2025 Language Awards Ceremony

St. Sebastian's School held a Language Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025, recognizing students' academic achievements in Latin and Spanish.

During the ceremony, Sean Albertson, Chair of the Classics Department, gave the following remarks:

Our world rightly remains abuzz about our new Pope. I think we actually share in what the world finds so notable about Pope Leo. In fact, I am utterly convinced that---if he had been born in Boston, rather than Chicago—Pope Leo would have been an Arrow.

We can start easy—Pope Leo likes sports . . . just like us. His game is tennis, no different than ours being lacrosse or golf or soccer or hockey.

He roots for the Sox—granted, the White Sox--but this gives me every confidence that he would have seen the light and would have grown up among the Fenway faithful.

If we go a bit deeper, it’s safe to say Pope Leo wants to go to heaven. We Arrows are all in on that one!

Pope Leo obviously believes in miracles. Do you believe in miracles? We have that answer. He would have been right there with you serving the Miracle League.

Our Pope is “For Humanity,” just like Arrows. He would have made sandwiches, packed food for Haiti, served the needs of Catholic Charities, or washed cars for Baby Ben—just like you.

Pope Leo would have known that “Wednesdays are for the kids” and now, even, “Summers are for the kids”—helping serve Saint John Paul II Academy’s kids, right by your side.

Pope Leo knows the Regina Caeli—just like us. But, it would be silly to claim that as our best linguistic connection. No, I think Pope Leo would have cleaned up at a Language Awards ceremony like this.

You see, he studied Latin and German in high school, and Latin and Hebrew at Villanova. Then, he expanded his Latin as he studied Canon Law at the Angelicum.

But he was, as we aspire, "a life-long learner” who also studied Italian during stints in Rome, and gained fluency in Spanish as Fr. Bob, a missionary, in service not only to the faith needs in Peru, but also in delivering food to the poor in remote regions, and in rolling up his sleeves to help overcome flooding disasters.

Pope Leo lives out what Arrows espouse and aspire to---that capacity “to know, to love, and to serve God and neighbor.” And he has done it in so many ways.

And so, in considering how Pope Leo would have been an Arrow, we realize---with an emphasis on service and language, words and deeds---that we are like him, sharing  in works to help others and developing our talents---today, our language talents---which, as Mother Teresa’s words yesterday reminded us, are for “the glory of God” or, in that Jesuit motto, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam.

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Awards presented during the assembly include:

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica

Gus Baer
Declan H. Carroll
Paolo R. Castro
Demetrios P. Catrickes
Thomas D. Ciongoli
Nicolas P. Doglioli
John M. Dorsey
Jackson W. Fulginite
James Q. Harney
Chase R. Hernandez
John J. Joyce
Ryan Krummell
Abner Machuca Diaz
Aiden E. Mack
Theodore C. McKeigue
John B. McRoskey
Avedis B. Najarian
Jacob A. Pichay
Carter G. Rich
Wright J. Shinzawa
Luis E. Sosa Espinal
Jack Stavaridis
Benjamin E. Stuart
Akul Trikha
Maxwell E. Weber
Owen L. Zhang

National Spanish Exam Awards

Oro
Gus Baer
Finn Govender
James T. Shahied
Maxwell E. Weber
Nicholas M. Winslow

Plata
Nathaniel M. Antebi
Nate M. Bloomenthal
Connor P. Carroll
Caleb D. Casiano
Killian F. Cunjak
Brendan T. Fleming
Graham A. Martin
John B. McRoskey
Quinn A. Mulvey
Charles D. O’Niell
Conor F. Plotner
Cameron J. Power
Benjamin Reed
Wright J. Shinzawa
Judah Snyder
Benjamin E. Stuart
Emmett J. Sullivan

Bronce
Desmond F. Baugh
Griff Ciongoli
Finn D. Condron
Richard X. Condron
Jack C. Connolly
Nicolas P. Doglioli
John J. Joyce
Joseph D. Koh
Peter J. Lipscomb
Aiden E. Mack
Brendan M. McHugh
Luke Raskin
William B. Rowe
Cole C. Shevlin
Akul Trikha
Noah R. Wagner
Javier Yee

Honorífica
Benjamin M. Aidlen
Kamsi O. Alakija
Oisin E. Asaad
Decker L. Bannish
Brexton J. Bartlett
Quin P. Bollin
William B. Bolton
Dylan F. Boyce
Nolan A. Boyle
Declan H. Carroll
Reed J. Carroll
Demetrios P. Catrickes
William S. Church
Thomas D. Ciongoli
Brennan R. Condron
Quentin J. Donoghue
Leo W. Dow
Karl A. Eduoarzin
Alan M. Felix
Jackson W. Fulginite
Anthony A. Gray
Ryan Healey
Gavin J. Herlihy
Seth D. Janchar
Richard C. Joyce
Alexandros J. Kaplan
Eamon Keefe
Robert R. Keller
James Keller
Ryan Krummell
John O. Lemke
Edward P. Leto
Griffin D. MacLaughlan
Christian R. Martinez-Moule
Charles M. Melchionda
Noah Meyers
Ryan S. Mutryn
Daniel X. Pichay
Andrew W. Plotner
William D. Reed
Carter G. Rich
Rhett D. Shevlin
Antonio St. John
Jack A. Stavaridis
Declan T. Sullivan
Liam M. Sullivan
Peter N. Sveen
Owen Warren
Tyler M. Weeks
Brady Williams
Jonathan Yang
James Zhou

National Latin Exam

Summa Cum Laude
Jackson J. Burke
Liam N. Cunjak
Jack Freyermuth
Rohan Ghatge
Michael Goodhue
Tyler J. Hehir
Caleb J. Kim
Miles B. Koppenheffer
Carter M. Kubec
Charles R. Lans
Anthony T. Marucci
Alvaro J. Martinez
Joseph B. Ryan
Benjamin J. Yu

Maxima Cum Laude
Nicholas Albornoz
Henry Bowman
Luke Burch
Felix G. Cressotti
Nolan L. Dunphy
Robert T. Ferguson
Samuel A. Fishbone
Wesley F. Friedman
Rowan G. Koppenheffer
John Lynch
Andrew McElaney
Michael A. Rohatgi
Dominic S. Scioli
Matthew Spalla

Magna Cum Laude
Cormac E. Anderson
Oliver M. Asaad
Ryan M. Connolly
Sebastian F. Culleton
Benjamin M. Deschenes
John Grimes
Alexander Moran
John E. Usechek
Nolan W. Wishsart

Cum Laude
Alistair P. Cooper
Michael M. DeMatteo
Patrick J. Fennell
Jack M.Halloran
John R. Kane
Peter T. Keefe
Joseph P. Martin
Andrew C. Matthews

Latin Honor Society

Grade 12
Liam N. Cunjak
Benjamin G. Molinksy

Grade 11
Davis W. Cassler
Sean P. Collins
Finn N. Daley
Michael M. DeMatteo
Luca J. Faggiano
John Grimes
Cesar A. Hernandez
George K. Kelly
Oliver R. Manning
Joseph P. Martin
Brendan J. Matthews
Antionio Petruzziello
Michael A. Rohatgi
Dominic S. Scioli
John C. Sullivan
Andrew Zhang

Grade 10
Ethan J. Abdella
Nicholas Alboronoz
Aidan C. Cleary
Ryan M. Connolly
Felix G. Cressotti
Rohit Dabas
Lukas R. Hiles
Rowan G. Koppenheffer
John Lynch
Anthony T. Marcucci
Matthew J. McCarthy
James J. McNulty
Daniel J.Porter
Thomas M. Saulnier
Ryan Sullivan
Ryan P. Walsh
Nolan W. Wishart

Grade 9
Reid M. Bolton
Henry Bowman
Brooks H. Carter
Robert T. Ferguson
Reece H. Feyler
Rohan Ghatge
William J. Hulbig
Victor G. Layevsky
Andrew C. Matthews
Connor J. McDonald
Alexander Moran
Joseph B. Ryan
Matthew Spalla
Richard C. Warren

Grade 8
Luke Burch
Patrick J. Fennell
Samuel A. Fishbone
Jack M. Halloran
Nicholas S. Hiles
John R. Kane
Carter M. Kubec
Christian M. Kuo
Charlie R. Lans
Alvaro J. Martinez
John F. Wishart
Benjamin J. Yu

Grade 7
Ronuk Dabas
Jack Freyermuth
Wesley F. Friedman
Owen D. Higgins
Rex Hustak
Caleb J. Kim
Miles B. Koppenheffer
Theodore A. MacMillan
Husdon O. Silva

Magna Cum Laude Awards for the 2025 Vergil Translation Contest:
Anthony T. Marcucci