By Barb Dawson
•
March 27, 2025
Montini Catholic in Lombard congratulated the newest inductees into their Spanish, Chinese and French Honor Societies. This year's ceremony was held on Wednesday, March 26th in the lLasallian college preparatory high school's auditorium. Members and families were welcomed by Montini's Foreign Language Department Chair, Mrs. Jennifer Block along with French teacher, Mrs. Beth DiMarco, Chinese teacher Mrs. Sumin Xu and Spanish teacher, Mrs. Makenzie Long. The ceremony began with select language students reciting the 'Hail Mary' prayer in Chinese, French, and Spanish. "Tonight, we recognize an extraordinary group of students - young scholars who have demonstrated not only academic excellence but also perseverance, curiosity, and a deep commitment to language learning," said Mrs. Block. "Over the past three or four years, they have risen to the challenges of mastering a new language all while navigating its complexities with determination and enthusiasm. More than just excelling in their studies, they have embraced the beauty of communication across cultures: fostering connections that extend far beyond the classroom. Their dedication to linguistic and cultural understanding is both inspiring and commendable, and we are so proud to celebrate their achievements tonight. We as their teachers get to see them taking risks every day in class, and putting in the hard work to excel- we are so glad that they are being celebrated this evening." French Honor Society: The French Honor Society is a nationally recognized organization that honors students who have excelled not only in their French courses but in all of their courses at Montini. Additionally, these students must take French 4 or 4H next year to finish out their four years of French, or be a graduating senior who elected to take level 3 their senior year. They must be members of our French club and have an average GPA of 3.5 or higher in their French courses over the course of three years. Chinese Honor Society: The National Chinese Honor Society (NCHS) was established in 1993 to recognize those accomplished high school students who study Chinese as a world language. To be eligible for induction, students must maintain an average of 93 or higher and commit to pursuing language study throughout their four years at Montini. Eligibility requires that students have a cumulative 3.5 GPA, including a 4.0 GPA in their specific language, as well as a commitment to taking the foreign language all four years at Montini. This year 18 students were inducted into their respective language honor society. Spanish Honor Society: The Spanish Honor Society was founded by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese in 1953, for the students of North American secondary schools; The name of Montini Catholic's chapter is San Juan Butista de la Salle with the motto, “Todos a una”, “All together.” Students must maintain a 95 or higher in three prior semesters for Spanish to be eligible for Honor Society status. Congratulations to: Chinese Honor Society Inductees Michael May '26 Thomas Healy '26 French Honor Society Inductees Julia Ciaccio '26 Harry (Harold) Hall '26 Aubrey Podojil '26 Sophia Torres '26 Spanish Honor Society Inductees Sofia Flores '26 Savannah Gutierrez '26 Blake Heyer '26 Karissa Jones '26 Jonathan Kosinski '26 Ashlynn Lindt '26 Nicole Navarro '26 Yeon (Seoyeon) Park '26 Gabby (Mary Gabrielle) Paulino '26 Valentina Serna '25 Jackson Simek '25 Mia (Maria) Torres '26 Image above: Spanish Honor Society Inductees l to r: Sofia Flores, Savannah Gutierrez, Blake Heyer, Karissa Jones, Jonathan Kosinski, Ashlynn Lindt, Nicole Navarro, Gabby Paulino, Valentina Serna and Mia Torres;