 Marisa graduated from St. Mary in 2018 and attended high school at Rosary in Aurora. She excelled academically at both St. Mary and Rosary, but it was her love of music and theatre that was instilled early at St. Mary and only reinforced in high school. While at Rosary, she landed lead roles in the musicals The Little Mermaid, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Shrek, and Phantom of the Opera. Marisa participated in vocal choir all four years at Rosary and was honored to have achieved ILMEA Solo and Ensemble Superior ratings 2019-2022 and to have been selected to the ILMEA All-State Choir as a Junior and Honors All-State Choir as a Senior.
After graduating from Rosary in 2022, Marisa chose to pursue her passion of theater performance. She was accepted into the Music Theatre program at American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City. After almost two years of intense vocal singing, acting, and dance training, she will be finishing up her Sophomore year in June 2024, earning her Conservatory degree. She has been spending part of Sophomore year auditioning for numerous shows, on and off Broadway, along with participating in professionally produced showcases at AMDA. Marisa was recently accepted in the Flourish Performing Arts musical theatre training program in Washington Heights on New York's Upper West Side during the summer of 2024. In the fall, she will begin her Junior year at AMDA, continuing her studies toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Congratulations Marisa! You make St. Mary so proud!
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 My name is Hayley LeBouef and I graduated from St. Mary in 2016 after spending Kindergarten through 8th grade there.
I am actually the daughter of Mrs. LeBouef, who has been teaching 6th-8th grade at St. Mary for 13 years! I also had the privilege of having her as my teacher during my time there. After St. Mary, I attended DeKalb High School and graduated in 2020. Since then, I attended Kishwaukee College and graduated this past May (2023) with an Associate Degree of Applied Science in Nursing. Since graduation, I have taken and passed the NCLEX and have started working as a nurse at Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford in the NICU. I am continuing my education online at Purdue University and will graduate with my Bachelors in Nursing in December 2024! I am forever grateful for the incredible education and relationships I had during my time at St. Mary. My middle school years were not easy and I could not have made it without the support and love from the SMS family. I want to personally thank my mom, Mrs. LeBouef and Mrs. Dobie for always supporting me through life’s journey!  St. Mary alum and current Marmion Academy senior, Josh Walter, has received the Blessed Columba Marmion Award for March 2023.
Josh is one of the top seniors who indeed lives the life of commitment to the daily life of the Marmion community, its heritage and tradition. He willingly talks to everyone and anyone; and with his quick wit all are very comfortable around him. Though successful in both academics and athletics, he is extremely humble and down to earth. Josh is an unassuming leader of Marmion by the example and positive vibe that surrounds him. Following graduation from Marmion this spring, Josh has plans to continue his education at The University of Alabama in the fall. He was selected as a prestigious Randall Research Scholar in the Honors College and has received a generous, 5 year, full-ride scholarship working toward a joint B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and M.B.A. Congratulations Josh! St. Mary School is proud of you!  My name is Grant Goral and I graduated from St. Mary School in 2015 after spending Pre-K through 8th grade there. After SMS, I graduated from Aurora Central Catholic High School in 2019 and I am currently a senior at Northern Illinois University. I am pursuing
a bachelor’s in both political science and history, two great passions of mine that Mrs. LeBoeuf always encouraged me to follow. At NIU, I serve as a student director of the NIU Foundation, the University Honors Program, and the Huskie Food Pantry. Recently, I finished a summer-long internship in Washington D.C. working for Congressman Adam Kinzinger and the January 6th Committee at the United States Capitol. After graduation, I hope to receive a Marshall Scholarship to study at King’s College in London, and I am also in the process of applying for Ph.D. programs here in the U.S. I can without a doubt say that St. Mary School, with the amazing education and faculty they have, were a major part of shaping me into the person I am today. I am eternally grateful for all of the lessons I learned and the memories I made during my time there. A special shoutout to Mrs. Dobie, Mrs. LeBouef, Mrs. Pelikan, Mrs. Morgano, and Mrs. Cox, who made my time at SMS, one of faith, fun, and learning.  When you can call your school your home away from home and your teachers and classmates your extended family, you know you have been lucky enough to have been a part of something special.
In our case, that special place is St. Mary School. Our roots run deep with our grandma, Sandy Donnelly, having been a teacher there in the 80s and 90s, during the time our mom and two uncles also attended as students. We graduated during the 19-20 school year from SMS, a time when COVID prevented us from being in school. Those weeks were some of the hardest times because there were many things we had looked forward to that we were not able to do. It was difficult to focus during online learning as it was easy to get distracted at home but our teachers at St. Mary were always there for us, even if it was outside of school hours. We could email any time and they would always respond and answer our questions. They helped us get through confirmation and graduation. They truly helped us get to where we are now. Despite COVID, we still had some of our favorite memories during 8th grade, including winning the conference basketball championship and getting to help out our kindergarten buddies during their PE class and all-school masses. While we never got to go on our Washington DC trip, we really enjoyed bonding with our classmates at Loredo Taft, Springfield, and our band concert in Chicago. Speaking of mass, St. Mary’s has shaped our faith in ways we will forever be grateful for. We altar-served through 8th grade both there and at the St. Mary’s parish with the yearly Christmas mass and serving with the Bishop for confirmation for the 8th-grade class ahead of us as our biggest highlights. This gave us a good foundation to grow in our faith and since then we have expanded upon what they provided for us. This year, we are Juniors at Marmion Academy in Aurora, a school that has continued to support our faith journey. A critical part of our education is volunteering and service - to serve others as Christ did. Since high school, we come back each summer and during holiday breaks to give back to St. Mary’s. We love visiting our old school and seeing our former teachers. They are always happy to see us and we have a lot of fun talking with them about what we are up to now. Over the years we have collectively volunteered over 100 hours there doing projects behind the scenes that you might not always notice. We have painted, pulled weeds, moved furniture, dug holes, and tore up flooring, to name a few things. It feels good to give back. As we start the college search process, we are confident that both St. Mary School and Marmion Academy have prepared us to achieve our goals and dreams. They will always hold a special place in our hearts. Go Lancers!  My name is Alyssa Markevicus (formally Hall) and I graduated from St. Mary’s in 2003 after spending kindergarten through 8th grade there! I actually spent kindergarten and first grade in the old St. Mary’s school that is attached to the church. My dad also attended and graduated from St. Mary’s in DeKalb! After St. Mary’s, I graduated from Dekalb High School in 2007. In 2011, I graduated from Northern Illinois University with my bachelor’s in nursing. I spent one year at Swedish American Hospital in Rockford working on the orthopedics and neurology floor. After that, I moved to Chicago and started my nursing career at Rush University Medical Center where I have been ever since! I have spent the last five years working in the emergency department where there is never a dull moment! I moved out of Chicago two years ago and currently live in the suburbs with my husband and our fur baby Theo. Currently, I am back at NIU working on my masters in Family Nurse Practitioning and am on track to graduate in May 2021! My goal is to work as a women’s health nurse practitioner when I am done with school. I am eternally grateful for my time and the education I received at St. Mary’s. The small class sizes and individual attention helped me thrive throughout my higher education. Special shout out to Mrs. Feltes who I know has personally touched so many alumni’s hearts including mine!
 Bianca graduated from St. Mary's in 2006, going on to DHS for high school, and then Kishwaukee Community College for the start of her collegiate career. With a little help from some fellow SMS friends she decided to take on her B.A. in Public Relations at Illinois State University. After graduating ISU in 2014 she landed her first job at a leading PR agency in Chicago working on consumer food brands and commodity boards. Most recently she has taken on a new position at another PR agency working on Fortune 500 companies in the food, hospitality, and automobile industries. Since her days at St. Mary's, she has been able to travel the world personally and professionally, become a Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and keep close ties with her SMS family. She is grateful for the education and values instilled by St. Mary's that set a strong foundation to help her reach the accomplishments she has achieved thus far.
 When I reflect on my education as a whole, my experience at SMS is what sticks out the most. As others before me have said, St. Mary gave me the educational foundation that has been the reason for my success in not only my academics, but also in my personal and spiritual formation! I graduated class of 2012, and from there moved onto Sycamore High School where I was named an Illinois State Scholar. I am now attending NIU, and in May of 2020, I will receive my degree in Spanish with emphasis in business and translation! In my personal life, the teachers at St. Mary were true models for perseverance, determination, compassion, and faithfulness. They continue to inspire me today, years after graduation. These days you can find me working at my part time job at a local bank and spending time with my two cats and my husband Zach, who I just married in October! I’m so thankful for all SMS did for me in those early years of formation. Parents, you’re doing the right thing by sending your children here! I am very fond of my time at SMS and wouldn’t trade my Catholic education for the world.
 I graduated from St. Mary School in 2014 after attending this school for 11 years (Pre-k 3 through 8th grade). I then attended Rosary High School in Aurora. I am now a sophomore in college at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I am a nursing major and will start nursing school in fall of 2020. I am working toward being a neonatal nurse. Even after graduating St. Mary, the friends that I have made during my time there are still some of my closest friends today. The education I received from St. Mary has allowed me to academically thrive in high school and now, in college. The teachers there are still some of my favorite people, whom I go visit often.
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