PHILADELPHIA — StoneMor Partners L.P. in partnership with Faith in the Future and the Office of Catholic Education (OCE) honored 17 Archdiocesan high school freshmen as inaugural StoneMor Scholars at an event in the Victoria Theater at Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia on Thursday, October 15, 2015. The StoneMor Scholars initiative was announced in August 2015 and provides one freshman student at each Archdiocese of Philadelphia high school with a partial scholarship, in the amount of $3,000 per scholar, during the 2015-2016 school year.
StoneMor President and CEO Lawrence Miller who led the recognition of the 17 Inaugural Scholars said, “Our team at StoneMor is very connected throughout the community, and we are pleased to celebrate and support our neighbors. The value of a Catholic education is important to so many families – mine included – and we are delighted to be able to provide some tuition assistance to these talented young people.”
During the event, the StoneMor Scholars were presented with words of congratulations and recognition for their achievement, as well as, sweatshirts from their respective high schools, by Mr. Miller, Samuel Casey Carter, Chief Executive Officer of Faith in the Future, and Sister Maureen McDermott, IHM, Superintendent for Secondary Schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The Master of Ceremonies during the event was Michael McArdle, former Director of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs for the Office of Catholic Education and current Principal, Bishop Shanahan High School (Chester County).
Additionally, administrators from the Office of Catholic Education (OCE) and each of the 17 Archdiocesan high schools, as well as, families and friends were on-hand for the presentation, photo session and reception at Archbishop Ryan.
Faith in the Future’s CEO, Mr. Carter spoke to students and also expressed his gratitude to StoneMor. He said, “Increasing the total amount of tuition assistance available by millions of dollars over the past few years has enabled us to attract a larger number of highly qualified students to our schools who otherwise would not be able to afford it. We are deeply grateful to the corporate leadership at StoneMor for awarding these scholarships today and helping us in our mission to make a quality Catholic education affordable to any family who desires it.”
The StoneMor Scholarship application was made available before the 2015-16 school year to incoming 9th grade students who had achieved certain academic benchmarks, while also demonstrating the need for financial aid. Students were nominated by a selection committee comprising the school president, principal, assistant principal for academic affairs, and the director of guidance. The committee selected students based on a combination of their academic performance and recommendations from their elementary school teachers and administrators.
Each year a new group of incoming 9th grade students will subsequently be selected for financial support during their freshman year at an Archdiocesan high school. Annually, StoneMor will provide just over $50,000 to fund these young scholars in their pursuit of a high quality Catholic education. The establishment of the StoneMor Scholarship Foundation continues to strengthen the partnership between StoneMor and the Archdiocese. In 2014, the Archdiocese entered into a long term agreement to turn over the care and management of its 13 Catholic cemeteries to StoneMor.
STONEMOR SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2019
Schools and scholars are listed below according to county:
BUCKS COUNTY
Archbishop Wood High School
Samuel Reynolds (Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster)
Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
Paul Leible (Saint Ephrem Parish, Bensalem)
CHESTER COUNTY
Bishop Shanahan High School
Anna Ebersole (Saint Aloysius Parish, Pottstown)
DELAWARE COUNTY
Archbishop Carroll High School
Cecily Ritchie (Visitation BVM Parish, Trooper)
Cardinal O’Hara High School
Tyler LeSage (Holy Cross Parish, Springfield)
Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School
Dennis McElhone (Saint Laurence Parish, Upper Darby)
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Bishop McDevitt High School
Christopher Feralio (Saint Luke the Evangelist Parish, Glenside)
Lansdale Catholic High School
Jennifer Cronin (Saint Rose of Lima Parish, North Wales)
Pope John Paul II High School
Sophia Bonnano (Saint Eleanor Parish, Collegeville)
PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
Archbishop Ryan High School
Alexa Kellinger (Saint Mark Parish, Bristol)
Father Judge High School for Boys
Daniel Lodes (Saint Jerome Parish, Philadelphia)
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School
Sydney Picardi (Epiphany of Our Lord Parish, Philadelphia)
Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
Kristina Tran (Our Lady of Ransom Parish, Philadelphia)
Roman Catholic High School for Boys
Ryan Czech (Presentation BVM Parish, Cheltenham)
Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls
Haylie Klose (Saint Matthew Parish, Philadelphia)
Saints John Neumann-Maria Goretti Catholic High School
Michael Napoli (Saint Monica Parish, Philadelphia)
West Catholic Preparatory High School
Jayla Burnett-Reeves (Saint Francis DeSales Parish, Philadelphia)
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Editor’s Note: To learn more about StoneMor Partners L.P. visit http://www.stonemor.com/.
For information about Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit www.aopcatholicschools.org. For information about Faith in the Future, please visit www.faithinthefuture.com.
Contact:
Bonnie Olinger
Communications Specialist
215-587-3747 (office)