Summer 2012 Issue - De La Salle Institute

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21ST ANNUAL D-FINAL EVENT On April 2, 2012, De La Salle hosted the 21st Annual D-Final Event. The Parmer Activity Center was filled with friends, family and alumni to watch the NCAA Basketball Championship game between Kentucky and Kansas, partake in the raffles and games offered throughout the evening and enjoy some Meteor camaraderie. In all, more than $39,000 was raised for the benefit of the young women and men of De La Salle. We would like to thank everyone who participated and we hope to see you at next year’s D-Final that will be held on April 8, 2013! Go Meteors! Members of the Class of 1967 enjoy a reunion at the D-Final Event. Seated from left to right are John Scelonge, Ron Rivera, Skip O’Donnell and Mike Wagner. Standing behind them are Nick Grzyb, Emmett Wilson, Edwin “Bo” Phillips, Prentiss Jackson and Robert Laude s s De La Salle president Fr. Paul Novak, OSM and assistant principal Nick Colletti draw the winning tickets in the Super Raffle PHONATHON 2012 THANK YOU! Twenty-three enthusiastic Meteors gathered in March to make more than 4,500 phone calls over an eight-day period for De La Salle Institute’s 2012 Phonathon. Alumni and friends from across the country responded generously when asked to support the student financial assistance program. De La Salle students raised more than $38,000 in outright gifts and pledge commitments through the generosity of many who share in our Lasallian mission of education. The Meteors who participated in the 2012 Phonathon were: Ashley Andaverde ‘12, Romero Board ‘12, Joshua Boddie ‘13, Ben Colletti ‘15, Gabino Coss ‘15, Marissa DeCarlo ‘12, Lauren Dilger ‘12, Dolores Duran ‘12, Ryan Flynn ‘13, Caterina Hernandez ‘12, Kristin Joyce ‘12, Jared Luna ‘15, Michael Nowak ‘15, Horace Nowell III ‘15, Jeremy O’Brien ‘12, Vinicio Ovalle ‘12, Erica Parrilli ‘12, Lauren Rubio ‘12, Tyler Senjanin ‘13, Jamon Thomas ‘15, Ricardo Torres ‘13, Bridget White ‘12 and Kevin Wilson ‘12. These student-callers did an outstanding job for a very important cause. Participating in the Phonathon is a great experience for De La Salle students. As future alumni, they have the opportunity to get acquainted with alumni and friends of the Institute, share information about the school’s most recent accomplishments, raise much-needed dollars for student financial aid and discover what being a Meteor is really all about. We congratulate our student-callers for their determined efforts and thank all of you who answered the call for support of our Meteors! 28 Alumni Connection 28 Alumni Connection Michael Nowak ‘15 helps to raise money for De La Salle by contacting alumni during the annual Phonathon s
ALUMNI CONNECTION Alumni Profile ERNEST MONACO, DDS '85 As an excellent student and athlete when he was a young man, Dr. Ernest Monaco ’85 had his choice of which high school he wanted to attend. Dr. Monaco, who graduated from Hale Elementary School and was from St. Symphorosa’s Parish in Chicago’s Clearing neighborhood, picked De La Salle. That decision eventually provided him the basis for a future that now includes 3,000 patients, two offices (one in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood and one in Darien, IL) and one very successful dental practice that has been in existence since 1994. “I knew that De La Salle was a very good school with great academics and athletics,” Dr. Monaco said. “We all stuck together; it was a brotherhood. And the faculty and staff taught us good moral values.” Among those who provided instruction to Dr. Monaco during his days as a Meteor, he cites Larry Wenshutonis ’60, George Jaros ’64, current Dean of Mathematics and Applied Sciences Kamaal Khazen, Dave Bavlsik, Todd Wernet, Don Huber and Wally Sebuck as having the greatest impact on his life. “The math and science classes at ‘D’ were very good and that made college a lot easier academically,” Dr. Monaco said. “We were well prepared in English, science and math. “One memory that I have is when I went to college and we took our first math test as a freshman. I got an ‘A’ on the test and it was all the same information that was taught at ‘D’. “The majority of the class failed that test, when I only reviewed the material. This was a perfect example of how ‘D’ prepared me for college.” Along with the ability to handle everything inside the classroom, the faculty and staff at De La Salle also provided Dr. Monaco and his classmates with insight and advice necessary to succeed outside the classroom. “We gained independence by traveling from our neighborhood to De La Salle,” Dr. Monaco said. “That prepared us to go off on our own. “It was so structured and there was so much discipline that helped us to get through college and life. I was able to overcome any fears and that made me very independent.” Independent enough to start his own dental practice after earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from the then-Illinois Benedictine College and a Doctorate in Dental Science from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville’s School of Dental Medicine in Alton, IL. “I like to work with my hands and I like to take care of my patients,” Dr. Monaco said. “That’s why I wanted to become a dentist.” Outside of the dental office, Dr. Monaco and his wife, Kathleen, who is a chiropractor, reside in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with their seven children, ranging in age from 7-17. Having high-school age children has enabled Dr. Monaco to look back with fondness at his days as a Meteor. Not only was Dr. Monaco an honor roll student, he also was an Honorable Mention All-Catholic League football player as a senior during the 1984 season. “I remember that we won the Prep Bowl and there are the memories of playing in Soldier Field,” Dr. Monaco said. “We practiced on the same field where Walter Payton played. I walked around the field and I looked at the goalposts and I was thinking of the people who played there before we did. That was amazing.” As for anyone who would want their children to attend De La Salle and have the same enriching experiences that Dr. Monaco did, he offered this bit of advice: “D’s a great school and you will learn to be independent and to become a man or a woman,” Dr. Monaco said. “The faculty and students are great and you will be prepared for college because of everything you learned at De La Salle. “Even when you go to college, you might see someone there who also went to ‘D’ and you know that you have that special bond.” Alumni Connection 29
Page 1 and 2: METEOR SPORTS UPDATE! (See p.18) ma
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS ACADEMICS Reflect
Page 5 and 6: ACADEMICS Valedictorian & Salutator
Page 7 and 8: CAMPUS SCRAPBOOK 2. 3. 1. 4. 5. 8.
Page 9 and 10: ACADEMICS 17 ILLINOIS STATE SCHOLAR
Page 11 and 12: ACADEMICS Alexis Ochoa ‘14 PERFOR
Page 13 and 14: FEATURE STORY De La Salle Aquatics:
Page 15 and 16: s FAITH, SERVICE & COMMUNITY TOLTON
Page 17 and 18: PARENT PLACE Welcome to the Institu
Page 19 and 20: Celebrating 10 years of educating w
Page 21 and 22: ATHLETICS SPRING SPORTS UPDATE Boys
Page 23 and 24: DEVELOPMENT 1. Daniel F. and Ada L.
Page 25 and 26: DEVELOPMENT 2. 3. 5. 4. 6. 1: Sr. D
Page 27 and 28: ALUMNI CONNECTION Alumni Updates Do
Page 29: ALUMNI CONNECTION Alumni Updates 19

Summer 2012 Issue - De La Salle Institute

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