Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will preside at the 10TH Annual Neumann Scholars Award Ceremony on

Sunday, April 25, 2004
2:30 p.m.
Saint Joseph's University Chapel
City Line and Cardinal Avenues
Philadelphia

The Neumann Scholars Program, an initiative developed and funded by the Connelly Foundation, is celebrating ten years of offering full and partial scholarships to eighth grade students of Catholic elementary schools. The program was launched in 1995 to attract the highest academically achieving parochial school students to Archdiocesan high schools. The scholarship program is named after Saint John Neumann, the founder of Philadelphia's parochial school system. From 1995 through and including the 2004 scholarships, the Connelly Foundation has awarded 575 scholarships for an investment in excess of $4,300,000.

The number of Neumann Scholars graduated from Archdiocesan High Schools from 1999 through 2003 is 192. Some of the outstanding accomplishments of those graduates are:

- Twenty-seven students ranked number one and over 70% ranked among the top ten students in their respective high school classes.
- SAT scores averaged approximately 1370 – with a high score of 1580.
- Twenty-nine students were National Merit Finalists and fifty-five were Commended Students.
- One third of the students were Diocesan Scholars (ranked in the top 1.5% of the senior class)
- The 192 graduates received scholarship offers in excess of $21.6 million dollars.

This year, fifty-six 8th grade students from parish elementary schools will be installed in the scholarship program. Thirty-four students are being honored as Neumann Scholars and receive full tuition scholarships for four years to an Archdiocesan high school. Twenty-two students will receive honorable mention and are being awarded half-tuition scholarships for four years.

NEUMANN SCHOLARS PROGRAM 2004 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Philadelphia
Oluwatobi Ariyo - Neumann Scholar - St. Francis de Sales
Carlton Wilks - Neumann Scholar - St. Francis de Sales
Andrea Robinson - Honorable Mention - St. Barnabas
Frederick Lesher - Honorable Mention - St. Clement-Irenaeus
Cam Nguyen - Neumann Scholar - Visitation BVM
Andrew Gepty - Neumann Scholar - Sacred Heart
Vincent DiPiano - Neumann Scholar - St. Richard
Michael Souza - Honorable Mention - Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Joseph Varallo - Honorable Mention - St. Monica
Sean Patrick O'Connor - Neumann Scholar - Immaculate Heart of Mary
James Mattis - Honorable Mention - St. Mary of the Assumption
Gwendolyn Smith - Honorable Mention - Immaculate Heart of Mary
Vinh Au - Neumann Scholar - St. Helena
Thomas Pacewicz - Neumann Scholar - St. John Cantius
Ryan Galazka - Honorable Mention - Our Lady Help of Christians
Jennifer Nguyen - Honorable Mention - St. Ambrose
David Wilson - Honorable Mention - St. Hugh of Cluny
Joseph McMonagle - Neumann Scholar - St. Katherine of Siena
Kimberly McErlean - Neumann Scholar - St. Matthew
Shawn Doherty - Neumann Scholar - St. Cecilia
Kristin Danella - Neumann Scholar - Our Lady of Ransom
Christopher Terrill - Neumann Scholar - St. Katherine of Siena
Nicholas Barretta - Neumann Scholar - Christ the King
Christine Weston - Neumann Scholar - St. Katherine of Siena
William Fisher - Neumann Scholar - St. Martin of Tours
Matthew Pettit - Honorable Mention - St. Matthew

Bucks County
Michael Sweriduk - Neumann Scholar - St. Jude
Dylan Moore - Neumann Scholar - Immaculate Conception
Brian Conway - Neumann Scholar - Our Lady of Good Counsel
Bridget Murphy - Neumann Scholar - Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Erika Deegan - Honorable Mention - Nativity of Our Lord

Chester County
Nicholas Shirley - Neumann Scholar - St. Joseph
Connor Lloyd - Neumann Scholar - SS. Philip & James
Alicia Creighton - Neumann Scholar - St. Agnes
Kimberly Zamojcin - Honorable Mention - Holy Family
Daniel Hart - Honorable Mention - St. Joseph
Samantha Savoy - Honorable Mention - Holy Family


Delaware County
Mary-Therese Capaldi - Neumann Scholar - Nativity BVM
Erica Boland - Neumann Scholar - St. John Chrysostom
Robert Buchanan - Honorable Mention - St. Mary Magdalen
Eric J. Lebrun - Honorable Mention - St. Mary Magdalen
Marianne Patterson - Neumann Scholar - Annunciation BVM
Matthew Johnson - Neumann Scholar - St. Charles Borromeo
Christina Sharkey - Neumann Scholar - St. Pius X
Monica Zack - Honorable Mention - Sacred Heart
Robert Manley - Honorable Mention - St. Joseph


Montgomery County
Victoria C. DiCamillo - Neumann Scholar - Our Lady Help of Christians
Julia Ann Walsh - Neumann Scholar - Presentation BVM
James R. Cochrane - Honorable Mention - Queen of Peace
Gregory Wommer - Honorable Mention - St. Albert the Great
Christina A. Kuklinski - Neumann Scholar - St. Aloysius
Peter Creciun - Neumann Scholar - Visitation BVM
Elizabeth Albany - Neumann Scholar - St. Catherine of Siena
Maria Calvin - Neumann Scholar - St. Catherine of Siena
Christopher Yakscoe - Honorable Mention - Visitation BVM
Megan Gillespie - Honorable Mention - St. Stanislaus

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Contact
Marie Kelly
Associate Director
215-587-3747