What's Happening in Cougar Country

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.

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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.”

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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