Catholic school students honored as “outstanding”
Each year, schools across the Archdiocese of Newark are invited to select one 8th grade student who displays academic excellence while also exemplifying “Catholic values in word and deed.” The Outstanding Catholic School Graduates (OCSG) Award recognizes students who are making a difference in their classrooms and around their schools.
This year’s recipients were honored at two Masses at the John Paul II Retreat Center in Kearny, New Jersey, on March 22 and 29. Father Stephen Fichter, the Vicar of Education, was the celebrant. He was joined by pastors representing the participating Catholic schools.
In a letter to the recipients, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., congratulated them for their accomplishments and praised them for “the way you live out the Gospel message in your words and deeds.”
He went on to quote the Holy Father:
“Pope Francis has said: ‘Catholic educational institutions offer everyone an education aimed at the integral development of the person that responds to the right of all people to have access to knowledge and understanding. But they are equally called to offer to all the Christian message — respecting fully the freedom of all and the proper methods of each specific scholastic environment — namely, that Jesus Christ is the meaning of life, of the cosmos, and of history.’”
“May these words of the Holy Father always ring true in your lives,” Cardinal Tobin added. He also expressed his gratitude to all those who have supported the students, including their parents, teachers, principals, pastors, and school board members.
After Mass, students and their guests attended an awards ceremony and were treated to breakfast at the facility’s gym. There was also a slide show to celebrate the students’ achievements.
A place of welcome
Forty-six students were honored at the two events. Those nominated must be current eighth graders who have been enrolled in a Catholic school within the Archdiocese of Newark for at least two years.
Mary McElroy, Associate Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Newark, stressed that the OSCG gatherings are more than just your typical award ceremonies:
“These events bring together students, families, principals, and pastors to celebrate what makes our Catholic schools remarkable; namely, that they are welcoming places where students are supported, encouraged, and challenged to become all God calls them to be. These soon-to-be Catholic School Graduates are outstanding because they have answered this call to the best of their own ability and have wholeheartedly embraced what it means to be a person for others.”
OCSG recipients were also honored by their schools, which announced the winners during Catholic Schools Week or at appreciation events and later shared the news on social media.
Congratulations to the Archdiocese of Newark’s Outstanding Catholic School Graduates for 2025:
Adorah Modeste from St. Peter School, Belleville
Patrick Gilfillan from St. Thomas the Apostle School, Bloomfield
Evan McElroy from St. Catherine of Siena School, Cedar Grove
Leah Beaublanc from St. Joseph School, East Orange
Gabriel Dorval from Aquinas Academy, Livingston
Alex Mercado from St. Michael School, Newark
Liam Lopez from Good Shepherd Academy, Nutley
Wayne Hohn from Our Lady of Sorrows School, South Orange
Nicholas DeSopo from Lacordaire Academy, Upper Montclair
Henry Meyers from St. Cassian School, Upper Montclair
Alana Chester from Our Lady of the Lake School, Verona
Daniel Sabates from St. John the Apostle School, Clark
Penelope Lin from St. Michael School, Cranford
Mateo Cruz from St. Theresa School, Kenilworth
Gavin Fahy from The Academy of Our Lady of Peace, New Providence
Sofiya De La Cruz from St. Joseph the Carpenter School, Roselle
Ryan Zarkewicz from St. Bartholomew Academy, Scotch Plains
Emmie Jensen from St. Rose of Lima Academy, Short Hills
Erin Sumiquiab from St. Michael School, Union
Julia Stempien from Holy Trinity School, Westfield
Jacob Janiec from Saint Leo School, Elmwood Park
Emma Weintraub from Academy of Our Lady of Grace, Fairview
Gabriela Duffy from Christ the Teacher Academy, Fort Lee
Joshua Tham from Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Franklin Lakes
Emma Gross from Academy of Our Lady, Glen Rock
Mackenzie Collins from Corpus Christi School, Hasbrouck Heights
Stephen Tomeo from Saint John Academy, Hillsdale
Pedro Artal-Minguez from Sacred Heart School, Lyndhurst
Cristiano Cardoso-Kupp from Queen of Peace Grammar School, North Arlington
Edward Deyro from St. Joseph School, Oradell
Danielle Magpantay from Notre Dame Academy, Palisades Park
John Butiu from Visitation Academy, Paramus
Charlotte Solimando from Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Park Ridge
Madeline Lorentzen from Academy of Saint Paul, Ramsey
Evelyn Lisante from Saint Peter Academy, River Edge
Jose Pablo Zarate Diez from Academy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Tenafly
Elizabeth Kellogg from Saint Elizabeth School, Wyckoff
Sophia Amos from All Saints Catholic Academy, Bayonne
Trev Dayo from Hoboken Catholic Academy, Hoboken
Caitlin Espiritu from Our Lady of Czestochowa School, Jersey City
Sylvia Onserio from Sacred Heart School, Jersey City
Cassius Policarpio from Saint Aloysius Elementary Academy, Jersey City
Sophia Harry from Saint Joseph School, Jersey City
Serafina Prusakowski from Saint Joseph School (St. Nicholas School), Jersey City
Jaxon Gajewski from Saint Francis Academy, Union City
Ishabethel Ardon from Academy of Saint Joseph of the Palisades, West New York
You can view photos of the event here.
Featured image: Students are honored at the 2025 Outstanding Catholic School Graduate Mass and Awards Ceremony. (Photo Academy of St. Paul, Ramsey)
