We Are Proud of Our 2022 Graduates

Sunday, May 8 was a festive, joyous day to remember for Leo High School’s graduating class of 2022, as well as their mothers as Leo upheld a longstanding tradition of graduating on Mother’s Day before a full house at St. Margaret of Scotland Church.

It was an especially festive and joyous day for two standout members of the class, whose many contributions over four years were acknowledged and honored.

In his Valedictorian address, Cameron Cleveland cited the obstacles he and his classmates overcame to reach graduation in the midst of a COVID pandemic that affected every aspect of their high school careers. Classroom success, basketball triumphs, community-boosting service projects … all seemed even more meaningful, having been achieved against a COVID backdrop that disrupted so many lives in so many ways.

Ranked No. 1 in his class for each of his four years at Leo, Cleveland earned the Valedictorian designation for finishing with the highest GPA within the Class of 2022. Befitting the two-year captain of Leo’s Catholic League championship basketball team, he also received the William J. Koloseike Gold Medal for Athletics, as well as the Thomas and Mary Owens Gold Medal for Excellence in Mathematics and the Andrew J. McKenna Gold Medal for Leadership Initiatives.

Cleveland is headed for Morehouse College in Atlanta on an academic scholarship.

Oliver Brown Jr. —known as PJ around Leo—was the Class of 2022 Salutatorian by a razor-thin margin. He echoed Cleveland in noting that COVID-induced challenges brought his classmates closer and gave them a greater appreciation of high school experiences they might otherwise have taken for granted or even missed altogether.

Brown, who as “PJ the Deejay” was the MC for numerous Leo events over his four years, also received the Stafford L. Hood Gold Medal for Excellence in English and the Frank W. Considine Gold Medal for Social Justice. He is headed for Southern University in Baton Rouge, La,., on scholarship for baseball and academics.

Mother’s Day set a delightful tone for the ceremony. In one highlight, each graduate presented his mom with a framed copy of a Mother’s Day poem he had written to complete his Senior English project for Mr. Titus Redmond’s class.The world-renowned Leo Choir’s four-song set featured stirring solos by senior Robert Smith (“It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye”) and sophomore Theauntae Jones (“See You Again”), as well as a lively rendition of “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” that brought the crowd to its feet to join in.

And in a speech that encapsulated the last four years, Principal Shaka Rawls reminded the graduates that the resolve they displayed in committing to their education as COVID upended their lives would serve them well as they move forward in life … as true Leo Men.

The complete list of honorees from the Class of 2022:

The William J. Koloseike Gold Medal for Athletics: Cameron Cleveland

The Bishop John R. Gorman Gold Medal for Religion: James E’Akels

The Michael L. Thompson Gold Medal for Music: Jacori Elam

The Donald F. Flynn Gold Medal for History: David Gross

The Dr. James J. Ahern Gold Medal for Science: Wellington Porter

The Thomas & Mary Owens Gold Medal for Mathematics: Cameron Cleveland

The Dr. Stafford L. Hood Gold Medal for English: Oliver Brown Jr.

The Brother James Glos Gold Medal for Foeign Language: Jakolbi Wilson

The Frank W. Considine Gold Medal for Social Justice: Oliver Brown Jr.

The Andrew J. McKenna Gold Medal for Leadership: Cameron Cleveland

Welcome Back to Our World-Renowned Choir

By Dan McGrath

The Christmas/semester break rolls in at an optimum time for Leo High School, in part because the week leading up to it was challenging on several fronts.

Leave it to the world-renowned Leo Choir to bail us out and restore our equilibrium.

After a 20-month hiatus brought on by COVID restrictions, the Choir is back and sounding better than ever. They simply stole the show as the headline act at the Harold Washington Cultural Center’s Winter Wonderland Christmas Pageant on Saturday, Dec. 18. The 1,000-seat auditorium was up and clapping along to the Choir’s signature version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and Rob Smith’s mesmerizing rendition of “Hallelujah” prompted a standing ovation. Freshman Keith Harris’ “Give Love This Christmas” drew a similar reaction. 

Rob Smith is a two-sport athletic standout with college aspirations, but a serious knee injury in the season’s first football game has cost him his senior year of football and basketball. A tough break, but rather than pout or feel sorry for himself, Rob has poured himself into music. “Hallelujah” is a really tough song to handle, but in his debut as a soloist, Rob delivered it like a seasoned pro. We’re very proud of him.

Choir members are among the best ambassadors Leo has—not only talented singers but good students, good citizens and all-around good guys. Our peerless Choir Director LaDonna Hill is a Leo treasure and a Leo Hall of Famer, as of October 2021. And Leo High School is a special place that remains relentless in its mission: to prepare young men for lives as responsible, productive, engaged citizens. 

Factor in a 4-1 basketball team that’s No. 19 in the Chicago Sun-Times’ metro area rankings and it’s a good time to be a Leo Lion.

Baseball Facility at St. Rita Named for Jay Standring ’66

Leo great Jay Standring ’66 will remember 2021 as a year in which he was celebrated for a life well lived.

Last May, St. Rita High School recognized Standring’s 30-plus years of service as an ever-popular  coach, teacher and mentor by naming the freshman baseball facility in his honor—Jaybird Field. 

In September, and for largely the same reasons, Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne Foundation will honor 1970 ND grad Standring with a Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Leadership Award.

“Knute Rockne did not believe sports should be an end in themselves,” the citation states. “Rather, he saw them as a means to achieving success in life, with the lessons learned on the playing field translating to determination, teamwork and character in real life.” 

Jay Standring embraced that philosophy during his playing career, and he has embodied it throughout his coaching/teaching  career. He began it shortly after graduating from Notre Dame, where he earned two letters, intercepted three passes and played on two Cotton Bowl teams under Coach Ara Parseghian, whom he viewed as a role model.

“Every coach I played for had an impact on my life, and I went into coaching hoping to give kids opportunities similar to the ones I had,” Standring said.

He currently coaches freshman football and baseball at St. Rita. He has always preferred working at the lower levels; in many cases he’s the first coach a young athlete encounters, and he goes out of his way to make sure the experience is a positive one. The Rockne Award surely proves that coaching has been a positive experience for Jay Standring.

“It was never about recognition,” he said, “but an award like this from Notre Dame, which will always hold a special place in my heart … I’ve had a great life.”