Juan Diego Catholic High School Class of 2013 graduates
DRAPER – Juan Diego Catholic High School’s Class of 2013 had their graduation ceremony May 25 in the school auditorium. Presiding were Holy Cross Sister Catherine Kamphaus, superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools; and Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Faculty, family and friends of the students gathered to celebrate the end of these academic achievements and the beginning of a new stage in the graduates’ lives. "We are gathered to celebrate the achievements of the graduating class of 2013.… We thank you, God, for the opportunity to have a Catholic education, for the sacrifice of parents and teachers, for the freedom to go to the school of the choice…," said Sr. Catherine at the invocation. Following the invocation, Dr. Galey Colosimo, Juan Diego principal, greeted all the guests, staff, alumni and attendees. He asked those present to remember in their prayers Sam and Aline Skaggs, benefactors of the school, and also for those of the Juan Diego community who died during the school year. A few of the achievements of the Class of 2013 follow. • 97 of the 182 seniors completed 528 concurrent credit course hours • 15 students were named AP scholars • $6.1 million in grants and scholarships awarded • Three National Merit Scholarship nominees: Steven Katsohirakis, Ryan Keenan and Marley Lebrecht. The 2012-13 school year saw Soaring Eagle teams take four region championships and three state championships, while Grace Claudius and Cassandra Granhoej were the individual state champions in first doubles tennis, while Brendon Kempin, Ryan Kempin and Brenton Reyner swept the top spots in boys’ tennis. Emily Bruder and Luke Graney were named first team All-Americans, and Bruder became the first athlete in Utah history to be named 1st team All-State four years in a row by both the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. Sixteen students have signed athletic scholarships to schools as diverse as the University of North Carolina and Westminster College. In Christian service, the Class of 2013 accumulated over 12,830 hours of service while the ‘Super Bowl of Caring’ raised over $35,000 – the most money ever raised by a single entity in the state. In the instrumental music program, 19 soloists and six ensembles were invited to the region solos and ensemble festival; of those, six soloists and three ensembles went on to the state level. The orchestra placed first in the region; the first orchestra from Juan Diego CHS to qualify for state. The Class of 2013 has 22 members who are lifers, meaning they started their academic journey at Saint John the Baptist Elementary School in kindergarten in 2000, continued through St. John the Baptist Middle School and graduated from Juan Diego Catholic High School. All three schools are on the Skaggs Catholic Center campus in Draper. Thirty students of the Class of ’13 had GPAs of 3.90 or above. The school community faced a tumultuous year emotionally, with the deaths of two students and a serious injury to another. In all, 28 members of the Juan Diego community died this year, Colosimo said. "What helped us moved forward this year was the leadership and strength of these 12 students (the student body officers)." He thanked the students for their leadership, strength and guidance. The co-valedictorians for 2013 were Ryan Keenan and Steven Katsohirakis; co-salutatorians were Alysa Edwards and Marley Lebrecht. "There is and was no clean and complete way to separate these four students, so therefore all these students will share the honors," Colosimo said as he introduced Keenan and Katsohirakis to give the valedictorian address. "The world out there is filled with new and interesting people, sights and experiences, all waiting for us to explore. We should embrace this landscape of possibilities. Don’t get caught up in the race of trying to achieve what society calls success. Follow your passion, do what makes you happy and don’t take yourself too seriously," said Keenan. "Let’s embrace our future with grace, happiness and courage," Katsohirakis added. At various graduation ceremonies, the following awards were given: Christ the Teacher Award: William Trentman Saint Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus Award: Riley Rose and Christopher Williamson Saint Katharine Drexel Award: Jeppesen Feliciano St. Francis of Assisi Award: Michelle Moynihan Juan Diego Girl: Brooke Rude Juan Diego Boy: Christopher Williamson Our Lady of Guadalupe Award: Mrs. Swicord Saint Thomas Aquinas Award: Jeppeson Feliciano Saint Teresa of Avila Award: Alyssa Edwards Saint Sebastian Award: Emily Bruder, Dakota Cox Saint Cecilia Award: Erik Tita Saint Michael the Archangel Award: Sharon Shelkey Spiritus Donorum Award: Pat Bayer, Lynelle Williams Also, four seniors were presented with Academy of Science lab coats in recognition of their accomplishments: Alysa Edwards, Nicholas Hallstrom, Michelle Moynihan and Zachary Schonrock.
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