Saint John’s Prep is proud to announce students who are graduating with honors on May 23, 2025. These students are the highest academic achievers of the Class of 2025. To graduate with an honors diploma from Saint John’s Prep, students must achieve a minimum of three academic distinctions, completing an interdisciplinary senior capstone project, and earn a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher. Students pursue areas of academic distinctions by completing advanced research, essays, and projects in their preferred fields of study.

The Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement ceremony will occur on May 23 at 3:00pm at the Saint John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, Minnesota. St. Cloud Diocese Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C. will preside and Saint John’s Abbot Douglas Mullin, OSB will concelebrate. Graduates selected Biology teacher Sarah Paselato give the faculty address and Liam Spychala of Albany to give the senior address.

Scroll down to learn more about our honors graduates, their college plans, and capstone project topics.

The 2025 Honors Students in alphabetical order are:

Sylvie Bechtold is the daughter of Kay and Gary Bechtold of Saint Joseph, Minnesota. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Visual Arts, and English. Sylvie will attend Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and major in Studio Arts and Biology. Sylvie’s capstone project explored this question: “In what ways did the intertwined studies of art and anatomy during the Italian Renaissance contribute to advancements in both fields, and what influence is still present in these subjects today?”

Amanda Bolton is the daughter of Nicole and Aaron Bolton of Sartell. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Social Studies, English, and Math. She is a National Merit Scholar.Amanda will attend the University of California Los Angeles. She plans to major in Public Health at UCLA. Amanda’s capstone project explored this question: “To what extent might human germline genome editing—considering He Jiankui’s experiment—challenge medical implications, ethical dilemmas, and social dynamics regarding genetic modification?”

Sarah Bolton is the daughter of Nicole and Aaron Bolton of Sartell. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Math, Social Studies, and English. Sarah will attend the University of California Los Angeles. She plans to major in Public Health at UCLA. Sarah’s capstone project explored this question: “Why is there a higher prevalence of ACL tears in female athletes, and what preventative measures can be implemented to minimize this risk?”

Isabel Crue is the daughter of Kelly and Jarrett Crue of Saint Joseph. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Performing Arts, World Languages, and English. Isabel will attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. She will major in Biology and Chemistry. Isabel’s capstone project explored this question: “How do the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s album, To Pimp a Butterfly, reflect the societal issue of racial inequality?”

Annika Dauer is the daughter of Eileen and Brian Dauer of Cold Spring. She is graduating with distinctions in Social Studies, Performing Arts, and English. She will attend Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She plans to major in Classics, Ancient History, and Archeology. Annika’s capstone project explored this question: “What does Odysseus’ role as a character in derivative works say about the societal values across time?”

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Diethelm is the daughter of Julie and Paul Diethelm of Saint Cloud. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Social Studies, and Visual Arts. She will attend Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Lizzy will major in Psychology. Lizzy’s capstone project explored this question: “To what extent does bipolar disorder affect creativity, and how did it affect Vincent Van Gogh’s creativity and works of art?”

Jackson Glomski is the son of Christine and John Glomski of Saint Augusta. He is graduating with distinctions in Math, Science, and English. He will attend Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He is will study Biology and Neuroscience. Jackson’s capstone project explored this question: “To what extent have the advancements made in biostatistics impacted physicians’ ability to create care plans more accurately for their patients?”

Alayna Neal is the daughter of Michelle and John Neal of Saint Cloud. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Performing Arts, and World Languages. Alayna will attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. She plans to study Chemistry and Spanish. Alyana’s capstone project explored: “In what ways do poverty or societal attitudes have an impact on the healthcare treatment gap of depression in the United States and Mexico?”

Brett Penk is the son of Stacy and Derek Penk of Watkins. He is graduating with distinctions in Social Studies, Performing Arts, English, and World Languages. Brett will attend Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He plans to major in Political Science. Brett’s capstone project explored: “How is art used as rebellious expression in China, Spain, and the United States under government oppression in the late 20th century and the early 21^st ����Գٳܰ���?”

Liam Spychala is the son of Casey and Jason Spychala of Albany. He is graduating with distinctions in Science, Performing Arts, and English. He will attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He plans to study Biology. Liam’s capstone project explored this question: “How do stories, like the one told through BBC’s Planet Earth II, showcase the power of storytelling in general population education on scientific subjects?”

Elizabeth St. Hilaire is the daughter of Alexandra and Thomas St. Hilaire of Saint Cloud. She is graduating with distinctions in Science, Math, Social Studies, Performing Arts, English, Visual Arts, and World Languages. Elizabeth will attend Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She plans to study Biochemistry. Elizabeth’s capstone project explored this question: How did the rise of Wastewater-Based Surveillance during the Covid-19 pandemic change the privacy of today’s public in the United States, and is government action ethically necessary? 

Benjamin “Ben” Suo is the son of Ping Suo of Saint Cloud. He is graduating with distinctions in Math, Visual Arts, and English. Ben will attend Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is currently undecided on his field of study. Ben’s capstone project explored: “How do digital voice assistants (DVAs) influence children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development, and in what ways can early exposure to such technology shape the behavior of future generations?”

Aspire to Excellence Curriculum
Saint John’s Preparatory School offers the Aspire to Excellence curriculum. Students may pursue advanced areas of academic distinctions by conducting additional research, essays, presentations, and projects in their preferred fields of study. Students earn an honors diploma from Saint John’s Prep by achieving a minimum of three academic distinctions, completing an interdisciplinary Senior Capstone project based on a combination of research, creative work, writing, and exhibition, as well as earn a composite weighted cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.

For more information about our school and the Aspire to Excellence curriculum, visit sjprep.net/academics/aspire-to-excellence-curriculum.

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Our Honors Capstone students had a big work session this week. More than two months of research and writing has come down to this: sharing their extensive academic research paper with a volunteer scholar! Prep has amazing friends who gave their time to meet individually with one of our Honors students. In doing so, they received essential feedback about everything from structure and MLA documentation to quality of analysis.

Ms. Pasela and Ms. Fitch, the instructors of Capstone class, want to give special thanks to: Jon McGee, , Jeff Kirchoff, Dan Stark, Kathy Doom, Dixie Boschee, , , Vanessa VanLaanen, and Jack Scheck, who gave their time and talents to our group of Capstone students. These mentors are current or recently retired Prep teachers, or educators at the .

The Honors Capstone class is part of  Saint John’s Preparatory School’s exclusive program, Aspire2Excellence, which allows students to be the architect of their own experience and future. Prep students have opportunities to develop a personalized learning plan made up of core courses, merits, and distinctions. Their capstone papers and projects delve deep into an intellectual question and provide them with the flexibility and encouragement to discover who they are and what they love.

The Honors Capstone class is made up of seniors who are working towards earning the highest level of academic distinction at Saint John’s Prep. Students who graduate with Honors demonstrate exceptional academic and intellectual depth and achievement.  To earn this distinguished recognition, Honors graduates must complete an interdisciplinary faculty-advised Senior Capstone that is based on a combination of research/original creative work, writing, and presentation.  

Stay tuned for May 2024 when Prep has our first annual Aspire to Excellence Scholarship Day and the public will get a chance to hear about the research and findings from our amazing students! Save the date of May 17, 2024 for our Scholarship Day!

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