MARIAN A N EWSLETTER
FOR
Matters
M ARIAN C ATHOLIC A LUMNI , PARENTS AND F RIENDS . . . B ECAUSE M ARIAN C ATHOLIC R EALLY D OES M ATTER WINTER 2005
M A R I A N S T U D E N T S S PA R K L E I N A P, N AT I O N A L M E R I T Class of 2005 National Merit Finalists Kevin Marvinac ’05 and Robert Solorio ’05 are among the 95 Marian Catholic High School students recognized as Advanced Placement Scholars by the 2004 College Board. The College Board report that usually sparks September smiles didn’t make it to high school mail boxes across the country until November, but for the students of Marian Catholic High School it was worth the wait: a record number of Advanced Placement Scholars for a program that traditionally turns out the most A.P. recognized students in the South Suburbs. Last May, 305 Marian Catholic students (more than one-third of the 2004 graduating seniors and one-quarter of the juniors) took 630 college-level Advanced Placement exams. Nationally, about 13% of seniors take an A.P. exam; of these, about
17% (13.3% in Illinois) scored well enough on multiple exams to be recognized as A.P. Scholars. With 95 students recognized, 31% of Marian Catholic testers were so honored. With the Class of 2005 taking further courses and a growing enrollment in A.P. courses at the sophomore and junior levels, the trend is likely to continue. Like all “high stakes testing,” the A.P. exams are fodder for debate. The challenging college-level courses with a set national curriculum spark concerns about equity. With a large percentage of students invited to test (70% of them earning a score high enough for college credit), MCHS more than meets equity standards across race and gender. Recent research supports higher college achievement for those students who have experienced an A.P. curriculum.
Kevin Marvinac ’05 and Robert Solorio ’05, National Merit Finalists, lead a talented group of AP scholars from Marian.
Marian Catholic currently offers Advanced Placement in 16 different courses across the curriculum. continued on page 2
The Marian Symphonic Band performed as the "Showcase Band" in late January at the Illinois Music Educators’ Association convention in Peoria. The Symphonic Band, as last year’s Grand Champions, played in exhibition for “State of the Art” contest, clearing the way for the Concert Band to be named 2005 Grand Champions. The Cadet Band placed first in its class. They can be heard on April 21 at GSU. (see page 2)