St. Francis High School Graduating Class of 2012

One hundred and sixty-five young men from the Class of 2012 graduated on Saturday, May 26, on the campus of St. Francis High School in La Cañada, California. Fr. Matthew Elshoff, OFM Cap., the Provincial of the Western American Province of the Capuchin Franciscan Order, represented his Excellency Bishop José Gómez, Archbishop of Los Angeles at the graduation. Fr. Antonio Marti, OFM Cap., the school president, and Mr. Thomas Moran, the school principal, also officiated at the sixty-third com¬mencement ceremony of the local Catholic, college-preparatory institution.

Roylance Lee Bird IV also received the Capuchin Award and Medal for Scholarship.

Certificates of Excellence were awarded to graduates in the following categories: Computer Science, George Theodore Dupas; English, Collin Edward Peterson; Fine Arts, Nikolas Alexander Barth; Foreign Language, Tanner John Haynes; Leadership, Michael Robert Bacall, Samuel Robert Ortega; Mass Media, George Joseph Nausha; Mathematics, Mark Sultan; Science, Andrew Gregory Evans; Social Studies, Brennan Noble Boyack.

The school faculty also presented Capuchin Medals for excellence in subject areas to the following individuals: Art, Cameron Brantley Aubert; Athletics, James Nathaniel Knowles Jr., Collin Edward Peterson; Biology, Nikolas Alexander Barth; Chemistry, Joseph Robert Williams; Chorus, Ryder Robert Christ; Computer Science, Payton Shota Wakimoto; Drumline, Herbert Donald Wedekind; Economics, Roylance Lee Bird IV; English, Jeffrey Thomas Brown; European History, Jake Allen Egbert; Kinesiology, Connor William Vandagriff; Latin, Roylance Lee Bird IV; Mass Media, Kibbey Michael Tygh Gosnell; Mathematics, Jeremy Alexander Koch; Physics, Payton Shota Wakimoto; Religion, James Ross LaManna; Spanish, Delfin Andres Acosta; Theater, Nathan John Baker; United States Government, Roylance Lee Bird IV; United States History, Dimitri Starzak.

At the Baccalaureate Mass on May 25, Community Service Awards were presented to Austin Ray Del Los Santos (Pro Deo et Patria for Leadership); Joseph Michael Giovanisci (Pro Deo et Ecclesia for Leadership); Travis David Anderson (Fred Purner Humanitarian Award); Austin William Frank (Roger Barkley Award for Outstanding Character); Ian Henry Bogert (Archdiocesan Christian Service Award); Thomas Sutherland Banks, William Francis Larkin (Medal for Good Citizenship); and Austin Ray De Los Santos (Franciscan Spirit and Life Award). In addition, Mrs. Teresa Aubert was honored for her service to St. Francis with the Claire of Assisi Award.

The Fr. Lawrence Caruso Memorial College Scholarship was awarded to Kristion Grgo Grbavac.

Twenty-nine of the graduates received a St. Francis Honors Diploma, an award given for Christian Service, high academic achievement and for taking at least one of the Advanced Placement courses during their senior year at the school. Eighteen of the graduating seniors became Life Members in the California Scholarship Federation.

National Merit Scholarship Commended Students are Roylance Lee Bird IV, Jeffrey Thomas Brown, Jeremy Alexander Koch, Kevin Matthew O’Toole, Jackson Matthew Warner, and Matthew Underwood Wellnitz.

Thirty-six students graduated as members of the National Honor Society and eleven graduated as Mu Alpha Theta Members. The NHS Certificate of Merit was awarded to Austin William Frank. The National Honor Society of Sports Medicine graduated seven members. The National Hispanic Recognition Program recognized Delfin Andres Acosta.

At press time, St. Francis High School’s selected students of the graduating Class of 2012 received 67 scholarships, awards and honors to colleges and universities throughout the United States.

The following colleges and universities presented scholarships, honors and awards

Allegheny College Trustee Scholarship, Connor William Chow; Arizona State University California Scholarship, Corey Matthew Jung; Arizona State University California Dean’s Scholarship, Corey Matthew Jung; Arizona State University California Scholarship, Matthew Underwood Wellnitz; Azusa Pacific University Dean’s Scholarship, Mario Reyes Moreno; Baylor University Scholarship, Tei Ulysses Vanderford; California Lutheran University Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship, Ryder Robert Christ;

California Lutheran University Merit Scholarship, Daniel Rolando Porto; California State University, Fullerton Athletic Scholarship, David Alberto Olmedo-Barrera; Catholic University of America Scholarship, Connor William Chow; Denison University Scholarship, Taylor George Cafferata; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – AZ Scholarship, John Joseph Naginis; Gonzaga University Scholarship, Cameron Brantley Aubert; Matthew Takayuki Casciani; Hiram College Scholarship, Taylor George Cafferata; Hofstra University Scholarship, Nathan John Baker; Jacobs University: Bremen, Germany Scholarship, Jeremy Alexander Koch; Loyola Marymount University Father Arrupe Scholarship, Delfin Andres Acosta; Loyola Marymount University Scholarship, Austin William Frank; Jeremy Alexander Koch; Loyola Marymount University Academic Scholarship, Christopher Abel Green; Loyola Marymount University Truman Hutton Scholarship, Germaine-Paul M. Kempis; Loyola University of Chicago Scholarship, Justin Collins Levin; Marquette University St. Ignatius Scholarship, Collin Edward Peterson;

Marquette University Scholarship, Andrew Joseph Smarius; Northern Arizona State University Scholarship, Diego Xavier Torres; Regis University Scholarship, Connor Gregory Haas; Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Scholarship, Payton Shota Wakimoto; St. Joseph’s University Scholarship, Christopher Michael Ferri; St. Lawrence University Scholarship, Chad Joseph Rahtz; St. Michael’s College Edmendite Scholarship, Connor William Vandagriff; San Jose State University Athletic Scholarship, Travis Paul Talianko; Santa Clara University Scholarship, Austin William Frank; Matthew Underwood Wellnitz;

Seattle Pacific University Scholarship, Marios Modestos Kefalas; Seattle University Merit Scholarship, Harrison Strom Dellinger; Seattle University Scholarship, Connor Gregory Haas; Southern Methodist University Scholarship, Thomas Sutherland Banks; Jason Dale Stumbaugh; Southern Methodist University Merit Scholarship, Daniel Rolando Porto; Texas Christian University Scholarship, Matthew Takayuki Casciani; The University of Arizona Scholarship, Corey Matthew Jung; Nicholas Robert Kern; Tei Ulysses Vanderford; University of California at Berkeley Scholarship, James Ross LaManna; University of California at Davis Scholarship, Jeffrey Thomas Brown; University of California, Los Angeles Scholarship, James Ross LaManna; University of California, San Diego Regent’s Scholar, Roylance Lee Bird IV;

University of California, Santa Barbara Scholarship, Roylance Lee Bird IV; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Scholarship, Payton Shota Wakimoto; University of New Mexico Amigo Scholarship, John Wendell Kazanjian; University of the Pacific Scholarship, Cameron Brantley Aubert; University of Portland Presidential Scholarship, Austin William Frank; University of Portland Scholarship, Sean Henry Eckhardt; Andrew Gregory Evans; Matthew Underwood Wellnitz; University of Oregon Scholarship, Jason Dale Stumbaugh; University of San Francisco Dean’s Scholarship, Corey Matthew Jung; University of Vermont Scholarship, Justin Collins Levin; Virginia Military Institute Scholarship, Connor William Chow; Whittier College Merit Scholarship, Siorne Alexander John; Willamette University Scholarship, James Ross LaManna; Xavier University Scholarship, Joseph Michael Giovanisci.

St. Francis would like to congratulate all 165 graduates and wish them well as they journey on to do great things.