Great Things Happened at St. Rita High School

It was another exciting first semester to the 2021-2022 school year at 7740 S. Western as the St. Rita Mustangs found successes in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the community.

The St. Rita Class of 2022 produced 26 Illinois State Scholars, which was best among all-boys schools in the state. The "Thinking" Mustang Scholastic Bowl Team finished in third place in the very competitive South Metropolitan Scholastic Bowl League. Mustang teachers across the curriculum completed several STEM projects during the first semester as St. Rita strives to be an innovative school that incorporates STEM on a regular basis across all subject areas. The St. Rita ABC (Advice Beyond the Classroom) program continues to be a shining light for the school as they help students to gain professional skills while getting advice from entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and St. Rita alums. Nick LoMaglio '04 is the founder of the program, and they will continue to offer events throughout the year for local high school and grade school students.

On the athletic field, the St. Rita "Fighting" Mustang varsity football team advanced to their second straight IHSA state championship game while also winning their third consecutive Catholic League Green title. Senior wide receiver Kaleb Brown signed to play football at The Ohio State University while senior offensive tackle Valen Erickson signed with the Missouri Tigers. Also, Senior defensive lineman Djabril McNabb won the Tony Lawless Award as top player in the Green division. The young "Running" Mustang basketball team came into the season highly ranked with five players on their roster holding D1 offers including sophomore Morez Johnson Jr. who has already committed to play for the University of Illinois. In addition, sophomore bowler Raymone Saffold recently qualified as an individual for the IHSA state bowling tournament in O'Fallon, IL.

The Mustangs were active in the community as well during the first semester as many students volunteered their time to clean, repair and restore local parishes while others helped the elderly by shoveling their snow following the recent storm. The student body also organized a food drive in November to assist local food pantries in providing meals to those less fortunate during the holiday season. This all happens through St. Rita's extensive Service/ROSE hour program which is directed by Mr. Andy McIntosh.

The Advancement Team, headed by St. Rita Vice-President Mr. Jim Juchcinski, had a successful first semester as well as the St. Rita Grand Raffle surpassed last year's total by over $12K raising over $107,000 for the Mustang Community. With the help of too-many-to-count generous alums, St. Rita was able to recently complete the purchase of the current campus located at 7740 S. Western Avenue putting St. Rita in a very strong and stable position to continue to flourish on Chicago's Southside for many generations to come.

With the excellent work done by the newly appointed Director of Admissions, Mr. John Bonk '75, St. Rita saw close to a 20% increase in students taking the entrance exam this past December. Those students and their families will be able to benefit from the many new scholarship opportunities offered by St. Rita for Catholic Grade School graduates, Catholic Grade School teachers, City of Chicago workers, alumni, and First Responders amongst others.

There are so many wonderful things happening around St. Rita on a daily basis. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic still hanging over everyone's head, the student body and their loyal families along with the dedicated faculty, administration, and staff have allowed St. Rita to flourish in the toughest of times proving once again what a truly special community it is - the future is bright.

For more information, please visit https://www.stritahs.com or call (773) 925-RITA.