, a first-grade teacher at Our Lady of Charity School in Cicero, was awarded the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom Award. This award was presented by the Chicago Bears and Arthur J. Gallagher, and recognizes teachers for outstanding leadership and instructional skills. From hundreds of nominations, Kirkpatrick was chosen as this year’s first award recipient. In addition to her classroom duties, Kirkpatrick coaches the school’s Girls on the Run team, tutors students in her free time, teaches in the after-school Literacy Club and leads professional development for other teachers. Kirkpatrick was honored at the Chicago Bears home opener. She received sideline passes and tickets to the game, a personalized Bears jersey and a $1,000 donation for her classroom. Pre-K enrollment at St. Michael’s jumps 36 percent Administrators at St. Michael School in Orland Park made space for some 91 preschool children entering the school this year, up 36 percent from last year. St. Michael’s preschool program opened in 2009 with just 34 students. This year the school launched a full-day option for its pre-K-4 program. The pre-K curriculum is Catholic at its heart, aligned with state standards and hands-on and play-based learning. The children explore a new theme each week. The centers in the classroom have interactive materials to support exploration of the themes ideas and concepts. The program has four full-time certified teachers and four aides to help keep the classrooms intact. St. Viator High School adds test for alcohol This school year St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights began a new program to randomly test students for alcohol consumption. The school already randomly tests students for drug use. Students will be asked to provide hair samples, which, when analyzed, will determine if they’ve consumed alcohol within 90 days. If the students fail the test they will receive counseling and be retested in 90 days. If they fail a second time they will face some disciplinary action. More iPads for St. Thecla students This year St. Thecla School, 6323 N. Newcastle Ave., is continuing its one-to-one iPad initiative by issuing iPads to students for everyday use. All fifth- and sixth-grade students received iPads for curriculum instruction in addition to the 60 iPads in the school that are circulated for all student use. St. Thecla hopes to go paperless within the next year. In addition to St. Thecla’s Smart- Boards, iPads issued to students will be utilized for curriculum and test prep. Instead of having worksheets, iPads enable students to learn more efficiently through educational apps and web-based programming. Dominican priest returns to teach at his alma mater This fall newly ordained Dominican Father Nicholas Monco returned to his alma mater, Fenwick High School in Oak Park, to teach and go back to his roots. Monco is a 2002 Fenwick graduate. “I look almost as I did in high school. A lot of those kids will probably look older than I do,” Monco said. “There’s a way in which that will help. But, other than connecting to movies and pop culture, there’s a way that kids connect to people who are in love with something. They know the difference between a teacher who is going through the motions and someone who loves what they do. I’ll be one of the teachers who loves what they do.” Though Monco was encouraged to consider the priesthood, it took time for him to answer the call. “Fenwick was a crucial part of the way I engaged my faith. I’m not sure I would have gotten that in another school,” he said. “Initially, I dismissed people who suggested the priesthood. But it came down to asking myself, what did I actually love to do? Where did I keep getting drawn back to? It kept coming back to the spiritual life, theology and talking to people about God. “Fenwick was the place where I began to think about my vocation in earnest,” he said. “I was very impressed by the Dominican friars’ love for Jesus, for their priesthood and their dedication to the school. It made me think they found something worth loving.” Monco isn’t the first Fenwick grad to return to the school as a teacher. Currently, Fenwick boasts 30 former graduates, making up roughly 25 percent of its staff. De La Salle football player to participate in national Under Armour All-America game At the beginning of September, senior football player Jamarco Jones was presented his honorary game jersey during the American Family Insurance Selection Tour for the 2014 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game at De La Salle Institute, 3434 S. Michigan Ave. The event was part of the three-month American Family Insurance Selection Tour for the Under Armour All-America Game. Jones is one of 90 players selected to compete in the seventh-annual Under Armour All-America Game presented by American Family Insurance, a nationally televised competition spotlighting the country’s top high school seniors. The 2014 game is set for Jan. 2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be televised on ESPN. “I want to thank everybody — my classmates, my mom, my coaches, everybody at De La Salle,” Jones said. “I am looking forward to competing with the best players in the country.” The national selection tour sponsored by American Family Insurance is aimed at raising awareness around teen driving safety and recognizing the student athletes, as well as the coaches, families and communities who have helped make these players’ dreams a reality. Slain diplomat honored in new “Stories of Oneness” children’s book In April 2013, a young U.S. diplomat, Anne Smedinghoff, 25, of River Forest, was killed with four other Americans when a bomb set off by the Taliban exploded as the group travelled to deliver textbooks for school children in Afghanistan. As an assistant press information officer for the State Department, Smedinghoff spent most of her time working on public diplomacy initiatives with the Afghan people. Around the time of Smedinghoff’s death, The Well Spirituality Center in LaGrange Park, was hosting a leadership retreat designed to foster relationships across social, racial and economic boundaries. This multiday retreat for elementary school children and their teachers offered participants a message of peace and unity and the opportunity to create artwork and language for a children’s book based on an original composition by Sister of St. Joseph Kathy Sherman. Smedinghoff was an alumnus of St. Luke School in River Forest, one of eight schools participating in the Artists of Peace leadership retreat. Just before the group re-gathered in April, Bridget Sperduto, executive director of The Well, extended an invitation to Smedinghoff’s parents to participate in the retreat by telling the students about their daughter and her work for peace. According to Sperduto, the Smedinghoff’s proudly spoke of the work their daughter was doing when she was killed, and courageously shared the deep pain of their loss. “The language of the heart — the language of peace, love and unity — became real to the students in this experience. They saw and felt the Smedinghoffs’ pain and in return offered their love. They were united with them in sorrow and the student’s heartfelt experience was reflected in the words and art they produced that day.” Dedicated in her memory, “A Language of the Heart,” features artwork created by American and Afghan children in an effort to reach across the globe in unity. The Artists of Peace program is an extension of the Stories of Oneness Project by The Well that aims to create original learning resources utilizing the artwork of local school children to highlight the Congregation of St. Joseph charism that “All May Be One.” The book will be released at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 13 at the Congregation of St. Joseph. All are welcome. “A Language of the Heart” will also be available online at www.ministryofthearts.com. Taxdeductible donations will be used to distribute books in Afghanistan. New literacy resource center opens at St. Patrick’s in Wadsworth When classes at St. Patrick School in Wadsworth began, the students got their first glimpse of the new Literacy Resource Center, which is the former school library. Under the supervision of Ann Orchard, librarian, the resource center was remodeled over the summer. New books and electronic devices, including iPads, were purchased. The resource center includes a new “reading bar,” with stools along a small book counter. “Everything we have is new,” Orchard said. “We have iPads, computers and audio-visual equipment for read-alouds. We are hooking up our resources with the new state common core standards.” STEM lab opens at St. Mary School in Buffalo Grove St. Mary School in Buffalo Grove debuted its new science, technology, engineering and math lab during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 22. According to stemschool.com St. Mary’s is only the second K-8 school in all of Illinois to offer STEM curriculum to all students.