Posts Tagged "Leadership"
Lake Catholic Honors Faith, Leadership, and Service at Baccalaureate
May 15, 2026
The Christian Life Award has been presented to graduating seniors since its inception in 1972.
It’s the most prestigious recognition presented by the Lake Catholic High School community.
Ella Zampedro and Patrick Martin were chosen by their peers to receive this highest honor, which was presented this evening following the Class of 2026’s Baccalaureate Mass at St. John Vianney.
“Ella leads in a beautiful and important way, whether she is scheduling and training mass volunteers, leading prayer before basketball games, or working to lead students in planning opportunities for our wider community,” Lake Catholic Director of Mission and Formation Cari Foster said. “You don't need Ella to tell you she is a follower of Christ; it is obvious by the way she lives her life every day, in every little moment, when she cares for a classmate or takes time to mentor younger students, Ella has taught us what it means to live selflessly.”
“Patrick has left an indelible mark at Lake Catholic, as a founder of the Bible study club, for recruiting and training servers for our school masses, for bringing his friends and teammates to Thursday morning mass before school, to taking a lead role in planning and directing our Lenten All School prayer service,” Foster said. “Patrick truly embraces his call to live as a disciple and to teach and encourage others to do so as well. Our community is truly more deeply Catholic, more deeply community, and more deeply attuned to our mission because of his leadership and example.”
The criteria by which they were chosen for the school’s highest honor are:
- The student is an extraordinary witness to the Gospel message and the Spirit of Jesus.
- The student is a person of great integrity who dynamically lives his or her faith, both within the Lake Catholic Community and in the greater community at large.
- The student lives an exemplary life consistent with the Lake Catholic Mission Statement and Core Values.
- The student actively expresses a willingness to serve within the Lake Catholic Campus Ministry and Spiritual Life areas, Lake Catholic Community, Church Community, and our greater community at large.
Zampedro and Martin were among a group of nominees, also including Gigi Mickol, Grace Stenger, Bryan Morton, and Zach Povejsil, that was selected by the Lake Catholic faculty and staff.
* * * * *
To start the evening, as a spiritual send-off for the graduating seniors, the Baccalaureate Mass offered a moment of reflection, gratitude, and blessing. Students, families, faculty, and staff came together to honor the accomplishments of the class and to pray for guidance and strength as they prepare to embark on their next chapter. The ceremony was a meaningful reminder of Lake Catholic’s commitment to faith, service, and community.
During his homily, Lake Catholic alum Fr. Eric Garris (’08) referenced the school’s Alma Mater, specifically the first line of the second stanza, “Forever shall she guide us,” when telling the Class of 2026, "For the rest of your lives, you will be Lake Catholic graduates. Everything you’ve learned here – academically, spiritually, athletically, and artistically – stays with you and will guide you in all that you do.”
* * * * *
As part of the awards reception following the mass, other Campus Ministry honors were given out - the St. Thomas Aquinas Distinction and the Christian Leadership Recognition.
St. Thomas Aquinas Distinction
Lake Catholic’s Mission and Core Values are exemplified through the life and work of our Patron, St. Thomas Aquinas. It is fitting that this Spiritual Life award is named for his exceptional example of faith and his constant quest for academic excellence. This award is granted to extraordinary seniors who have excelled in faith, leadership, and scholarship. They have consistently acted as leaders in Campus Ministry committees, events, retreats, and activities - incorporating faith, scholarship, integrity, and commitment throughout all Lake Catholic Spiritual Life areas.
Congratulations to: Hope Barrows, Julia Blum, Justin Brenneman, Angelina Capra, Juliana Coviello, Ariana Coyne, Liliana Doolan, Matthew Florence, Nevaeh Hibbard, David Iannini, Aiden Jorz-Gray, Layla Kastner, Angela Kerwood, Savanah Koeth, Jake Mackey, Joe Mackey, Emma Madsen, Brayden Mann, Patrick Martin, Kira Mauder, Gigi Mickol, Parand Miller, Molly Monroe, Bryan Morton, Cruz Nimmo, Micah Nyetrae, Kendall Pikor, Zach Povejsil, Owen Pesek, Deven Smith, Ava Starr, Tera Starr, Grace Stenger, Juliana Swenson, Frankie Vaslavsky, Marko Viskovic, Ella Zampedro, Drew Zgela, and Patrick Zigman.
Christian Leadership Recognition
Lake Catholic promotes the dynamic expression of our Catholic Faith through exceptional positive actions and solid decisions. Seniors are recognized for embodying the ideals of Lake Catholic High School by consistently acting with faith and leadership throughout all aspects of their high school careers. These students have earned a GPA of 3.5 while consistently acting with extraordinary leadership and holding a leadership position in an extracurricular activity.
Congratulations to: Hope Barrows, David Iannini, Marty Loncar, Rosie Orlando, Owen Pesek, Keira Schulz, Josh Skunda, and Patrick Zigman.
Three cords were also presented for each individual to wear tomorrow during the school’s 53rd Annual Commencement Ceremony.
Academic Honors Cords
To earn the Honors Diploma, students must have achieved all six of the following:
- Four credits in English
- Four credits in math
- Four credits in science or four credits in social studies
- Three credits in world languages or two credits in two different languages
- One and a half credits in fine arts
- Maintained an overall high school GPA of at least 3.75 through the last grading period of their senior year.
The following students earned the Honors Diploma, which will be represented by a gold cord and worn at Commencement: Hope Barrows, Berlynn Beard, Julia Blum, Sasha Bober, Max Bock, Angelina Capra, Daniel Cintron, Ariana Coyne, Nicholas Cvijanovic, Brian Debevec, Tyler Hribar, Aiden Jorz-Gray, Layla Kastner, Marty Loncar, Emma Madsen, Gabriella Manzo, Keira Nemeth, Rosie Orlando, Owen Pesek, Zach Povejsil, Keira Schulz, Josh Skunda, Ava Starr, Grace Stenger, Jacob Stevens, Molly Surtz, Juliana Swenson, Nick Tallion, Michael Valentino, Frankie Vaslavsky, Ella Zampedro, and Luke Zwolinski.
Legacy Cords
The Legacy Honor Cord recognizes our students who share a family connection to our school through a grandparent, parent, aunt, or uncle who also attended Lake Catholic. This cord celebrates the lasting traditions, values, and faith that continue across generations within the Lake Catholic family and is a way to honor the students and the legacy they carry forward. Brian Kampman (’07), the President of the Lake Catholic Alumni Association, presented the cords.
Those who earned the Legacy Cord were: Nick Biondolillo, Julia Blum, Sasha Bober, Liam Coyne, Brian Debevec, Mathew Florence, Gianna Huszczo, David Iannini, Aiden Jorz-Gray, Layla Kastner, Angela Kerwood, Savanah Koeth, Marty Loncar, Jake Mackey, Joe Mackey, Emma Madsen, Pete Malchesky, Kaelyn Nemeth, Keira Nemeth, Rosie Orlando, Julianna Prosuch, Grace Stenger, Molly Surtz, Juliana Swenson, Carmela Taraska, Michael Valentino, Frankie Vaslavsky, Kimmy Wiertel, Patrick Zigman, and Luke Zwolinski.
Service Cords
All seniors must complete the required 50 hours of service to graduate. Any student who completes 80 or more hours of service throughout his/her four years at Lake Catholic will wear the service cord for commencement.
Congratulations to the following for earning their Service Cord: Hope Barrows, Sasha Bober, Max Bock, Justin Brenneman, Angelina Capra, Daniel Cintron, Brian Debevec, Alexa DiFranco, Liliana Doolan, Matthew Florence, Gianna Huszczo, David Iannini, Carter Jacobs, Angela Kerwood, Dean Knisely, Koreen Levkulich, Marty Loncar, Jake Mackey, Joe Mackey, Emma Madsen, Gabriella Manzo, Patrick Martin, Gigi Mickol, Keira Nemeth, Rosie Orlando, Kendall Pikor, Zachary Povejsil, Julianna Prosuch, Melvin Ramirez, Keira Schulz, Ava Starr, Quinn Stayer, Grace Stenger, Juliana Swenson, Nick Tallion, Michael Valentino, Hazel Anne Walker, Kimmy Wiertel, Ella Zampedro, and Andrew Zarbo.
The Class of 2026
Christian Life Award, Lake Catholic's Most Prestigious Honor, Presented at Annual Baccalaureate Mass
May 21, 2025
The Lake Catholic community gathered in faith and celebration for the Class of 2025 during the annual Baccalaureate Mass last night at St. John Vianney.
Held as a spiritual send-off for the graduating seniors, the Mass offered a moment of reflection, gratitude, and blessing. Students, families, faculty, and staff came together to honor the accomplishments of the class and to pray for guidance and strength as they prepare to embark on their next chapter. The ceremony was a meaningful reminder of Lake Catholic’s commitment to faith, service, and community.
During his homily, Lake Catholic Chaplain Fr. Joshua Trefney told the Class of 2025, "I'm so excited for you as you continue to grow and for you to share your gifts with so many other people. Wherever you're going, those places need you.
“Thank you for being the people God called you to be.”
After mass, Lake Catholic awarded seniors Holly Suponcic and Maximus Barnes the school’s highest honor – The Christian Life Award.
The Lake Catholic High School Christian Life Award is the most prestigious recognition presented by our school community. With the inception of this award in 1972, a tradition was established to focus on the active expression of the Lake Catholic Mission Statement and Gospel values both within our school environment and in the greater community. The criteria for the Lake Catholic High School Christian Life Award are as follows:
- The student is an extraordinary witness to the Gospel message and the Spirit of Jesus.
- The student is a person of great integrity who dynamically lives his or her faith, both within the Lake Catholic Community and in the greater community at large.
- The student lives an exemplary life consistent with the Lake Catholic Mission Statement and Core Values.
- The student actively expresses a willingness to serve within the Lake Catholic Campus Ministry and Spiritual Life areas, Lake Catholic Community, Church Community, and our greater community at large.
The school's Campus Ministry also presented two other awards after the mass - the St. Thomas Aquinas Distinction and the Christian Leadership Recognition.
St. Thomas Aquinas Distinction
Lake Catholic’s Mission and Core Values are exemplified through the life and work of our Patron, St. Thomas Aquinas. It is fitting that this Spiritual Life award is named for his exceptional example of faith and his constant quest for academic excellence. This award is granted to extraordinary seniors who have excelled in faith, leadership, and scholarship. They have consistently acted as leaders in Campus Ministry committees, events, retreats, and activities. Incorporating faith, scholarship, integrity, and commitment throughout all Lake Catholic Spiritual Life areas.
Congratulations to: Connor Aurand, Maximus Barnes, Natalya Bergant, Caden Boyes, Ava Budrys Rini, Avery Budrys Rini, George Csepegi, Maria Gallo, Jack Gogala, Brecklin Harrold, Allyson Huber, Luke Joy, Megan Joy, Olivia Kitchen, Devon Keeper, Isabella Leffel, Jimmy Meden, Jazmin Moses, Dakota Mudrauskas, Julia Oster, Annie Owens, George Prosuch, Nick Prostak, Patrick Radigan, Brandon Rangel, Carmella Sowers, Shea Sievers, Gavin Snyder, Caleb Stein, Holly Suponcic, Trey Siepka, Frankie Trinetti, Isabella Trem, Ray Troha, Alexa Udovicic, Nikole Valentino, Audrey Vamos, and Brian Zalar.
Christian Leadership Recognition
Lake Catholic promotes the dynamic expression of our Catholic Faith through exceptional positive actions and solid decisions. Seniors are recognized for embodying the ideals of Lake Catholic High School by consistently acting with faith and leadership throughout all aspects of their high school careers. These students have earned a GPA of 3.5 while consistently acting with extraordinary leadership and holding a leadership position in an extracurricular activity.
Congratulations to: Caden Boyes, George Csepegi, Luke Joy, Megan Joy, Annie Owens, Isabella Trem, Audrey Vamos, and Brian Zalar.
Earlier in the evening, Fr. Trefney also blessed the Service and Academic Honors cords, which will be worn on Saturday at the school's 52nd Annual Commencement Ceremony.
Academic Honors Cords
To earn the Honors Diploma, students must have achieved all six of the following:
- Four credits in English
- Four credits in math
- Four credits in science or four credits in social studies
- Three credits in world languages or two credits in two different languages
- One and a half credits in fine arts
- Maintained an overall high school GPA of at least 3.75 through the last grading period of their senior year.
The following students earned the Honors Diploma, which will be represented by a gold cord and worn at Commencement: Maximus Barnes, Caden Boyes, Ivana Cmeljesevic, Juliette Cowger, George Csepegi, Morgan Davis, Shaun Foley, Brecklin Harrold, Allyson Huber, Sophia Iannini, Megan Joy, Isabella Leffel, Dakota Mudrauskas, Julia Oster, Lily Parrish, Emily Schoen, Caleb Stein, Zachary Stossel, Holly Suponcic, Isabella Trem, and Alexa Udovicic
Service Cords
All seniors must complete the required 50 hours of service in order to graduate. Any student who completes 80 or more hours of service throughout his/her four years at Lake Catholic will wear the service cord for commencement.
Congratulations to the following for earning their service cord: Hannah Aliff, Maximus Barnes, Natalya Bergant, Ava Budrys Rini, Avery Budrys Rini, Cali Cantrell, Filip Cindric, Ivana Cmeljesevic, Juliette Cowger, Shaun Foley, Maria Gallo, Carson Gilbert, Brecklin Harrold, Allyson Huber, Sophia Iannini, Luke Joy, Megan Joy, Rhiannon Kasunic, Olivia Kitchen, Mason Krauss-Kerr, Isabella Leffel, Andrea Leon-Moscosa, Jazmin Moses, Dakota Mudrauskas, Daniel Nguyen, Cross Nimmo, Julia Oster, Annabella Owens, Valentino Perkovic, Ace Peterlin, Patrick Radigan, Meghan Rowan, Carmella Sowers, Caleb Stein, Holly Suponcic, Isabella Trem, Frankie Trinetti, Alexa Udovicic, Audrey Vamos, and Brian Zalar.
The Class of 2025
Rising Senior Named to Governor’s Student Safety Advisory Council
May 31, 2024
Caden Boyes (Lake Catholic Class of 2025) has been selected as one of 16 high school students from around the state for the 2024-2025 Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council.
The Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) made the announcement on Thursday, May 30.
Boyes said he filled out the application for the position, which included several lengthy answers, more than a month ago. That led to a 30-minute virtual interview with OSSC members. He almost didn’t get the word that he was actually selected.
“They typed my email wrong, it was missing a letter,” he said. “So, I never got the email. Mr. (Tom) McKrill sent me the email he received.”
Although he said he believes he and his fellow students are safe at Lake Catholic and that they’re all taken good care of, nothing is perfect and there are always ways to improve.
“School safety has to be the No. 1 priority of our days,” he said. “So this is a big opportunity to learn more about it and bring ideas for upgrades, whether physical or procedural, back to Lake Catholic.”
Governor Mike DeWine created the council in 2022 to help OSSC leadership identify school safety concerns and develop innovative solutions to address them. Students from last year’s council will present their capstone projects at the 2024 School Safety Summit this summer, according to a press release.
“This year’s students took their capstone projects to new levels and got their peers more involved in the everyday safety activities at their schools,” said OSSC Executive Director Emily Torok. “Our alumni members quickly got the new council onboarded and they all supported each other in a student network to promote safety across the state. I encourage everyone to reach out to their local council members to learn about their projects and initiatives. They are very impressive.”
The Council will be invited to attend the in-person Ohio School Safety Summit on July 31-Aug. 1 at the Columbus Convention Center to network with their peers and attend initial informational sessions on violence prevention strategies and emotional safety.
Council members will develop strategies to encourage their peers to actively engage in maintaining a safe school environment and will be advocates for students’ overall well-being. Students will work directly with OSSC school safety liaisons to organize events, focus groups, and trainings to help highlight student success and safety best practices at various schools. These members will also act as a sounding board for the Ohio School Safety Working Group and OSSC on student marketing campaigns and other projects to ensure that student voices are represented.
Eight of the previous year’s Council members have agreed to return this upcoming year as mentors for the incoming council. They will continue to work on projects in their communities and act as force multipliers for school safety improvements.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio School Safety Center in 2019. It is housed within the Ohio Department of Public Safety and works to assist local schools, colleges and universities, and law enforcement agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to threats and acts of violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions-based approach to improving school safety.
Lake Catholic Names Winner of its Most Prestigious Award
May 22, 2024
The end of the school year marks the time for many different awards and honors to be bestowed upon students within clubs and teams, departments, and even the greater school at large.
At Tuesday’s Baccalaureate Mass and Senior Awards, Lake Catholic awarded senior Gianna Rubino the school’s highest honor – The Christian Life Award.
The Lake Catholic High School Christian Life Award is the most prestigious recognition presented by our school community. With the inception of this award in 1972, a tradition was established to focus on the active expression of the Lake Catholic Mission Statement and Gospel values both within our school environment and in the greater community. Criteria for the Lake Catholic High School Christian Life Award are as follows:
- The student is an extraordinary witness to the Gospel message and the Spirit of Jesus.
- The student is a person of great integrity who dynamically lives his or her faith, both within the Lake Catholic Community and in the greater community at large.
- The student lives an exemplary life consistent with the Lake Catholic Mission Statement and Core Values.
- The student actively expresses a willingness to serve within the Lake Catholic Campus Ministry and Spiritual Life areas, Lake Catholic Community, Church Community, and our greater community at large.
Congratulations to Gianna for such a deserving honor.
Other senior award winners were:
- President’s Award for Educational Achievement - Kyan Harrold, Domonic Orlando, Anthony Reynoso, Taylor Scharf, Olivia Switalski, Daniel Tomic, and Charlie Trinetti
- President’s Award of Educational Excellence - Jonathan Bokausek, Caroline Brown, Haley Horen, Garrett Knisely, Stephen Parrish, Zoe Pesek, Joseph Powaski, Luke Richards, Kathryn Ridler, and Chloe Stossel
- Service Cord - Greg Bares, Mya Brannen, Kira Brennan, Makenna Bretz, Johnathan Bokausek, Caroline Brown, Kayla Calvey, Delaney Charlton, Juliana Conforte, Gianna Coreno, Parker DiCello, GiGi DiDomenico, Claire Duricky, Ryan Ginley, Kyan Harrold, Egypt Kamara, Tessa Koenig, Allison Komosa, Isabelle Langer, Theresa Lazanich, Joey Lonchar, Grace McCalligan, Katie Morgan, Cassie Nagy, Alexandra Newnes, Stephen Parrish, Andrew Pellecchia, Parker Pikor, Sutton Pikor, Meadow Pontius, Joseph Powaski, McKenzie Prosuch, Luke Richards, Kathryn Ridler, Gianna Rubino, Mia Schaefer, Taylor Scharf, Madeline Spies, Chloe Stossel, Josh Styles, Charlie Trinetti, Christopher Vanjo, Olivia Viskovic, and Kelly Ward
- Happy Moose / Monday’s With Malta Scholarship - Parker Pikor
- John Peyton Meritorious Award - Christina Lombardo
- OHSAA Scholar Athlete - Zoe Pesek and Greg Bares
- OHSAA Courageous Athlete Award - Mia Schaefer
- OHSAA Award of Excellence - Stephen Parrish
- OHSAA Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award - Claire Duricky and Luke Snider
- Nick D’Angelo Award - Caroline Brown, Gianna Koenig, Josh Styles, Daniel Tomic, and Olivia Viskovic
- Willoughby Junior Women’s Club Award - Mia Schaefer and Charlie Trinetti
- Mentor Chamber of Commerce Foundation Scholarship - Mya Brannen and Madeline Spies
- Red Cross Scholarship - Emily Aliff and Davide Patriarca
- Cardinal Credit Union Scholarship - Joey Lonchar, Greg Bares, Charlie Trinetti, Chloe Stossel, Jonathan Bokausek, Meadow Pontius, Andrew Pellecchia, Parker Pikor, and Dominic Orlando
- P.E.O. Star Scholarship Award - Kayla Calvey
- Phi Beta Kappa Award - Zoe Pesek
- Academic Honors Diploma - Johnathan Bokausek, Caroline Brown, Kayla Calvey, Juliana Conforte, GiGi DiDomenico, Garrett Knisely, Tessa Koenig, Allison Komosa, Isabelle Langer, Theresa Lazanich, Grace McCalligan, Marko Odorcic, Domonic Orlando, Stephen Parrish, Zoe Pesek, Cooper Pikor, Parker Pikor, Joseph Powaski, Kate Powaski, Nicholas Powaski, Anthony Reynoso, Taylor Scharf, Chloe Stossel, Olivia Switalski, and Daniel Tomic
- Art Honors Diploma - Kathryn Ridler
- St. Thomas Aquinas Distinction - Ivan Blazevic, Caroline Brown, Juliana Conforte, Parker DiCello, Gigi DiDominico, Tyler Duricky, Ryan Ginley, Kyan Harrold, Tessa Koenig, Joey Lonchar, Dominic Orlando, Stephen Parrish, Hannah Pattie, Andrew Pellecchia, Zoe Pesek, Joe Powaski, Anthony Reynoso, Gianna Rubino, Jarred Smith, Josh Styles, Charlie Trinetti, Isaiah Tyree, Chloe Stossel, Oliva Switalski, Chris Vanjo, and Dani Villa
- Christian Leadership Recognition - Chloe Stossel and Dominic Orlando
More photos from the evening, including ones of all the winners, can be found on our Senior Awards page.
Students Attend Leadership Summit
September 27, 2023
Lake Catholic students took part in The Leadership Summit, presented by All Choice Matter and Team IBB, earlier this week at Andrews Osborne Academy.
Representing Lake Catholic were Ariana Coyne, Layla Foradis, Raegan Kvoriak, Katie Morgan, Hannah Pattie, Kate Powaski, Kenzie Prosuch, Mia Schaefer, and Maddie Spies.
Those nine, and students from 11 other schools heard local leaders share stories of how they persevered in the face of adversity to become respected leaders people seek to follow.
There were seven speakers, each with their own message, as part of the Summit.
Dione DeMitro, Executive Director of United Way Lake County, reminded the group that “Your past does predict your future,” and that “Happiness starts with gratitude,” but also reminded them to “Be of service to others and be at peace with yourself.”
Elizabeth Brassell, who was the first runner-up for Ms. Wheelchair Ohio, pointed out that “Our flaws make us unique,” “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try,” and to “Focus on what you can do.”
Laura Gray, the founder and executive director of iPride, said that everyone should “Be the leader in your life, and lead with your heart.”
Wendy Kunash, a professional development coach, shared the simple message that everyone should “Share your thoughts and feelings; otherwise, people do not know.”
Karyssa Kestranek, who is a motivational speaker, also had a simple message, “Make good choices.”
Jimmy Mrozek, the Dean of Students at Andrews Osborne Academy, reminded everyone that “The way you act impacts other people,” but also, you should “Thank people who give meaning to your life.”
Finally, Michael Hutter, a professional wrestler known as EC3, shared a truth that “Leadership comes with value, but can be a burden, cast doubt, cause fear, and is about sacrifice,” but also “Leadership is the opportunity for growth and change.”
All Choices Matter is “a nonprofit established to connect youth to local leaders to take pressure off of teachers, engage parents, and help youth navigate life’s tough stuff,” according to its website.
Team IBB was created to very simply help others achieve more. As stated on its website, “We have learned a lot in our lives about failure, success, and the importance of having a plan in place that is directly inline with your goals. We want to use our experience to help others do the same in any way we can.”
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