John Catalano Named Academic All-State
March 7, 2008

Saint Patrick senior John Catalano was recently named to the Illinois High School Association All-State Academic Honorable Mention Team. Catalano played on the Shamrock soccer team for four years, earning a pair of varsity letters. Next year Catalano will attend Northwestern University.

"Selection for the All-State Academic Team is a tremendous recognition of a student's academic performance, and also of the student's demonstration of character and citizenship," said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. "Competition for this recognition is intense and selection certainly recognizes team members as truly outstanding young people."

Nominations for 400 seniors were received. The All-State Academic Team includes one male and one female senior student from each of the seven (7) IHSA Board of Directors statewide geographic divisions, plus 12 at large selections. Another 50 students earned honorable mention.

To be eligible for consideration for selection to the team, a student in an IHSA member school must have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale after the seventh semester. Nominees must have participated in at least two (2) IHSA-sponsored activities (athletics and/or non-athletics) during the last two school years, and must have demonstrated outstanding citizenship during his/her high school career. Each IHSA member school could nominate one male and one female student.