What’s recently happened:
Students of Marquette Catholic High School (MQTT) have finished their 2021-2022 school year as of June 3. They took their finals throughout the week of May 31 to June 3 and ended the week with free pizza and a sundae bar!
Most importantly, they ended the school year by acknowledging many great accomplishments, as well as scholarships students earned. The school acknowledged the thirty out of sixty seniors total who were graduating with not only a high school diploma, but an associates degree as well.
They spoke of how a total of 2,200 dual credits were earned between Marquette’s class of 2022 as well as a combined offer of $11,208,556 in scholarships.
While the main focus was awarding seniors, the school also awarded some underclassmen. Two underclassmen received scholarships, one being the Charles and Joan Mulrenan Scholarship. Others were recognized for their various achievements, both in and out of the classroom.
Awards such as the Distinguished Athlete Award and achievement awards in English, social studies, and math were given. The American Legion Scholarhip award was also given to two underclassmen and one senior.
There were various awards given to the many impressive students at MQTT. Different cords, tassels, and satchels were distributed among the senior class that earned it. These cords consisted of Summa Cum Laude (gold cord and stole), University Program (light blue cord), 15+ College Credits (green cord), DECA (navy blue cord), National Honors Society (gold tassel), and the International stole.
Everyone worked hard during their four years at MQTT. MQTT has seen the class of 2022’s hard, determined work and decided to acknowledge that in front of friends, family, and faculty.
While the event itself may sound small and insignificant compared to the graduation that will occur merely a few days afterwards, that event gave a confidence boost to some and maybe even inspired the younger students to strive for more.
What’s coming up:
Seniors are starting a brand new chapter in their life on Monday, June 6. They are opening their doors to an entirely different world than high school had to offer them.
Some are preparing to take new classes and learn more about their intended career. Others will jump right into the workforce and begin to move up the workchain. Some may not know what they want to do yet, and that’s perfectly fine.
They’re preparing to meet new people, new ideas, new opportunities, and new environments. They won’t be the same person they are now in just merely a year, and that is exciting. Personal growth is what one should want after high school: to become more mature, a little more serious, but still enjoying things that life brings them.
This is all going to dawn on MQTT’s class of ‘22 on Monday, June 6, at 6:30 p.m. When their names are called, and they receive their diploma, turn their tassels, throw up their hats in celebration, take photos with family and friends and go to eat afterwards, they will be thinking about this.
They will realize all they accomplished. Whether their grades were all A’s or just barely passing, they still made it! They still accomplished something magnificent. They will be thinking about all the relationships they’ve made with other ‘22 graduates, underclassmen, and even the MQTT faculty because the class of ‘22 would not be a thing without them.
Graduates and family will start the big day at 9 a.m. at Blue Chip Casino for a senior breakfast. There they will eat their last meal together as a class before going their separate ways.
Later on in the day, the graduates will meet up once again at 5 p.m. for a simple Graduation Mass where they will come together as one, in God’s house, to celebrate all that God has blessed them with.
Lastly, after Mass, the graduates and family will head over to the gymnasium, and officially graduate.
Staff spotlight:
Katie Collignon is the vice principal at MQTT as well as the athletic director and girls basketball coach. She’s played a huge part in this year's seniors lives, especially the more athletic ones.
These four years with MQTT’s class of ‘22 have flown by for Collignon. She finds herself truly wondering where the time goes. She and all of the other staff members of MQTT have learned a lot about the class of ‘22. She finds it rewarding to see all that they have accomplished and how they’ve grown towards this next step in their life.
While it is bittersweet, and she will truly miss the group of graduating seniors, she’s excited to see their future unfold.
There are many amazing things about MQTT that graduating seniors will miss, whether they want to admit it or not.
Collignon shares that she, personally, loves the sense of community MQTT brings with its inclusiveness. Each student has a high caliber of character and strives to become the best version of themselves by pushing themselves to high ends of achievement both in and out of the classroom.
Collignon also adores how MQTT is on the smaller side. Having a smaller body of students allows teachers and staff to truly connect and get to know each student better. When one visits MQTT, they can really tell that the staff truly cares about the school and the students in the way they operate everyday.
Having a smaller body of students and the sense of community is also what MQTT students love. Collignon also believes there’s more things students love about MQTT such as the opportunities offered.
“Being faith based, I think the students and staff understand that there is a deeper connection and reason that brings all of us together,” said Collignon.
While MQTT may not have as many clubs or activities as one desires, each club, or activity a student is in is like a bonus family. You stick through it with your peers and the faculty whether it’s in the University Program, athletics, theatre, etc. You still have someone you can relate to and seek advice from.
Collignon offers some words of advice to graduating seniors, stating to enjoy the next four years, for those years in college will go by quicker than high school. She encourages them to take advantage of opportunities given to them, get involved on campus, and simply have fun!
“MQTT has prepared you both academically and emotionally for this next step, but now it is up to you to seize it. Enjoy the little moments and continue to spread kindness to those around you,” said Collginon.
She also offered words of advice to possible future MQTT freshman. Collginon simply states for them to be excited for their next four years. Freshman year is one of the toughest, so she encourages freshmen to be ready from the start to show up, listen, and challenge themselves. Be open to new things, new people, and getting involved outside of the classroom.
There are many opportunities for freshmen to do so at MQTT, many clubs, in-school events, after school events, even traveling abroad. If you can, take advantage of it!
“Keep your priorities straight, stay organized, and you will be set up for a successful high school career at MQTT,” said Collignon.
Student spotlight:
Maura Mack is an impressive graduating senior of the class of ‘22. She was a part of MQTT University Program, therefore she is graduating on June 6 with a high school diploma, as well as an associate degree in liberal arts. She was also the Rotary Student of the Month this school year.
She was awarded the Michigan City Scholarship Foundation of $1,000, the Lions Club Memorial Scholarhip of $2,000 at Honors Day, and the Tom and Lillian Lernihan Scholarhip of $1,000. She is also in the National Honors Society.
On top of all of these impressive accomplishments, Mack is also attending Boston University (BU) which only has a 20% acceptance rate, yet her impressive grades, involvement in the community, as well as amazing personality got her acceptance.
Mack decided to enroll at BU because of their top research program that she would love to partake in, as well as the overall academic rigor of the school. BU is a larger private school, so they offer a wide variety of courses she can take, as well as numerous opportunities that really piqued her interest.
Mack was admitted into BU’s College of Arts and Sciences as a Biology major on the pre-health track. With that degree, she plans on becoming an interventional radiologist to detect and treat diseases, such as cancer. While she hasn’t fully decided on a minor, she is very interested in psychology and American Sign Language (ASL).
“I have always found science, particularly biology, to interest me most at school. It is a crucial subject to be knowledgeable in with the career I have in mind. With a major in biology, I can also prepare myself for medical school in order to earn my doctorate. Psychology and ASL have always interested me as well. I have enjoyed learning about psychology in high school and I would love to learn a lot more about both subjects at BU,” said Mack.
Mack is really excited to move forward into this next chapter of her life. The realization of her graduating hasn’t fully set in yet because she’s going through the motions of her final moments of senior year. These have been been really exciting events, such as Armageddon games, senior prom, and honors day. Those days have really meant more to her knowing that those are her last moments at MQTT with her classmates.
Mack is also excited for the summer. She plans on spending her summer with her friends and family outside. She will be working at Washington Park in Michigan City, as well as attending graduation parties, going to the beach, and just simply trying to relax before her first semester of college.
She is really going to miss seeing her classmates on a daily basis. She has known them for four years, so to go from seeing everyone everyday to possibly never, can be nerve-wracking.
Mack has made a lot of new friends since freshman orientation in 2018. While parting from them will be difficult and she will miss the friends she’s made, she plans on staying in touch.
She will also miss her teachers. Some of the best teacher’s Mack has ever had have been at MQTT. They are kind, understanding, and willing to work with students. Mack concludes by saying her high school experience would not be the same without her teachers.
Congratulations to Marquette Catholic High School's class of 2022!