For the 90th time in its history, Fenwick High School celebrated its graduating class with a commencement ceremony, this time held May 29 at a new location at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.
In total, 291 students took to the stage to receive their diplomas during the ceremony, which included remarks from school president Fr. Richard Peddicord and 2002 Fenwick alum Joe Musselman.
Of those graduating, 199 students are recognized as Presidential Scholars, which represents about 68% of the graduating class. An additional 24 students were recognized in the National Merit Scholarship Program, with five selected as finalists and 14 as commended.
Seniors Anna Dray of Elmhurst and Ronan Kristufek of Western Springs were notified they had each received $2,500 scholarship awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Both students will attend the University of Notre Dame this fall.
Fellow senior Devan Pietrzak of La Grange took first place in the Illinois State Optometrist International Oratorical competition and won a monetary scholarship to use when she attends Tulane University this fall.
The ceremony included the celebration of two military appointments: Salvador Aguilar of Burr Ridge is headed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and Liam McCarthy of Elmhurst is joining the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Classmate Brent Bergnach, also of Burr Ridge, has been selected for a Type 7 Air Force ROTC Scholarship, which pays 100% tuition and authorized fees at a public institution with ROTC detachment.
Four Fenwick graduates/golf caddies were named Evans Scholars recipients and the overall class of 2021 composite ACT score was 27.24.
In total, 400 scholarships were awarded to 143 Fenwick students from 128 different colleges and agencies. The monetary value of the awards was more than $29 million.
The graduating class of Friars include two all-state student-athletes and three academic all-state nominees. Twenty-eight players are expected to continue their sports careers at the collegiate level.
Twitter: @steveschering
