Good news stories are happening in Catholic schools across the country! Let NCEA know what is happening with your school so that we may share on NCEA Talk, social media and in the pages of Momentum. Visit www.NCEA.org/shareyourstory to submit your good news today!
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (BSM) prep school has its first McDonald’s All American—Olivia Olson ’24 was named to this year’s class for her outstanding achievements in girls’ basketball. Olivia also recently became the first female studentathlete at BSM to record her 2,000th point scored.
“I’m excited to represent Minnesota and Benilde-St. Margaret’s as a McDonald’s All American and be a part of this historic event, along with so many talented players,” said Olivia. “It means a lot to me to be recognized and to also be able to showcase my talent. Thank you to the McDonald’s selection committee and all of my coaches and teammates for their support!”
Olivia is one of two high school basketball players from Minnesota named to this year’s national event and is only the second female from a Catholic school in Minnesota to be named a McDonald’s All American. Chosen from a list of 724 nominees, Olivia joined 23 other players from high schools across the country for the game played on April 2 in Houston, TX, and broadcast on ESPN2.
The McDonald’s All American Games has showcased high school’s brightest basketball stars for nearly 50 years while supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ efforts to improve the health and well-being of children and their families. The inaugural girls’ game was held in New York in 2002. Past participants include Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Candace Parker, Katie Geralds, Maya Moore, Skylar Diggins, Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers.
Olivia is ranked 15th in the nation and is a five-star recruit in ESPN’s Hoop Gurlz 2024 rankings. In November 2023, she committed to play Division I basketball in college for the University of Michigan.
Archdiocese of Atlanta
Pinecrest Academy has won “Best Private School” in the Best of Forsyth contest hosted by the local newspaper, the Forsyth County News. This was Pinecrest’s tenth consecutive win, and the school was honored as a “10 in a Row” organization at the Best of Forsyth Banquet at the end of January.
Mr. Rodgers is second from the left in the photo.
Additionally, Pinecrest Academy Head of School, Jake Rodgers, was named “Best Administrator” for 2024. The Pinecrest community sees this as a huge honor, as Forsyth County has 42 public schools compared to 18 private schools. Because the public schools are much larger than Pinecrest Academy, they had the potential for greater voter pools among the 20 nominees.
Archdiocese of New Orleans
The National Merit® Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) has recognized St. Mary’s Dominican High School seniors Kathryn Fine, Camille Truxillo and Samantha Wild as National Merit Finalists for 2024. They were among 15,000 of the highest scorers, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school graduating seniors. Finalists have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,880 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $35 million. About half of the national finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.