BURBANK, IL - St. Laurence High School announced that 33 seniors have been recognized as Illinois State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. A historic class of scholars, this ranks as the most scholars for St. Laurence since 1987. It also marks the second highest percentage of seniors to be named State Scholars since 1987.

Maritza Arias (Liberty Junior High, Burbank), Brandon Barber-Lee (Liberty Junior High, Burbank), Gwenyth Bentley (Dore School, Chicago), Priscilla Bonilla (PFC Omar E. Torres School, Chicago), Alexis Buzzelli (SS. Cyril & Methodius, Lemont), Bartosz Chramiec (Liberty Junior High, Burbank), Emily Deskovich (St. Christina, Chicago), Matthew Diaz (St. Bede The Venerable, Burbank), Alexander Flood (St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago), Anthony Gonzalez (Liberty Junior High, Burbank), Cardin Ho (St. Albert the Great, Oak Lawn), Matthew Hyland (St. Bede the Venerable, Burbank), Matthew Jaskolski (Liberty Junior High, Burbank), Rachel Julian (St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago), Joseph Kappel (St. Symphorosa, Chicago), Sarah Klonowski (St. Catherine of Alexandria, Oak Lawn), MaKenna Malarkey (Byrne School, Chicago), Patrick Marrella (St. Symphorosa, Chicago), Taylor Mautone (Lincoln Junior High, Homer Glen), Jaiden Mayer (Cassell, Chicago), Hannah McNamara (St. Barnabas, Chicago), Piotr Nowobilski (St. Albert the Great, Burbank), Annie Palider (St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago), William Passarelli (St. Linus, Chicago), Anna Perez (Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Orland Park), Allan Potter (Mount Greenwood, Chicago), Tyler Ptaszkowski (Dore, Chicago), Isabel Raftery (St. Gerald, Oak Lawn), Trevor Sebek (Central Middle, Worth), Noah Swerhun (St. Jude, Orland Park), Emily Szymczyk (St. Daniel the Prophet, Chicago), Briana Vargas (Our Lady of Charity, Stickney) and Jaqueline Vazquez (Finley Jr. High, Chicago Ridge) all received the prestigious recognition.

Illinois State Scholars represent approximately the top ten percent of high school seniors across the state. Students given this recognition possess strong academic potential and are chosen based on a combination of exemplary ACT or SAT test scores and high school achievement.

This year’s Illinois State Scholars at St. Laurence are representative of the school’s expanded recruiting efforts across the Chicagoland area. The students come from all across the Chicagoland area, as far north as Stickney, as far south as Homer Glen, as far west as Lemont and as far east as the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago.

“Our Illinois State Scholars are a reflection of how far we have come as a school,” said St. Laurence Principal Kristy Kane. “From our modern curriculum to our growingly innovative faculty, we have made incredible strides to improve our academics. Beyond that, however, we are incredibly proud of the diversity represented in our Illinois State Scholars.”

Increased academic resources are a key reason why St. Laurence has become the fastest growing Catholic high school in the Southland. In 2021, the school launched the area’s first International Baccalaureate program among Catholic high schools. St. Laurence has also expanded its Career Pathway Programs to include 10 different electives that provide students with real world experience in high-paying, in-demand careers. Significant investments have been made to the school’s college preparation offerings, including a Director of College Persistence who provides alumni an additional two years of counseling post graduation in order to help them navigate college, job searches and more.

St. Laurence offers shadow days, Open Houses and more admissions events throughout the year for prospective families. If you are interested in seeing upcoming events, please visit stlaurence.com/admissions.