With 46 winners, NDCL topped the list of all schools statewide in the 2023 Believe in Ohio scholarship competition...
Believe in Ohio Competition
With 46 winners, NDCL topped the list of all schools statewide in the 2023 Believe in Ohio scholarship competition. Amazingly, NDCL students won 46, or 32 percent, of the 146 awards presented. NDCL students, some of whom racked up multiple scholarship awards, earned a total of $110,000 in the competition. Students may apply their scholarship awards toward tuition at any Ohio college, university or technical center.
Funded by the State of Ohio through the Department of Higher Education and operated as a program of The Ohio Academy of Science, Believe in Ohio is a student-focused STEM Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholarship Program that prepares Ohio’s future workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly changing labor market and the innovation economy. The program emphasizes the importance of applying STEM and innovation to solve problems, and how to create solutions by developing marketplace opportunities through research and technological design.
Science teacher Evan Fritz and business teacher Greg Schmidt coordinate NDCL’s participation in Believe in Ohio with assistance from academic coach Tony Hodun.
Winners of the $10,000 scholarship are: Team of Jill Fedor and Lara Vatandoust; team of Jessica Mekhel, Hannah Tuttin and Kate Williams; team of Kayla Schermer and Caroline Stepnowski; and team of Giuliana DiGiannantonio and Hailey Karban.
Winners of the $5,000 scholarships are: Team of Caden Basile and Audrey Brlecic; team of Brandon Smul, Jackson O’Neill and Sophia Carroscia; team of Anthony Roach and Dylan White; and team of Olivia Morris, Elizabeth Tabernik and Sofie Wurm.
Winners of $2,000 scholarships are Angelena DiPalma and Lara Vatandoust.
Earning $1,000 individual scholarships are: John Alexander, Grayson Baird, Caden Basile,Phoebe Berk, Kieran Bickar, Emma Blankenship, Audrey Brlecic, Melissa Brownlee, Sophia Carroscia, Kaylee Daley, Gianna DiFranco, Giuliana DiGiannantonio, Angelena DiPalma,Liam Donnelly, Jill Fedor, Paige Fisher, Kara Fox, Christian Garcia, Hailey Karban, Josh Kardum, Tessa Kolacki, Frank Kroto, Jessica Mekhel, McKenna Morgan, Olivia Morris, Tyler Newton, Mason Ogint, Jackson O’Neill, Catherine Orazem, Megan Palinski, Jackie Queen, Noelle Rieger, Anthony Roach, Cassidy Rossoll, Kayla Schermer, Luke Skotzke, Brandon Smul, Caroline Stepnowski, Elizabeth Tabernik, Hannah Tuttin, Lara Vatandoust, Zoe Virant, Dylan White, Sydney Wiegand, Kate Williams and Sofie Wurm.
Collegiate Athletic Intentions Declared
During a signing ceremony on May 3 attended by many relatives, coaches and others in the O’Brien Center, five seniors declared their collegiate athletic intentions:
They are: Jackson Callender, soccer, Mount Union University; Caitlin Mann, track and cross country, Slippery Rock University; Ava Baeslach, basketball, Saint Vincent College; Gianna Messina, softball, Northland College; and Maddy Martin Kosier, soccer, John Carroll University.
The following week, senior Brendan O’Brien declared his intention to play football for the Lake Erie College Storm during a ceremony in NDCL’s Sisters of Notre Dame Learning Commons.
The downloadable program from the recognition ceremony highlights the athletic and academic accomplishments of each of these outstanding student-athletes.
Ceremony Celebrates Achievements
Members of NDCL’s Class of 2023 have been accepted to 165 colleges and universities nationwide and have been offered nearly $20 million in scholarships, Principal Joseph A. Waler proudly announced during Senior Honors Ceremony on May 8.
The ceremony recognized dozens of seniors for their scholastic and other accomplishments over the past four years, including seniors Zoey Daher and Nathan Galante, who earned the Top Scholar Award for having the highest grade-point averages in the class.
For exemplifying the mission of NDCL in their lives, seniors Ava Baeslach, Dennis Gibbons, Julie Jaworski and Alex Simerale received the Living the Truth in Love Award.
Seniors Aubriana Hills and Alex Simerale were honored with the Sisters of Notre Dame Distinguished Graduate Award. Their names will be inscribed in a book of recognition at the SND Motherhouse in Rome.
Ava Baeslach received the Sister Jacquelyn Gusdane Service Award in recognition of her service that impacts, inspires and transforms the world. Sister Jacquelyn served as NDCL president from 2007-17.
Seniors Brian Bates and Caroline Jurevicius shared the honors as NDCL’s Athletes of the Year for 2022-2023.
Visit the school’s website for a complete list of all award recipients as well as the colleges and universities to which seniors have been accepted.
Scouting’s Highest Honors
Seniors Aubriana Hills and Joseph Stolarik will be recognized this summer with the highest honors that can be earned in national Scouting organizations.
Aubriana will receive the Gold Award from the Girl Scouts of America during a celebration on June 24. The national award recognizes young women for responsibly contributing to the community through leadership, creativity, and problem-solving, especially through the completion of a Take Action project.
Aubriana’s project involved the creation of NDCL’s Solidarity Garden in the school’s courtyard. She mobilized a team of volunteers and sought donations to build, plant, and maintain eight raised beds to grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs, much of which will be donated to individuals and families served by NDCL’s Labre Ministry with the poor and homeless.
Also this summer, Joseph will be elevated to the rank of Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America. The rank of Eagle Scout is a performance-based achievement attained by less than 2 percent of all Boy Scouts.
For his Eagle Scout project, Joe designed and constructed four large mobile crates to be used by NDCL Campus Ministry to collect food and other items during the various charity drives sponsored by the school each year. He and his team of 22 volunteers solicited donations for materials for the crates, which took nearly 400 hours to build. The crates feature easy-to-roll casters, eliminating the need for students and staff to lug heavy boxes or bags of donated food and other items throughout the building.
Junior Completes Leadership Program
Last week, junior Dakota McPadden celebrated his graduation from Leadership Lake County’s Junior Leadership Program at Paradigm in Mentor.
The program features monthly sessions that provided Kody and other participants with a behind-the-scenes look at Lake County through on-site visits, guest speakers and experiential learning activities. Students connect with and learn from local leaders in government, health and human services, business, and recreation.
Participants design and complete a project to foster the development of leadership skills and service learning. Kody and his Leadership Lake County classmates worked together to create two “Paws for a Cause” centers for the collection and distribution of pet food for families experiencing financial struggles.
Mental Health Awareness
School counselors promoted Mental Health Awareness Month by bringing in therapy dogs, inviting our students to enjoy outside games in the fresh air, building an “awareness tree” of positive self-affirmations and providing strategies to help students cool down in stressful situation.
Throughout the school year, counselors visit Theology classes to educate students about good mental health.
“We know when we don’t feel right. We need to check in with ourselves, allow ourselves to have a crummy day and to seek help if necessary,” explained school counselor Melissa Kreatsoulas.
During the week, students and staff raised over $1,200 for Life Act, a nonprofit that visits our health classes each year to help students recognize depression and the warning signs of suicide and how to access help for themselves and their peers when needed.
