It was a total surprise, but then again it shouldn’t have been. He earned it.
Mark Kowalksi was awarded the Principal’s Academic Achievement Award & Scholarship on Friday evening at the conclusion of the Baccalaureate Mass and awards ceremony.
The award is given annually to a graduating senior in the College Prep or Accelerated programs who has embraced the full Xavier experience, consistently worked to his potential in and out of the classroom, steadily improved his GPA over four years and exemplified what we demand of each of our students – to simply do his best day-in and day-out.
“This year’s recipient has spent these four years quietly pursuing excellence in a humble and unassuming manner,” Principal Brendan Donohue told those gathered at the Baccalaureate Mass. “He earned the Freshman College Prep English Award, the Sophomore College Prep Math Award and the Junior College Prep Math and Science Awards. After performing extremely well in both his freshman and sophomore years, he earned the Brother Celestine Medal at the conclusion of his junior year. He has been a member of the Spanish, English, Science, Social Studies and National Honor Societies.”
He attended the Xavier Leadership Institute last summer, devoted many hours of service to the Strong House Adult Day Care Center and, in the words of a teacher, “always illustrates a sincere curiosity and true critical-thinking skills about the subject matter.”
Kowalski will attend Southern Connecticut State University in the fall. He’ll be ready.
“Xavier prepared me for college and taught me not only the insights into college but to life in general,” Kowalski said.
You can view the Baccalaureate Mass HERE.
A rundown of all the awards
NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST: RYAN FRIER
Each year, approximately 1.5 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship program by taking the PSAT in their junior year. Of those students, approximately 1 percent are recognized nationally as Finalists for their outstanding performance. Xavier has one of them
NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS
Each year, approximately 1.5 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship program by taking the PSAT in their junior year. Of those students, approximately 3 percent are recognized nationally as Commended Students for their outstanding performance.
Jordan Hetu, David Jerman, Jake Lion, Eduardo Serrano
COLLEGE BOARD RECOGNITION
Each year the college board recognizes students who perform exceptionally well on multiple college-level Advanced Placement exams. While the results of this year’s AP exams are not yet known, at the conclusion of their junior year, members of the Class of 2021 were recognized by college board for their outstanding performance.
Zachary Dolan, Sidney Dragoo, Ryan Frier, Wesley Harris, Jordan Hetu, Parker Hunter, David Jerman, Jake Lion, Peter Mercugliano, Trevor Religa, Brian Satrohan, Eduardo Serrano, Macklin Stevens, Brendan Zawisa
DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS
Each year, Xavier recognizes as DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS those members of the senior class who have taken the most challenging course load over their four years. Students must have taken at least 5 AP courses in their time at Xavier while maintaining the highest academic standards.
Logan Barnes, Kyle Beasley, Ethan Cook, Dominick Delaney, Zachary Dolan, Ryan Frier, Timothy Gagliano, Wesley Harris, Jordan Hetu, Parker Hunter, David Jerman, Cameron Kuselias, Jake Lion, Rohit Menon, Peter Mercugliano, Andrew Mitchill, Trevor Religa, Anthony Satrohan, Brian Satrohan, Eduardo Serrano, Rhys Snow, Macklin Stevens, Michael Stottlemyer, Holden Whaley, Revanth Yalamanchi, Brendan Zawisa
XBSS JUNIOR RETREAT
Each year six juniors represent Xavier at the annual XAVERIAN BROTHERS SPONSORED SCHOOLS JUNIOR RETREAT with students from the 12 other Xaverian schools. These seniors participated as juniors in the 2019-2020 school year, and lived out the XBSS mission here over the past four years.
Dominick Delaney, Finnian Dowler, Wesley Harris, Liam Houchin, Daniel Lyons, Vincenzo Pagliuca
PEER MINISTERS
Each year a number of seniors are selected through an interview process to serve the Xavier community as peer ministers. They play an integral part in our retreat programs, our prayer services and our liturgies.
Logan Barnes, Matthew Battipaglia, Adam Carroll, Dominick Delaney, Ian Domeika, Finnian Dowler, Christopher Drisdelle, Evan Eichhorn, Donald Frost, Timothy Gagliano, Jonathan Gonzalez, Wesley Harris, Liam Houchin, Luke Lappe, Daniel Lyons, Rohit Menon, Peter Mercugliano, Vincenzo Pagliuca, Reid Paiva, Aaron Perna, Trevor Rohrbacher, Jason Salley, Anthony Satrohan, Brian Satrohan, Connor Silbo, Rhys Snow, Noah Stevenson, John Tischio, Samuel Voghell, Mason Waldron
PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The award is presented each year to seniors in recognition of excellent academic achievement. Separately, THE CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS recognizes those students elected to the NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS. The following students have received one or both of these distinctions.
Alessandro Altavilla, Adam Anziano, Joshua Aresco, Logan Barnes, Matthew Battipaglia, Kyle Beasley, Mitchell Bludnicki, Matthew Borowitz, Sean Collison, Ethan Cook, Colby Dahl, Patrick Deans, Dominick Delaney, Samuel Deng, Zachary Dolan, Sidney Dragoo, Christopher Drisdelle, Evan Eichhorn, Cameron Fox, Jesse Frazer, Ryan Frier, Donald Frost, Timothy Gagliano, Ryan Gazzillo, Hunter Geisler, Adam Goralski, Wesley Harris, Aaron Hazelwood, William Heher, Jordan Hetu, Liam Houchin, Parker Hunter, David Jerman, Robert Jusko, Mark Kowalski, Cameron Kuselias, Crane Li, Aidan Lim, Jake Lion, Sebastian LoGiudice, Daniel Lyons, Brendan Mahon, Rohit Menon, Peter Mercugliano, Andrew Mitchill, Reid Paiva, Aaron Perna, Tiernan Powers, Trevor Religa, Tanner Rogers, Logan Saks, Jason Salley, Anthony Satrohan, Brian Satrohan, Eduardo Serrano, Tyler Sheehy, Cole Sierpinski, Connor Silbo, Brendan Slack, Rhys Snow, Ryan Solomon, Macklin Stevens, Michael Stottlemyer, Sean Sutherland, Shane Sutton, Tyler Swan, Jack Swierczynski, John Tischio, Hayden Tomlin, Mason Waldron, Eoin Wallace, Holden Whaley, Mark Xu, Percy Xu, Revanth Yalamanchi, Brendan Zawisa, Sam Zhao
AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
Many of our graduates have received special recognition from national, state and local organizations. This is a list of those who have made us aware of an award or scholarship.
Alessandro Altavilla earned an HONORABLE MENTION AWARD for his performance on the LEVEL 4 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM and received the KOREY LEE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP.
Kyle Beasley received the GEORGE V. KEITHAN, SR. MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP.
Ethan Cook was awarded an HONORABLE MENTION AWARD for his performance on the LEVEL 4 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM.
Colby Dahl received the JOHN DEUTSCH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP.
Dominick Delaney received the SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE SCHOLAR LEADER AWARD.
Finnian Dowler received the FOREST CITY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, COUNCIL NO. 3 AWARD.
Ryan Frier received a RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES SCHOLARSHIP, the COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY LOUIS V. TROTTA AWARD, and earned a SILVER AWARD for his performance on the LEVEL 3 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM.
David Jerman received the COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY LOUIS V. TROTTA AWARD
Jonathan Gonzalez received scholarships from ALTRUSA OF CENTRAL CONNECTICUT, BLUE STAR MOTHERS, CONNEX CREDIT UNION, DONAL WILBUR CROSS LIBERTY BANK, the FRANK E. DEVALLA CUNO FOUNDATION, the KIWANIS FOUNDATION OF MIDDLETOWN, the ROTARY CLUB OF MIDDLETOWN, and earned a SILVER AWARD for his performance on the LEVEL 4 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM.
Wesley Harris earned a CERTIFICATE OF MERIT MAGNA CUM LAUDE for his performance on the National Latin IV Exam.
Aaron Hazelwood received the WILLIAM AND MARION TITTEL SCHOLARSHIP.
Liam Houchin received the SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE SCHOLAR LEADER AWARD.
Parker Hunter received the CONNECTICUT HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD and earned an HONORABLE MENTION AWARD for his performance on the LEVEL 5 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM.
Jake Lion received the CONNECTICUT HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD
Sebastian LoGuidice received the CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS HIGH SCHOOL FINE ARTS AWARD and the DAVID SCHILKE SCHOLARSHIP.
Daniel Lyons received the GARY COURTRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP and scholarships from THE HADDAM SCHOLARSHIP FUND and the KIWANIS FOUNDATION OF MIDDLETOWN.
Peter Mercugliano received a scholarship from ST. BRIDGET WOMEN’S GUILD OF CHESHIRE.
Andrew Mitchill received a scholarship from the KILLINGWORTH SCHOLARSHIP ASSOCIATION.
Vincenzo Pagliuca received the JAMES V. TILLONA ’96 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP.
Christian Ortiz received a CHET ADVANCE SCHOLARSHIP.
Michael Rapuano received the COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY COLTER ABELY ACHIEVEMENT FUND EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE AWARD.
Lochlan Reeder received the CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE ARTS AWARD.
Trevor Religa earned an HONORABLE MENTION AWARD for his performance on the LEVEL 5 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM.
Matthew Saia received the WILLAIM CAHOON EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD and a scholarship from the TWIST SOCCER TOURNAMENT.
Jason Salley received THE DURHAM MIDDLEFIELD EXHANGE CLUB scholarship.
Connor Silbo received the DARLENE & JOHN OBLAK AWARD FROM WETHERSFIELD DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS, the WETHERSFIELD UNICO BOOK AWARD and the GREATER HARTFORD CHAPTER OF UNICO NATIONAL.
Ryan Solomon received THE DURHAM MIDDLEFIELD EXHANGE CLUB scholarships.
Noah Stevenson received the MARK SCHAEFER SCHOLARSHIP.
Hayden Tomlin received the NEW HAVEN COUNTY CHAPTER NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION GENE CASEY SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD.
Holden Whaley received a scholarship from THE KIWANIS FOUNDATION OF MIDDLETOWN and earned a Bronze Award for his performance on the Level 4 NATIONAL FRENCH EXAM.
BROTHER CELESTINE MEDAL
This is awarded each year to students who, upon the completion of the academic year, have an overall final average of A with no final average grade less than an A- in their major subjects. This prestigious award, which a student can be given only once during his four years at Xavier, is the highest academic tribute that the school bestows. The award is named after Brother Celestine Killigrew, who taught history and Religion at Xavier in the early 1960s and died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Over the previous three years, 29 members of the class of 2021 have been honored with the Brother Celestine Medal.
Logan Barnes, Matthew Battipaglia, Sean Collison, Zachary Dolan, Christopher Drisdelle, Ryan Frier, Timothy Gagliano, Wesley Harris, William Heher, Parker Hunter, David Jerman, Mark Kowalski, Jake Lion, Sebastian LoGiudice, Daniel Lyons, Peter Mercugliano, Reid Paiva, Trevor Religa, Logan Saks, Anthony Satrohan, Brian Satrohan, Eduardo Serrano, Macklin Stevens, Michael Stottlemyer, Jack Swierczynski, Hayden Tomlin, Eoin Wallace, Holden Whaley, Sam Zhao
In addition to these students, six more members of the Class of 2021 are being recognized for having earned this honor in their senior year.
Mitchell Bludnicki, Patrick Deans, Aaron Hazelwood, Jordan Hetu, John Tischio, Brendan Zawisa
OTHER AWARDS
The XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL BUSINESS AWARD is presented to the senior who has excelled in the Xavier Business curriculum. The recipient is Connor Silbo.
The CONNECTICUT SOCIETY OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS award recognizes a member of the senior class for academic excellence in accounting. The recipient is John Bouvier.
The XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE ARTS AWARD is presented to the senior who has excelled in Xavier’s Drama program. The recipient is Noah Scecina-White.
The LOUIS ARMSTRONG JAZZ AWARD is presented to a senior “in recognition of outstanding achievements in the field of jazz as demonstrated through superior musicianship, character, and individual creativity.” The recipient is John Reynolds.
The JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA BAND AWARD is given to a senior “in recognition of outstanding achievement and interest in instrumental music, for singular merit in loyalty and cooperation, and for displaying those high qualities of conduct that school instrumental music requires.” The recipient is Anthony Satrohan.
The National School Choral Award is given to a senior “in recognition of singular merit, ability, and achievement, of outstanding contributions to the success of the school vocal program, and of an unusual degree of loyalty, cooperation and high qualities of conduct.” The recipient is Christopher Drisdelle.
The National School Orchestra Award is given to a senior “In recognition of singular merit and outstanding contributions to the success of the school orchestra, and for displaying an unusual degree of loyalty and cooperation, and for exemplifying that high standard of conduct that is the aim of the school instrumental program.” The recipient is Michael Stottlemyer.
It is unusual for a young man not to miss a day of school during an academic year. This year we recognize one member of the Class of 2021 for having perfect attendance for all four years here at Xavier. The recipient of the XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARD is Samuel Voghell