Montini Catholic Bronco Express Spring 2023

ROBOTICS ADVANCE TO VEX WORLDs!

SPRING 2023

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Bronco Express

Spring 2023

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Maroon & Gold Gala - April 29

Alumni Baseball Game - May 6

Founder’s Day - May 19

Jim Segredo Retirement Reception - May 19

Commencement Ceremonies - May 21 Bronco Classic Golf Outing - August 11

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Our Bronco Express editors are always looking for great stories about our students and alumni. If you have a story or update that you would like to share, we’d love to hear from you. For student stories please contact Barbara Dawson, Print Media Coordinator at: bdawson@montini.org

For alumni updates please email Katie Doll Hubeny’96, Alumni Relations Director at: alumni@montini.org

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Barbara Dawson, Editor bdawson@montini.org

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Our school community is so proud of the academic success its had throughout our 57 year history as well as the academic achievement of our students and academic teams this school year. They have contributed greatly to Montini’s rich history of success. We are currently celebrating our VEX Robotics Illinois State Championship (pages 8-9) and our Math Team winning the Illinois Council of Mathematics Teachers (ICTM) Regionals (page 4) and qualifying for State for the 22nd straight year - the only private school in the state to celebrate this accomplishment.

In addition to the success of our Math and Robotics Teams, 17% of our seniors have been named Illinois State Scholars, 45% of our Class of 2023 has earned a 4.0 or greater GPA and this class of 120 seniors has earned over $15 million dollars in academic scholarships and grants as of the beginning of April.

We are also very proud of the success that our sports teams, student/athletes and coaches have had this past winter season (pages 6-7).

I would like to thank all the members of our school community who provided a gift to help send the Robotics Team to the World Championships in Dallas, Texas at the end of April. Thank you as well to those donating to our Baseball Infield Turf Project. The turf was installed and ready for play on March 22nd (our varsity team won the inaugural game with a win over Lisle High School).

Finally, it is my extreme pleasure to announce that the Montini Catholic Board of Directors has voted to honor two outstanding coaches who have dedicated their coaching careers to our Bronco athletes. Our baseball field will be named Bill Leeberg Field with the dedication and naming ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 6th (during our Alumni Baseball Game). All former players and students of Coach Leeberg are invited to attend. The field in John L. Duffy Memorial Stadium will be named Chris Andriano Field in honor of Coach “A” and his outstanding career as Montini’s second head football coach. This naming will take place when the playing surface in the stadium is replaced within the next two years. The fundraising drive to replace the existing synthetic surface and the running track will be announced at the home opener of the 2023 football season.

As always, my sincere appreciation to all the members of the Montini Catholic school community for your support and dedication to our school community and mission of education. I am truly grateful and “May Jesus Live In Our Hearts…Forever.”

Sincerely,

instagram.com/montinicatholic

To receive your Bronco Express Newsletter electronically please contact Michelle Ptak O’Connor ‘88 at: moconnor@montini.org

Jim Segredo

NOTE: Please see page 11 for information on Jim’s Retirement Reception.

“I would like to thank all the members of our school community who provided a gift to help send the Robotics Team to the Worlds in Dallas at the end of April. ”

In all issues of Bronco Express, an asterisk (*) follows the names of our legacy students (students of alumni).

INTERFAITH PRAYER

FOR PEACE M

Montini Catholic students proudly embraced their diversity as a school during their annual Cultural Awareness Week, celebrated March 20th through the 24th. Sponsored by the World Language Department, the week commenced with an Interfaith Prayer for Peace Service which welcomed Fr. Jeff Stoneberg (Christ the King Catholic Parish), Pastor James Davis (Martin Temple AME Zion Church), Imam Noman Hussain (Islamic Foundation) and Pastor R. Keith Beauchamp (Bethel New Life Church). (Cindy Michelassi, from the Congregation Etz Chaim (a Reform synagogue in Lombard) was invited, but unable to attend - student and member of the Congregation Etz Chaim, Julia Schinsky ‘25, led a prayer.)

The morning service was organized by Assistant Campus Minister, and World Religions teacher, Kelly Davis. "This morning came about because diversity comes in many forms and religious diversity is one of those forms. We wanted to provide our students with an opportunity to see how others pray and to demonstrate the values and beliefs that we share with people of other faiths." Each year Mrs. Davis also arranges an educational and informative World Religions field trip with her students - this year they visited the BAPS Hindu Temple in Bartlett and the Islamic Foundation Mosque in Villa Park. "Our goal is to provide opportunities for our students to learn and experience other cultures, races and religions. This can facilitate a better understanding of one's own beliefs and strengthen their faith."

"I want to first thank our guests for taking the time and energy to share their faith with our school community today. It’s a great gift to our community to have you here to share in our faith lives together and experience the kind of unity that brings peace into our world and into our own hearts," said Principal Kevin Beirne prior to the Prayer for Peace service. "Pope Francis said, “The goal of interreligious dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and fraternity, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love."

"Today, I simply want you to be open to experiencing that feeling of curiosity and humility. There’s almost nothing I want more for you than to experience the world around you with open, peaceful, thoughtful hearts," added Principal Beirne, thanking students in advance for their respect and reverence as each religious guest shared their prayer. (On October 25, 2022, Pope Francis joined other religious leaders at a similar prayer service for peace at Rome’s Colosseum as part of a 3-day interreligious summit, "The Cry for Peace" organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio.)

Montini's Cultural Awareness Week celebration continued throughout the week with all departments getting involved. World Language students were inducted into the World Language Honor Societies on March 21st.

"We come to Montini with our own experiences, understandings and views of the world. We also bring a few misconceptions and stereotypes," said Michael Blanchette, Campus Minister. "We learn that there are other views than our own. Diversity refers to an inclusive community with varied human characteristics, ideas, and world-views, and whose interactions both benefit and challenge each other to grow while making our community a better place."

L to R: Fr. Jeff Stoneberg (Christ the King Catholic Parish), Pastor James Davis (Martin Temple AME Zion Church), Imam Noman Hussain (Islamic Foundation) and Pastor R. Keith Beauchamp (Bethel New Life Church)

Soger, on her 30 years at Montini Catholic. Estelle also announced her retirement this spring.

"Thirty years ago I read an ad about a job opening for a librarian at Montini," recalls Estelle, who, at that time, had three daughters* attending St. Pius X. My interview with Brother Chris went really well and he offered me the job."   A new 30-year chapter in her life began.

Members of our Bronco Math Team, under the direction of moderator, Chrissy McManus ‘88, made history in February by bringing home Montini’s first ever ICTM Regional Championship trophy. Under Chrissy’s leadership, our Bronco team is the only Catholic school in Division 2A to qualify for State every year since 2002 (as a wildcard team) "There have been so many times over the years that we've come close. Finally!! I am so very proud of these young people." Next up is the State Competition to be held on April 22nd.

Photo above - front row kneeling: Isabella Jaojoco '25; 2nd row: Daniel Sherman '25, Christopher Zayed '25, Anjay Dhir '24, Alex Silveyra '23, Thomas Cyze '23, Conor Kaefer '25, Matthew Silveyra '25, Ray Li '25 and JJ Brunke '25; 3rd row: Yeon Park '25, Lucas Racine'23 and Andrew Miller '23*; 4th row: John DiSimone '23 and Matthew DiSimone '23

CHAMPIONS REGIONAL Tou ing Hearts

Viktor Boiko ‘26 was named Bronco student of the month in February. Viktor, an international student from Ukraine, was nominated for his tenacity and ability to adapt to his circumstances as a new student in the U.S. and at Montini.

"I met Viktor, his parents and younger sister (6th grade), all new arrivals to the U.S., through the State Department's United for Ukraine Program," said Montini's International Student Program Director, (and teacher) Mr. Art Stuart. "A boy of few [English] words and a broad smile, he was a delight to work with from the outset. He committed himself fully to each course and new adventure, willing to do whatever he could to understand, learn and help others." Art worked diligently with Viktor's family (his mother and [sponsor] grandmother, from Westchester) to make a swift transition. He also provides English language and course support to Viktor as needed during their mutual free period throughout the year. "Viktor has grown continuously, improved his English proficiency each day, and is now such an asset to our school that he received multiple recommendations for this Student of the Month honor! Likely unbeknown to him, Viktor has been a true role model for making the best of a new situation and doing the most you can with the gifts you have. He has become an ideal Lasallian student and an honor to work with . . . .he touches hearts!"

Her first major job was transferring the print card catalog into a digital form.  Since then, she has witnessed a constant and exciting evolution of Montini's LRC - accommodating new and different needs with each new generation of Broncos. A big change occurred in 2005 during Phase II of our Capital Campaign and the design of the new library, renamed the Ed & Pam Mack Learning Resource Center.  After the renovation, Estelle was made a member of the Technology Task Force to help facilitate Montini's move from computer labs to 1-to-1 iPads (2014). And finally, came the reimagining of the LRC’s interior space in 2020.

In addition to being Montini's librarian, Estelle has fulfilled many other roles throughout her 30 years in the Montini Catholic family.  "We are so happy to have had Estelle as a member of our Bronco family for thirty years," said President Jim Segredo.  "She has been a part of our history for quite some time now and will be greatly missed.  We do wish her well and hope she creates even more happy memories her retirement with her family."

* Daughters/Montini alumni:  Jenny Benka ‘99, Shannon Osheroff ‘01, Erin Ciavarella ‘03 and Megan Soger ‘08†

Congratulations are in order as well to Science teacher, Elise Barth and Annual Appeal/Event Director, Michelle Ptak O’Connor ‘88, on 25 years in our Montini Catholic faculty/staff family!

BRONCOS... Making Headlines

ILLINOIS’ TOP 10%

Twenty amazing seniors from our Class of 2023 have been recognized as Illinois State Scholars. Illinois State Scholars represent approximately the top 10% of high school seniors, hailing from 675 different high schools across the state. Selection is based on SAT, ACT and/or Prairie State Achievement Exam scores, and/or class rank at the end of the junior year. Congratulations to our newest Illinois State Scholars:

From top l to r: Angela Banov, Nathan Camba, Michael Crowley, Jr., Thomas Cyze, Annabella D'Anca, John DiSimone, Matthew DiSimone, Katie Gertsen, Maren Hoovel, Thira Minauskas, Randi Moraga, Amanda Mrazek, Luke Pacelli, William Prater, Sara Severin, Alex Silveyra, Kenneth Sledzinski, Joseph Spaccapaniccia*, Francesca Spizzirri, Grace Tierney

It was a season of “WhoDunnit?” this spring on the Montini stage! We congratulate all of our actors and actresses along with Ms. Jackie Walsh on her first successful season as Montini’s new Theatre Director! Sophomore, Bryanna Bell (left with Ms. Walsh), earned an Artist of the Month (March) award for her work as Stage Manager!

Front row l to r: Bryanna Bell, Karissa Jones, Julia Ciaccio, Nyla Carr, Eva De La Cruz and Eleanor Neal; Back row: Xhaiden Ian Manalaysay, Christopher Davis, Mia Egan, Cameron Fountain, Nathan Camba, Nolan Ferris, Henry Dawson, Michael May, Julia Schinsky, Jack May (St. Pius X), Mylee Janisch (St. Pius X) and Gianna Velarde;;

SPORTS WRAP-UP

BASKETBALL HEADLINERS

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Sectional Champions

Our Lady Broncos entered their season with high hopes and they certainly did not disappoint. The team came out extremely strong despite facing tough opponents and having one of the most difficult schedules in the state. The season began strong with the championship title at the Willowbrook Thanksgiving Tournament and a third place finish in the Montini Christmas Tournament.

“We defeated some top ranked programs,” says Coach Shannon Herold Spanos ‘99. “The girls were invited to participate in 4 high profile shootouts playing top ranked programs and went undefeated!” (Lincoln Way Central (Fremd Shootout); vs Deerfield (Exam Jam); vs Barrington (Grow the Game) and vs. Geneva (Kipp Hoop Fest). “These wins established us as one of the top programs in the state.” In the very competitive GCAC conference the Broncos ended up in 2nd place and continued their command by winning the Regional Title for the 18th year in a row by defeating Glenbard South HS. Defeating Providence Catholic earned them the Sectional title. In the final game of their season, our Broncos fought hard, but lost the Super Sectional Final to Deerfield (52-45).

We ended the season 27-8. The 27 wins season had many highlights and many accolades for our program.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Regional Champions

What a Post-Season! The Montini Bronco Boys Basketball team captured a Regional Championship for the second consecutive season after 3 thrilling post-season victories. The Broncos defeated Westmont, ICCP and Lisle by a grand total of 7 points to win a 2A Regional Championship, eventually losing to Rockford Lutheran in the Sectional Semi-Final. The regular season was filled with many close losses but the lessons learned helped prepare the team for the IHSA State Playoffs. Seniors Joe Spaccapanicia*, Christian Clarke, Sam Ruddy*, John Disimone and Phillip Rodriguez played hard all season and made an incredible push during the playoffs. Junior guard Danny Peterson was named Honorable Mention AllCatholic League and Honorable Mention All-Area by The Daily Herald

Our Lady Broncos boasted three AllConference selections – Shannon Blacher ‘23, Victoria Matulevicius ‘24 and Alyssa Epps ‘24

The Illinois AP honored Shannon and Victoria to the All-State team - honorable mentions. The IBCA recognized Shannon (IBCA All-State 1 st Team)and Victoria (IBCA All-State 3rd Team). And finally, both Shannon and Victoria made history by securing their 1,000th career points!

“Out of all the accolades that our program received- this is the most important and the one that I am most proud of,” shared Coach Spanos. “The varsity rostered players have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. All 13 varsity players were honored with GCAC All Conference Academic Team.”

For the boys, Daniel Petersen’24 secured an All-Conference honorable mention as well as Honorable Mention All-Area by The Daily Herald.

We are very proud to announce that our Kolinski Family Golf Studio is now a PGA recognized facility!

This winter we congratulated senior Broncos on their commitments to continue their academic and athletic pursuits at the collegiate level. Front l to r: Haley Doucet* (Volleyball, St. Ambrose University), Caden Phengkeokaisone (Football, Lake Forest College), Taylor Utrata (Softball, Parksie); Back l to r: Jonathan Goff (Football/Track, North Central College), Evan Raczkowski (Football, Lake Forest College) and Mike Wind (Football, Wisconsin OshKosh)

ATHLETICS

WRESTLING Regional Champions

This year the Bronco Wrestling Program improved greatly from last year, and had a fantastic season! The Team Finished 18-8 in duals, and finished in 3rd place in the Chicago Catholic League Conference Tournament. Ben Dunne ‘24, David Mayora ‘24 and Will Prater ‘23 won individual Catholic League Titles to pace the Broncos. In the postseason the team won their first Regional Championship in 3 years, and was one match away from making it downstate, losing to a tough Wauconda HS team in the Sectional Final.

Individually, the Broncos celebrated 7 IHSA Individual State Qualifiers, including Ben Dunne ‘24 (113), Kam Luif ‘26 (120), Santino Tenuta ‘26 (145), David Mayora ‘24 (152), Will Prater ‘23 (160), Evan Jocic ‘25 (195) and Mick Ranquist ‘24 (220), the most the program has had since 2020. Four of the qualifiers earned All-State recognition by earning Individual Medals including Ben Dunne, Kam Luif , and Will Prater - all finishing in 6th place, while David Mayora made it all the way to the State Final match, and finished in 2nd place at 152 lbs. David finished the season with a glittering 48-3 record, and became a two time IHSA State Placewinner.

On the girls side, Kat Bell ‘25* made more history this year, by once again qualifying for the IHSA Girls State Tournament for the second consecutive year, and finishing the tournament with a 2-2 record, and a top 8 finish at 100 lbs. Kat finished her season with a 19-12 record, and has the distinction of being the first and only Girls Individual State Tournament qualifier in Montini history.

Montini Head Wrestling Coach Mike Bukovsky ‘83 said this about the season: "This year's team worked very hard, and made a big jump to get our program back closer to the level that it has been at for the previous 2 decades. The work ethic really improved over the season, and winning the Regional Tournament was truly a total team effort. With almost the entire roster back, and a great expected freshman class, next year promises to be another stepping stone for the growth of our Bronco Wrestling Program."

BRONCETTES

8th in State

Once again this year our Broncettes qualified for the IHSA Dance State Finals in January. The girls received an enthusiastic clap-out as the left for state in Bloomington. Our Broncettes were up against very talented teams and were quite proud of their 8th place finish!

HOCKEY Silver Division Champions

The Renegades JV team featuring Montini Catholic players were crowned 22/23 IHSHL North Central Silver Division Champions on February 25th. Congratulations to Max Repasky ‘26, Charlie Paciga ‘26 and Romeo Koski ‘26 who battled it out with the Kings (combined team from Huntley, McHenry, Hampshire, Jacobs, Dundee-Crown, and Burlington Central)! Charlie led the team with 1 goal/1 assist and Max celebrated 1 goal! Go Broncos!

Eight wrestlers qualified for their individual state tournaments - l to r: David Mayora, Mick Ranquist, Ben Dunne, Will Prater, Evan Jocic, Santino Tenuta, Kam Luif and Kat Bell*;

After a year-long effort our newly turfed baseball field was broken in on March 22nd! Thank you to the many members of our Montini Catholic school community who contributed to this project.

taking on the

the worldS Montini Robotics

March 11, 2023 will forever be a day of infamy for Montini Catholic's Robotics! That was the day several years of hard work, dedication and teamwork culminated in Montini’s Team 82997A (Team A) earning the top honor at the VEX Illinois State Championship Tournament - the Excellence Award - which VEX describes as "the highest award presented in our Robotics State competition." The prestigious award is presented to the team exemplifying overall excellence in building a high-quality robotics program - Montini!

It was earning the Excellence Award that qualified Team A for the VEX Worlds 2023 Robotics Tournament taking place at The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas on April 25-27. Eight-hundred-fifteen teams from the USA and close to 40 other countries will gather to compete for top honors in the largest high school robotics competition in the world. “These teams represent some of the brightest young engineers, coders, designers, builders, and strategists on the planet,” says Technology Director and Robotics Coach, Pete Farina ‘87. “It is a great honor for our team to be able to compete at this level!”

Montini's "A" team also won the 2nd Place Trophy in the Robotics Skills Challenge which is the single robot competition that is used to rank robotics teams worldwide. The team achieved a score of 305 which currently places them 200th out of almost 6,000 teams worldwide - placing Montini's Broncos in the top 3% of all VEX teams this season. "Our team has worked tirelessly since May of 2022 to make it to this competition. As soon as this season's Spin-Up game was unveiled last year, we started designing, building, coding, documenting, testing and engineering this robot. The robot has undergone several major improvements and upgrades as the team moved through this amazing season earning accolades all along the way. We've got our work cut out for us to get that score up even higher in the weeks ahead before Worlds," said an ecstatic Farina.

Senior Angela Banov, pursuing a career in Computer Science, is the only female on Montini’s team and is super-excited about Worlds. “I love working with the team and Mr. Farina. We always have a great time and are able to balance work-

"Take a moment to savor this victory and all that you have achieved. Our journey together this season is not yet over! We have one more destination, one last mountain to climb together!"

– Robotics Coach Pete Farina ‘87

ing hard and having fun! We all put in so much work and hours into our robot which is why we were over the moon about qualifying for worlds!” Sophomore Matthew Silveyra agrees with Angela’s sentiments that Coach Farina has been the driving force behind this young group of achievers. “Working with Mr. Farina is great. He’s extremely thoughtful, kind, and dedicated to this team, and we wouldn’t be where we are now without him. He always looks out for our best interests and is there to listen to us, even in areas outside of Robotics. Mr. Farina is indispensable to our team and he’s one of the best coaches you could ask for. When we learned that we would be going to Vex Worlds, we were overwhelmed with joy. We finally reached our ultimate goal after coming so close last year and working so hard together.”

"The judges at State confirmed what I knew in my heart to be true all season - that 82997A is the all-around best VEX team in the State of Illinois,” adds Pete. We believed in ourselves all season long and that all the endless hours of robot building, coding, testing, documenting and strategizing would be worth the effort. Their determination to make it to Worlds 2023 was truly remarkable and ultimately unstoppable! They have made it to the highest level of high school robotics competition in the entire world and they have received more honors and awards than any Robotics team in Montini Catholic history!" Pete told his team after State, "Take a moment to savor this victory and all that you have achieved. Our journey together this season is not yet over! We have one more destination, one last mountain to climb together!"

Montini's Robotics "A" team has celebrated many milestones this year, the first of which was qualifying for the State Competition in December - the earliest qualification the team has enjoyed since

competing in VEX. At a March 5th VEX tournament they made history once again by being ranked #1 in the State and earning the Amaze Award for having the highest scoring robot at the tournament! (During the same tournament, Robotics Team 82997B "B," who took 2nd place in skills and were ranked #8 in state!)

Pete and his team are now focused on VEX Worlds and are spending many after-school hours working on an updated robot design. The team is in the process of developing new components, new systems, new code, and new strategies to be able to take on the best robotics teams in the world. “Our team met for several days over their Spring Break and will continue to work in the weeks ahead on improving our robot until the moment we have to pack it up to take it on the plane to Texas.”

“Each and every member of our team has put countless hours of hard work in order to achieve this success,” adds Matthew. “Although it wasn’t easy, everyone had a big role in getting us to where we are now. From brainstorming ideas at home to working at school until 7 at night, we were constantly striving for this success and our hard work has paid off.”

It is obvious from the gleam in his eyes with the mere mention of Worlds that Pete is already so proud of his team. “No matter what happens at the competition, I am incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished. It has been truly amazing to see a group of students come together and work towards a common goal with such dedication, passion, talent, and teamwork! Ten Montini students shared the dream of competing at Worlds and those students worked together for over 400 hours to make that dream a reality!”

Image above: Robotics Team A at VEX State: l to r: Alex Silveyra ‘23, Angela Banov ‘23, Will Prater ‘23, Thomas Cyze ‘23, Anjay Dhir ‘24, Conor Kaefer ‘25, Hayden Surrette ‘25, Matthew DiSimone ‘23, Wyatt Prater ‘25 and Matthew Silveyra ‘25

39years

MONTINI

'S ANNUAL FASHION SHOW BENEFITS OUR SAN MIGUEL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Alumni, parents and friends celebrated everything "mistletoe and stardust" on December 4th at Montini’s 39th Annual Fashion Show, held at the Westin in Lombard. Student models, proud parents, friends and fashionistas kicked off the Christmas season in style. Each year, this event allows us the opportunity to make the dream of a Catholic education come true for deserving students through our San Miguel Fund. The scholarship fund helps provide financial assistance to Montini Catholic families finding themselves experiencing hardships, such as serious illness, death or severe financial difficulties. It provides students with an opportunity for a Catholic education that they may not otherwise be able to afford.

The event was chaired by Montini Catholic parents Melissa Gramann, Jennifer Sidler and Rhonda Sipchen and the fashion show was produced by Eugenia Scavone '84 and Carrie Pionke. The festive day featured a luncheon, pre-show vendor boutique and raffle opportunities before the student and alumni models danced their way down the runway.

Join

Friday | May 19, 2023

Open House | 5:30 – 8:00PM

(No RSVP required.)

Special Presentation | 7:15PM

Montini Catholic Cafeteria

Cocktails & Appetizers

The Happel-Ryan & Savaiano Families

Opposite page: 2022 Fashion Show chairs, Melissa Gramann (in red) and Jen Sidler; Top: Seniors Vivien Viau* and David Ahern*; Middle: Seniors Miranda BonDurant, Alexa Bauman, Jillian Parrilli and Haley Doucet*; Bottom: Seniors Jaime Bukovsky* and Jayden Leise;

BRONCO SPOTLIGHT 25

6. I love riding motorcycles! My first bike was an 82 SuzukimGS 650.

7. Before becoming a principal, I taught guitar lessons at different music stores and privately for over 10 years.

8. I am blessed with two children Gia (3) and Vince (1 ½ ), and wife, Alex, for almost 9 years.

9. Every Christmas I bake my favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to share with friends and family.

10. Favorite movie(s): Rocky 1 - Rocky 4

11. I took three years of German in high school and thought I forgot all of the language and vocabulary. In my early twenties I visited Berlin and it all somehow came back and I was able to successfully communicate in German!

12. Favorite TV Shows: Seinfeld, Chopped and Dirty Jobs

13. I have worked in many different roles in the educational world including Inclusion Aide, Teacher and Principal, and have worked in both public and Catholic school settings.

14. I was the Principal at St. Mary of Gostyn School in Downers Grove for the previous six years.

Get to know the newest member of Montini’s Administration Team, Assistant Principal, Chris Tiritilli! This German speaking DJ, rock-star, baker, biker and boxer reveals it all - including what he’s willing to do for $100!

1. I have played guitar for over 25 years, have played in many bands, and still play in my own band as well as a solo artist.

Throughout my musical career I have performed on live television and my original music has been featured on WXRT.

3. While I attended a rival Catholic high school, my brother is a Montini alumni and attended school with Mr. Weisenburger ‘05.

4. I have run several half-marathons and plan on running my first marathon this summer.

5. Technically speaking, I am a 2022 Golden Gloves Boxing Champion.

15. I was a social studies and reading teacher at St. Joes in Downers Grove for 3 years.

16. One of my first bands in and after high school played several shows with local group Fall Out Boy. The most memorable was a show at a church in Naperville in front of a crowd of about 12 people!

17. Favorite book(s): Can’t Hurt Me, Never Finished and Here, There and Everywhere

18. Favorite food: No question…PIZZA!

19. Favorite sports to watch: Football, Boxing, MMA and Basketball

20. Favorite sport to play: Baseball

21. I am obsessed with the Beatles and how they influenced and changed popular music throughout their musical career.

22. Favorite guitar players: Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

23. I have seen John Mayer play live at least 12 times!

24. While at DePaul University for college, I hosted my own radio show where I would play local Chicago bands and artists, and also wrote for the school paper.

25. In response to a bet from my uncle, I once slept outside in the woods of Wisconsin for the entire night to win $100.

Montini Catholic Bronco Express

1. Julie (McGivern) Maddox '99 and Tammy Kocher '89 and (with Alumni Director, Katie Hubeny '96) visited us for our second Lunch & Learn session on March 15th. 2. Anthony Petrozza ‘01 and Andy Soderstrom ‘98 joined us on our first Lunch & Learn session on March 1st. 3. Nick ‘20 and Patrick ‘21 Wind returned to support brother Michael ‘23 (middle) on Signing Day; 4. 15 dedicated alumni teach or coach at Montini - we celebrated with a photo in late fall - Chrissy McManus ‘88, William Dawe’s ‘14, Keeley King Dooley ‘ 89, Frank Vosicky ‘ 14, Maggie Signer Vander Leest ‘ 84, Jim Ryan ‘00, Melanie Bava Comella ‘10, Pete Farina ‘87, Katie Doll Hubeny ‘96, Mike Bukovsky ‘83, Michelle Ptak O’Connor ‘88, Andrew Weisenburger ‘05 and Anne Westerkamp ‘84 (not pictured, Jenny Long Kavanagh ‘97 and Brian Casey ‘01); 5. Former teammates Anthony Defilippis ‘22, Mario Florio ‘22 and Brady Raczkowski ‘22 met on the lacrosse field this spring; 6. John McCauley '81 and Mary Cesaretti Traficanti '70 modeled furs from York Furrier at Montini’s Fashion Show in December; 7. Ralph Ortiz ‘20 (with Coach Janor) met up with his Broncos during their spring break trip to Arizona and gave them a tour of Arizona State University;

WITH THE

BRONCOS

Please e-mail your Bronco updates and/or photos to alumni@montini.org.

MARRIAGES, FUTURE BRONCOS, UPDATES & SYMPATHIES

sympathies

To the Baker Family on the passing of Jeffrey Baker, father of Colin Baker ’21.

To the Finnerty Family on the passing of Jean Finnerty Newberry, mother of Steve Finnerty’ 71, Karen (Finnerty) Breiter ’74, Brian Finnerty ’76, Ellen Finnerty ’78 and Robin (Finnerty) Freiburger ’84.

To the Farruggia Family on the passing of Carmine Farruggia, father of Angela (Farruggia) McMahon ‘94 and Nicole Farruggia ’99.

To the Boeh Family on the passing of Joan Boeh, mother of Jeanne (Boeh) Fleming ’70, Catherine (Boeh) McKinley ’71, Mary Beth Boeh ’72, Diane (Boeh) Davies ’74, Thomas Boeh ’76, Jo Anne (Boeh) Castillo ’82 and Joseph Boeh ’83.

To the Hurley Family on the passing of Theresa Hurley, mother of Maureen (Hurley) Earle ’70 and Joan (Hurley) Wagner ’71.

To the McNicholas Family on the passing of Patrick McNicholas, father of Michael McNicholas ’19.

To the Giebel Family on the passing of Barbara Giebel, mother of Michael Giebel ’72, Edward Giebel ’74, Stephen Giebel ’76 and Paul Giebel ’81.

To the Radecki Family on the passing of James F. Radecki, Sr., father of Jim Radecki ’81 and Ann (Radecki) Westerman ’95; daughter-in-law of Ann (Kunzler) Radecki ’81.

To the O’Connor Family on the passing of Patrick “PJ” O’Connor, father of Noreen (O’Connor) Peyatt ’78, Kelly (O’Connor) Meadows ’79, Coleen (O’Connor) Carroll ’80, Pat O’Connor ’81, Tim O’Connor ’83, Kevin O’Connor ’85, Erin O’Connor ’87, Shaun O’Connor ’89, Shannon (O’Connor) Ferris ’93, Courtney O’Connor ’98, Ryan O’Connor ’01; father-in-law to Michelle (Ptak) O’Connor ’88 and grandfather to Caeley O’Connor ’18, Patrick O’Connor ’21, Rory O’Connor ’24, Marin Ferris ’24 and Nolan Ferris ’25.

To the Ochoco Family on the passing of Romeo Ochoco, father of Eric Ochoco ’96.

To the Gleason Family on the passing of Barbara Gleason, mother of Mary “Mimi” (Gleason) Andresen ’77 and Julie Gleason ’81.

To the Badalamenti Family on the passing of Linda Badalamenti, mother of Lia (Badalamenti) Knudtson ’89 and grandmother to Joey Knudtson ’20 and Vinny Knudtson ’25.

To the Casey Family on the passing of Dan Casey, brother of David Casey ’79 and uncle to Cameron Casey ’15 and Liam Casey ’19.

To the Hansberger Family on the passing of James Hansberger, father of Tracy (Hansberger) Chocol ’89.

To the Suarez Family on the passing of Huberto Suarez, father of Lisa Suarez-Burkhart ’89.

To the Blanchette Family on the passing of Pat Blanchette, mother of Mr. Michael Blanchette, Chair of the Theology Department and Campus Ministry at Montini Catholic High School.

To the Lyons Family on the passing of Winnie Lyons, mother of Matt Lyons ’94.

To the Alunni-Skoumal Family on the passing of Sharon Skoumal, mother-in-law of Christina (Alunni) Skoumal ’88.

To the Barron-Devlin Family on the passing of Susan Kennedy, mother-in-law of Kelli (Barron) Devlin ’89.

To the Raucci Family on the passing of Frank Raucci, father of Charles Raucci ’86, Frank Raucci ’87 and Maureen (Raucci) Burton ’88.

To Maureen (Scola) deWaard ’71 and Marla (Scola) Adorno ’73 on the passing of their father Frank Scola and their brother Michael Scola; father-in-law and brother-in-law of Sietze deWaard ’71.

To the Burke Family on the passing of Isobel Burke, mother of Kathleen (Burke) Guy '72, Stephen Burke '74, Eileen (Burke) Justh '75 and Neil Burke '84.

in memoriam

Michael Crowder ‘75, brother of Kevin Crowder ’77.

Joe Timpe ’84, former faculty member from 1991-1993 and brother of Jim Timpe ’87.

Dan Walsh ’84, brother of Patrick Walsh ’83 and the late Timothy Walsh ’87.

UPDATES

Bill Reuhl '78 has published his 2nd book of poetry, lyrics and short stories entitled Escape to Pelican Lake. It follows Bill's first book A Sister's Serenade dedicated to his sister Judy Reuhl Sebens '73.

Jordan Lazowski ’15 in addition to his fulltime job as data & analytics consultant and his baseball coaching at Montini Catholic and GameDay USA, has become the editor-in-chief of Sox on 35th Twitter page.

Mike Koszewski ’20 (above left) is hitting leadoff for the University of Kansas Jayhawks Baseball Team.

Estevan Moreno ’22 (above right) is in the starting lineup for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Baseball Team.

Nora Sypkens ’21 was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership society, on November 6, 2022.

Watts of Love, founded by Nancy (Kuster) Economou ’84 celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Alyssa Lobello ’07 was promoted to Aquarist –Main Environment at Walt Disney Company’s EPCOT.

Julia Luke ’14 was promoted to Solution Consultant at DocuSign in Chicago.

Itzel Mora ’20 is now working full-time at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios after completing The Walt Disney Company’s college internship program working at the EPCOT location.

Pierce Tavern, owned by Patricia (Vlahos) Brown ’04 and Sam Vlahos ’07, was named 2022’s Best American Restaurant and Best Burger by Downers Grove Magazine.

Nicole LaMantia ’18, won her 3rd NCAA Women's Hockey National Championship with the Wisconsin Badgers in March.

Congratulations to Real Woods ‘18 for a great 1st season as a Hawekeye and his NCAA runnerup finish (141) and repeating All American status achievement.

University of Michigan and former Bronco wrestler Will Lewan ‘18 (157) is now a 3x NCAA All American!

marriages & engagements

Stephanie Reynolds ’13 and John Sullivan ’13 were engaged on November 19, 2022.

Giancarlo Iannotta ‘07 married Nora Scherschel on December 17, 2022.

future broncos

Mario Conforti ’13 and Natalie (Jenkins) Conforti ’13 welcomed their daughter Giulia Angelina on November 27, 2022.

ankmontini! you

Rob Piper ’10 and his wife Angela welcomed their son Mason Robert (above left) on December 28, 2022.

Doug Diedrick ‘11 and his wife Maggie welcomed their son Quinn Kevin (above right) on December 2, 2022. He joins big brother Emmett.

To all Montini alumni, friends, and family, I have been truly blessed and humbled by the outpouring of love, words of encouragement and the HUGE gift of monetary donations during our Hurricane Ian disaster. When Katie VanHuysse Gibson '98 called me shorty after Ian hit, I told her that there were others in greater need of help - I could do this myself. After talking and crying with her, I relearned the gift of acceptance. The words and comments that people wrote, warmed my heart and made me realize how we ALL can change others lives everyday. The gift of the GoFundMe account helped us get back on our feet- we have come full circle- back to Illinois and family and friends. We have settled into a cute, cozy townhouse in Galena.

Agnes (Kawa) Mattson ’03 and her husband welcomed their son Benjamin Everett (above left) on October 5, 2022. He joins big brother Ethan.

Steve Santay ’07 and his wife Kelly (above right) welcomed their son Andrew John in November 2022.

REUNIONS

Save the Date! The Class of 1973 will be celebrating their 50 th Reunion on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Crazy Pour in Villa Park.

We could not have done it without your help. And the townhouse we purchased was also a gift. It was like it was waiting for us- the people left everything from ALL furniture, bedding, kitchen wares to cleaning supplies- it truly was move-in ready. Moving was very easy as all we had were 2 duffel bags, firebox, a dog, cat and a litter box.

Cameron Casey ‘15 and Emma Petersen (above) were engaged on March 11, 2023

Gabby Pacelli ’13 married Jacob Barrett on October 22, 2022. Members of the wedding party included Vaida (Sepkus) Dobosenski ’13, Jenna Reimann ’13 and Ben Dobosenski ’13

Ellen Zitzer ’12 married Chad Bosman on October 21, 2022. Members of the wedding party included Beth Mesina ’12, Lauren (Latanski) Limone ’11, Kelly (Baessler) Sorenson ’12, Adriano Limone ’11 and Austin Dzik ’11.

We are still looking for reunion committee members and/or organizers for the following classes: 1978 – 45th reunion, 1993 – 30th reunion and 2018 – 5th reunion.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends, with much laughter, stories and tears. What a wonderful way to keep LaSallian tradition going - by touching hearts. And you Did!!! God bless you all.

With much love and gratitude,

Kathy Filipiak

An Alumni Baseball Game will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023 followed by a reception in the Vince Gavin Memorial Stadium Club. To register to play and/or attend the reception, please register at: baseball23.givesmart.com

BRONCO EXPRESS

Montini Catholic High School

19W070 16th Street

Lombard, IL 60148

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Thank you!

Friday, August 11, 2023 | St. Andrews Golf & Country Club, West Chicago