Providence Catholic High School Senior Receives National Merit Recognition

Three members of the Providence Catholic High School class of 2015 were recently awarded National Merit distinction.

Dr. John Harper, Principal of Providence Catholic High School, announced this week that Meghan Shea was named a National Merit Semifinalist; Stephanie Mastorakos and Srirajkumar Ranganathan were named Commended Students.

“We are very proud of these students who have showed their outstanding academic ability in this highly competitive program. Their dedication to academic excellence is truly commendable,” said Harper.

Semifinalist Meghan Shea, daughter of Kevin and Susan Shea of Orland Park, is a graduate of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic School and a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Seton Church. The honor roll student is a member of the school’s National Honor Society, Augustinian Youth Ministry and Habitat for Humanity. Furthermore, Shea is a Student Ambassador, Eucharistic Minister, Freshman Welcome Leader and received the Geometry Honors PCHS Academic Award. She has also been a member of the cross country team for the past three years.

Commended Student Stephanie Mastorakos, daughter of Chris and Maria Mastorakos of Homer Glen, is a graduate of St. Michael School and is a parishioner at St. Spyridon Church. The honor roll student is an AP Scholar with Honor, a member of the school’s National Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity, Mock Trial Team and Math Team. Furthermore, Mastorakos received Biology Honors, Health and Spanish 2A PCHS Academic Awards.

Commended Student Srirajkumar Ranganathan, son of Thodur and Usha Ranganathan of Lemont is a graduate of St. Cyril and Methodius School. The honor roll student is an AP Scholar, a member of the school’s National Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity and received PCHS Academic Awards is AP US History, Algebra 2 Honors, Chemistry Honors, Physics Honors, Economics, Church History, Christian Morality, AP English Language and Composition, AP European History and Pre-Calculus Honors. Furthermore, he has been a member of the tennis team for the past four years.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships that began in 1955. More than 1.5 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program each year. Approximately 50,000 students are recognized as scholars; commended students represent two-thirds and semi-finalists represent one-third of the high scorers.

Providence Catholic is a co-educational, college preparatory Augustinian high school located on 75 acres in New Lenox. A dedicated and caring faculty and staff integrate the core Augustinian values of truth, unity and love into all dimensions of student life. A demanding curriculum, inclusive service programs, competitive athletics and comprehensive extracurricular offerings challenge students in a safe and nurturing environment. Our most recent graduates earned scholarships valued at nearly $28 million dollars. These seniors performed in excess of 20,000 hours of community service during their high school careers. In addition, Providence Catholic has 27 state championship titles; the most among private high schools in the state of Illinois. For more information about PCHS, please visit www.providencecatholic.org.