Meet the Class of 2025 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

Principal Jon Baffico called seniors Lucy Jochaniewicz and Henry Marshall into his office last week to deliver the good news in person: Lucy is this year’s valedictorian, while Henry is the salutatorian.

“We are incredibly proud to recognize Lucy Jochaniewicz as the Valedictorian and Henry Marshall as the Salutatorian for the Class of 2025,” Mr. Baffico said. “Their dedication, hard work, and academic excellence have set a remarkable example for their peers. We look forward to celebrating their achievements and the bright futures that lie ahead of them.”

Together, Lucy and Henry lead a high-achieving class that includes 53 Illinois State Scholars (both of them included), three National Merit Finalists (one of whom is Henry), five National Merit Commended students, and college acceptances from some of the most rigorous schools in the country.

Not surprisingly, Lucy and Henry took many of the same honors and AP classes together. Between them, they took 21 AP classes—Henry took 10 and Lucy took 11—including five each during their senior years.

Yet, their success goes beyond the classroom and into the athletic fields. Lucy played golf all four years and basketball through her junior year. She also competed in Scholastic Bowl every year, represented her classmates in Student Council, took classes in the STEM curriculum while being named a Querbes Scholar, and was admitted into the National Honor Society and the Computer Science National Honor Society. When she learned she had been named valedictorian, Lucy credited her teachers first.

“The whole vibe of the school is very supportive, and my teachers taught me more than just school stuff—they taught me life skills like perseverance, hard work, and the importance of stuff outside of school,” Lucy says. “They reminded me to focus on the important stuff in life, which, most of the time, is not an A on a test, but instead my relationship with God, myself, and others.” 

Henry has competed in track and field and played four years of basketball. In January, he won two Player of the Game awards at an MLK tournament at Sterling High School and was named the Daily Herald Player of the Month in Cook County last week. 

“I have nothing but great things to say about all of my teachers since freshman year,” Henry says. “The resources, skills, and extra help that they have provided me with have done wonders in terms of getting me to where I am today and in a position to earn this distinction.”

This fall, Lucy will begin her freshman year at the University of Notre Dame, joining her brother, Henry ’23, who was also valedictorian of his class. Meanwhile, Henry Marshall will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will also play basketball.