Atlanta
Catholic high schools name top scholars of senior class
By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer | Published May 4, 2017
ATLANTA—The top two students academically in the class of 2017 at Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fayetteville, are valedictorian Cathy Tran and salutatorian Natalie Standard.
Tran, the daughter of Hung The Cao and Uyen Ngoc Thi Vu, will be entering Augusta University, Augusta. The family attends Our Lady of Vietnam Church, Riverdale.
Standard is the daughter of Tim and Karen Standard. She will be enrolling at Catawba College, Salisbury, North Carolina. The family worships at St. Philip Benizi Church, Jonesboro.
Graduation ceremonies will take place on Saturday, May 20, at the high school.
Blessed Trinity High School
Olivia Barnard is honored as the valedictorian of the senior class at Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell.
Barnard, the daughter of Cora and Carl Barnard, will attend the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. The family belongs to St. Peter Chanel Church, Roswell.
The salutatorian is Nicole Imhof, the daughter of Katherine and Scott Imhof, members of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta. She will attend the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 20, at Blessed Trinity.
Holy Spirit Preparatory School
Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta, graduates its class of 2017 on Tuesday, May 30.
By tradition, Holy Spirit Prep does not identify its class valedictorian or salutatorian until mid-May, past the deadline for publication.
At the commencement, Dr. Allen Hunt, author, speaker and convert to Catholicism, will speak with the class members and guests. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will celebrate the Baccalaureate Mass.
Marist School
At Marist School, Atlanta, Christina Shin, the daughter of Dong Won Shin and Duck Nam Kim, is the valedictorian of the class of 2017. She will attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The family attends Korean Martyrs Catholic Church, Doraville.
The salutatorian of the class is Jack Dinges, the son of Jude and Michelle Dinges. He will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The family worships at St. Brigid Church, Johns Creek.
Graduation will be celebrated on Saturday, May 20, at Marist.
The valedictorian and the salutatorian were both National Merit Scholarship honorees.
Monsignor Donovan High School
Megan Wickwire is the valedictorian of the class of 2017 at Monsignor Donovan High School, Athens. She is the daughter of Charles and Mary Wickwire.
The class salutatorian is Davis Meyer, the son of Robert and Paige Meyer. The family attends St. Joseph Church, Athens.
Both Wickwire and Meyer will enter the University of Georgia, Athens.
Graduation ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 13.
Pinecrest Academy
At Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, the Boys Upper School valedictorian is Matthew Bernet, the son of Maurice and Rosanna Bernet.
Joseph Meersman, the son of Mark and Christie Meersman, is the class salutatorian. Both of the honorees will enter the University of Georgia, Athens.
The Meersman family and the Bernets are members of St. Benedict Church, Johns Creek.
The Girls Upper School at Pinecrest Academy recognized Claudia Szlek as its top academic student. She is the daughter of Slawomir and Aneta Szlek. The family attends St. Marguerite d’Youville Church, Lawrenceville. Szlek will attend either the University of North Carolina or the University of Georgia.
The salutatorian for the Girls Upper School is Danielle Madda, who will be attending Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. She is the daughter of Donald and Susan Madda, members of St. Benedict Church, Johns Creek.
Madda has been awarded a Stamps Presidential Scholarship to Georgia Tech, a four-year, full scholarship with additional enrichment experiences and leadership retreats abroad. She is the first Pinecrest student to receive this scholarship.
Georgia Tech also approved her request to defer entrance for one year, so that she may serve in the Regnum Christi Mission Corps program.
Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at Pinecrest.
St. Pius X High School
Emily Pearson is the valedictorian of the class of 2017 at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta. She is the daughter of Patrice and Oke Pearson and will be entering the University of Georgia, Athens. The family attends the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.
The class salutatorian is Jacob Ressler-Craig, the son of Betsy and Kerry Ressler-Craig. He will attend Caltech, the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena.
Graduation will be celebrated on Thursday, May 18, in Symphony Hall.
Both the valedictorian and the salutatorian are National Merit Scholarship finalists.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated from the print edition of May 4 to include the college selection of Marist School valedictorian Christina Shin.