Young Eun is the daughter of WongSeog Ko and YangJu Ku of Seoul, South Korea and will be graduating on Saturday, May 25^th. She will attend the University of California—Los Angeles in the fall and plans to major in statistics or environmental science.

Young Eun is pictured on the far right.

Jerome was born May 3, 1927, in Waite Park, Minnesota, to Albert J. Bechtold and Clara (Weyer) Bechtold. He married LeMay Wagner on August 18, 1948, in Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Nashua, Montana.

Jerry farmed near Rockville and was active in conservation work and local politics his whole life. He was on the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District since 1957 and served as the board chairperson for 20 years, was a member of the Rockville Township planning commission, was active in the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, and with LeMay, co-chaired the St. Cloud Diocesan Rural Life Committee. He was a member of Mary of the Immaculate Conception parish in Rockville. He served in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1948 in the Pacific during World War II.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years, LeMay of Rockville, and his children, Karen (Bernie) Koltes of Albany, Brigid of Plymouth, Barbara (John Tomaro) of Juneau, Alaska, Stephen (Helen) of Blackduck, Mary Ruth of Fort Peck, Montana, Gregory, Mark, and Roger of Rockville, Joyce of Ellicott City, Maryland, and Timothy (Karen Knudsen) of Missoula, Montana; brothers, Philip (Marie) of Covina, California, Cletus (Monica) of St. Joseph, and Alphonse (Betty) of Sauk Rapids, and brothers-in law, Leander Meyer of St. Joseph, J.F. (Arlys) Wagner, and Phil Boerschinger of Billings, Montana, Roger (Laura) Wagner of Nashua, Montana, and David (Dixie) Wagner of Towner, North Dakota. He is also survived by 19 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, his aunt, Sally Weyer of Sartell, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his son, Michael, in 1973; his sisters, Dolores Meyer and Rosemary Warnert; his brothers-in-law, Robert Warnert, Hugh Wagner, Phillip Wagner, Richard Wagner; his sisters-in-law, Mary Margarette Hanson, Therese Anne Wagner, and Damaris Boerschinger, and his great-grandson, Waylon Beard.

Memorials are preferred to the Post-Polio Support Group or a conservation initiative of your choice.

Mr. Charles Miller is the Physics Instructor at Saint John’s Prep.

All awards are based on national performance.  Gold Medalists  ranked above the 94^th percentile, Silver Medalists above the 84^th percentile, Bronze Medalists above the 74^th percentile, and Honorable Mentions from the 50^th to 75^th percentile.

The Gold Medal Winners (there were only 90 in the state) will be honored at a banquet at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul this Saturday, May 18^th.

Level 1

Silver Medal

Lukas Steininger, sophomore, son of Herbert and Ingeborg Steininger of Austria

Bronze Medal

Ilia Bauer-Jones, freshmen, daughter of Stacy Bauer of St. Joseph and Zack Jones of St. Paul

Abigail Gyamerah, sophomore, daughter of Isaac Gyamerah of Tunisia

Honorable Mention

Elise Miller, freshmen, daughter of Shane and Betsy Miller of Avon

Ashley Nneji, junior, daughter of Chukwuma and Monique Nneji of the United Kingdom

Samuel O’Connell, freshmen, son of James and Kari O’Connell of Sauk Rapids

Level 2

Gold Medal

Lauren Kissela (98^th percentile), 8^th grade, daughter of Chad Kissela and Marcia Allard of St. Joseph

Silver Medal

Amelia Broman, 8^th grade, daughter of Bruce Broman and Evelyn Erickson of St. Cloud

Young Hyun “Lily” Joo, junior, daughter of Sun Hyung Joo and Kyung Ae Roth of South Korea

Corey Wallyn, junior, son of Chris and Cathie Wallyn of Hutchinson, MN

Bronze Medal

Sydney Lo, freshmen, daughter of Yang Lo and Rachel Schuneman of Sartell

Emily Powers, sophomore, daughter of James and Bridget Powers of Collegeville

Anja Wuolu, freshmen, daughter of David and Lorie Wuolu of St. Joseph

Honorable Mention

Seo Taek Kong, junior, son of JunJin Kong and Ok Hee Park of South Korea

Level 3

Gold Medal

Caitlin Backhaus (95^th percentile), sophomore, daughter of Bernd and Robin Backhaus of Germany

Lydia Tanner (99^th percentile), junior, daughter of Arvo Tanner and Xiao Fang Sheng-Tanner of Rice

Silver Medal

Rebecca O’Neil, sophomore, daughter of Todd and Molly Foster of St. Cloud

Bronze Medal

Ellen Arnold, sophomore, daughter of John and Margaret Arnold of Kimball

Andrew Bender, sophomore, son of Dan Bender of St. Cloud and Dorothy Soukup-Bender of Sartell

Sarah Schrup, sophomore, daughter of Thomas and Myra Schrup of St. Joseph

Honorable Mention

Alyssa Brown, sophomore, daughter of Eric and Brenda Brown of Cold Spring

Grant Franke, sophomore, son of Kurt and Karla Franke of St. Cloud

Lindsay Zerfas, junior, daughter of Vicki Ray of Sartell and Pat Zerfas of Elk River

Level 5

Gold Medal

Alivia Tacheny (98^th percentile), daughter of Greg and Rose Tacheny of Cold Spring

Honorable Mention

Kelsey Carreras, junior, son of Dennis and Jeanne Carreras of Cold Spring

The Minnesota Independent School Forum’s mission is to strengthen Minnesota’s K-12 independent schools through advocacy and advancement.

Charles resides in Sauk Rapids with his wife and children.

Seniors selected Prep School Social Studies Instructor, Lance Nydeen, to deliver the commencement address and Jacob Stock, of Cold Spring, to give the senior address.

The Top Ten Honors Seniors, in alphabetical order are:

Robert (RJ) Alpers, III, son of Robert, II, and Elli Alpers of Avon. RJ was a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) for three years; serving as an Officer for one year. He was a three-sport letter winner, beginning his freshmen year, in baseball, basketball and soccer; he was team captain for soccer his senior year. Not only was he first chair baritone in grades 9-12, he also founded the school’s Piano Club and was VP of Piano during 9^th and 10^th grade. RJ was an English and Spanish tutor his junior and senior years. He was a member of the Investment Club his sophomore and junior year. He will receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an optional two-year program of rigorous study during a student’s junior and senior years.

RJ is currently undecided as to where he will attend college. He plans to major in Political Science or Government.

Zachary Dehler, son of Al and Mary Dehler of St. Joseph. Zachary participated in baseball, basketball and soccer. He was the Vice President of Student Council and a member of the National Honor Society (NHS). He was an evaluator of the school’s literary magazine, The Triangle.

Zachary will attend St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he plans to major in Accounting.

Abigail Erickson, daughter of Charles and Cynthia Erickson of Minneapolis. Abby participated in cross country for two years, Knowledge Bowl for two years, science bowl for one year, track and field for two years and was a National Honor Society (NHS) member. Abby will receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an optional two-year program of rigorous study during a student’s junior and senior years.

Abby is undecided as to where she will attend college. She plans to major in Electrical or Aerospace Engineering.

Young Eun Ko, daughter of WonSeog Ko and YangJu Ku of Seoul, South Korea. Young Eun was a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).  She was a peer mentor for new Prep students. She has attended diverse environmental conferences such as I-SWEEEP (International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project), an international and unique science fair that focuses on energy, engineering, and environmental projects.

Young Eun plans to attend college in the United States and plans to major in Statistics or Environmental Science.

Minjun (Jun) Koo, son of Jungwan Koo and Kyungran Park of Seoul, South Korea. Jun was the captain and assistant coach of the varsity soccer team. He was also a part of the chamber choir at Saint John’s Prep and the Men’s chorus at St. John’s University. Jun earned 1^st place in the AMC 10 (American Mathematics Competition) in Minnesota.  He also had the pleasure to be a part of the ARML (American Regional Mathematics League) team during his junior and senior years. He participated in Science Bowl and Physics Bowl along with other math and science events led by other universities. Jun assisted his peers through the National Honor Society (NHS), the Peer Mentor Program, writing center and tutoring. He was also a junior marshal at last year’s Saint John’s Prep Commencement.

Jun plans to stay in the United States and attend college. He plans to major in the field of Engineering and also study Pre-Medicine.

Caz Novak, son of Michael and Trish Novak of St. Cloud. Caz was a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) for three years. He participated in both soccer and baseball for four years. Caz was in the choir for two years and the band for two years. He was part of the school’s literary magazine, The Triangle, for four years; one year as an editor. He was a member of the Knowledge Bowl team for two years and a junior marshal at last year’s Saint John’s Prep Commencement. Caz was awarded the “Triple A (Academics, Arts and Athletics) Award” by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL).  According to the MSHSL, the purpose of this program is to recognize and honor high school seniors who have excelled in the classroom, on the athletic field and in the fine arts. Caz will receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an optional two-year program of rigorous study during a student’s junior and senior years.

Caz is unsure at this time where he will attend college and what his major will be. He is interested in International Affairs, German and Political Science.

Zoe Novak, daughter of Michael and Trish Novak of St. Cloud. Zoe was a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) for three years. She participated in jazz band for two years and the chamber choir for three years. Zoe was a part of the student council for two years as well as the school’s literary magazine, The Triangle, for three years. She has been involved with theater for six years and was the founder/director for the Saint John’s Prep Theater Skills Camp in 2012. She was on the soccer team for six years and the track and field team for five years. Zoe will receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an optional two-year program of rigorous study during a student’s junior and senior years.

Zoe is unsure at this time where she will attend college and what her major will be. She is interested in German and International Relations.

Luke Teigen, son of Cliff and Marcia Teigen of St. Joseph. Luke was on the varsity baseball and basketball teams for four years, the football team for one year and the soccer team for three years. He was also in jazz band for three years and had been in the pit band for the spring musical twice. He was a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).  Luke will also receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an optional two-year program of rigorous study during a student’s junior and senior years.

Luke is undecided about where he will attend college in the fall. He plans to major in Biology or Biochemistry and take a Pre-Medicine track.

Zeyuan (Lillian) Wang, daughter of Zhizheng Wang and Ying He of Shanghai, China.

Naomi Widstrom, daughter of Christopher and Sharon Widstrom of St. Cloud. Naomi participated in cross country for four years; she was the captain her senior year. She was a member of Knowledge Bowl both her junior and senior years. Naomi was an editor for the school’s literary magazine, The Triangle, her junior and senior years. She was also a member of the Envirothon team her sophomore and junior years; the team went to state her junior year.

Naomi plans to attend Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon and will major in Biology or Chemistry.

Ryan Gerads ‘97, Search Committee Chair, stated, “Fr. Jonathan has demonstrated strong character and leadership in previous administrative positions.  The Search Committee strongly felt that Fr. Jonathan has the talents and enthusiasm necessary to flourish as the next Headmaster of Saint John’s Prep.  I am confident that Fr. Jonathan is the best candidate to lead Saint John’s Prep into the future.”

Fr. Licari is currently the sub-prior of Saint John’s Abbey. Licari was ordained a priest in 1976 and professed vows in 1982. He holds doctorates in both philosophy and canon law. Licari taught at Saint John’s School of Theology∙Seminary from 1982-2001. He has served as prior of the monastery and as pastor at Saint John the Baptist Parish, Collegeville, MN, Holy Name Parish in Medina, MN and at Seven Dolors in Albany, MN.

Licari stated, “I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a long tradition of excellence in education, in the Catholic Benedictine tradition, at Saint John’s Prep.”

• Lise Arakaza, junior, daughter of Silas Sinyigayahu and Mukamurera Venerounda of Rwanda
• Ellen Arnold, sophomore, daughter of John and Margaret Arnold of Kimball
• Andrew Bender, sophomore, son of Dan Bender of St. Cloud and Dorothy Soukup-Bender of Sartell
• Leela Cofell, junior, daughter of Monica Cofell of St. Joseph and David Cofell of St. Cloud
• Young Hyun Joo, junior, daughter of Sun Joo and Kyung Roh of South Korea
• Gabrielle Kolb, sophomore, daughter of John and Susan Kolb, of St. Cloud
• Ashley Lench, junior, daughter of David and Renata Lench of St. Cloud
• Chenglong Li, junior, son of Yinxi and Shuying Li of China
• Gabrielle Martone, junior, daughter of Mark and Lisa Martone of St. Joseph
• Taylor McFarling, sophomore, daughter of Eric and Lynn McFarling of St. Cloud
• Eleanna Melcher, sophomore, daughter of Joseph and Aspa Melcher of St. Cloud
• Rachel Odenthal, junior, daughter of Rick and Jane Odenthal of Albany
• Ho Yeon Park, junior, son of Hae Kyung Kwon and Ju Young Park of South Korea
• Clare Pfannenstein, sophomore, daughter of Patrick and Joan Pfannenstein of St. Joseph
• Gwen Saliares, junior, daughter of Randy and Jan Saliares of St. Cloud
• Nicholas Schaper, sophomore, son of Rand Schaper of Rice and Jacqueline Provo of Sartell
• Sarah Schrup, sophomore, daughter of Thomas and Myra Schrup of St. Joseph
• Lydia Tanner, junior, daughter of Arvo Tanner and Xiao Sheng-Tanner of Rice
• Corey Wallyn, junior, son of Chris and Cathie Wallyn of Hutchinson
• Yiyang Wang, sophomore, daughter of Yinghui Wang and Zi Yang of China
• Natalie Wender, sophomore, daughter of Donald and Jan Wender of Sioux City, Iowa

The National Honor Society (NHS) is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students.  More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to honor those students who demonstrate excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.  These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1921.  Today, it is estimated that more than one million students annually participate in activities of NHS and its middle level counterpart, the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).  NHS chapters are found in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, many U.S. territories, and Canada.  Chapter membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments, but also challenges them to develop through involvement in school activities and community service.  Both NHS and NJHS were founded by and are programs of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

In January, Zoe took the 2013 AATG National German Exam for High School students, testing the listening comprehension as well as grammar and reading competency and scored in the 96th percentile. In March, the top German students of the state were invited to the College of St. Benedict where they had to demonstrate their oral skills in front of a composed college professor board. Zoe was recommended by the testing committee to compete for the top honor – the senior trip, which includes a two-week school and homestay program and a two-week special international seminar.

For their outstanding performance, eight Prep students are eligible to apply for a full four-year scholarship.

Seo Taek Kong, junior, son of JunJin Kong and Ok Hee Park of South Korea

Aaron Li, junior, son of Yinxi and Shuying Li of China

Caz Novak, senior, son of Michael and Trish Novak of St. Cloud

Zoe Novak, senior, daughter of Michael and Trish Novak of St. Cloud

Will Spaeth, junior, son of Nicholas and Cindy Spaeth of Kansas City, MO

Lydia Tanner, junior, daughter of Arvo Tanner and Xiao Fang Sheng-Tanner of Rice

Brenden Wichman, senior, son of Robert and Sharon Wichman of St. Cloud

Fan Zhang, junior, daughter of Shan Biao Zhang and Qi Zhou of China

Mr. Charles Miller is the Physics teacher at Saint John’s Prep.