The 78 students of the graduating Class of 2025 for St. John Paul II Catholic High School certainly made their mark on the school. The students were offered scholarships totaling $10,800,000, and over 26% of the class achieved a 30 or higher on their ACT. The class also logged 8,783 service hours. Three students signed to become collegiate athletes, one student received appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, two students received ROTC Scholarships, one student was a National Merit Finalist, another was a Commended Scholar, and two more were Special Recognition Program Scholars.

Based on academic performance, the top ten in the class, in alphabetical order, were Genevieve Leigh Detwiler, Rania Maria Dihu, Bridget Catherine Duffy, Abagail Lavira Heiliger, Alexandra Belle Jodon, Lauren Marx, Haley Elizabeth Protz, Juliet Marie Spradlin, Clairisse Marie Sturgis, and Savannah June Whetstone.

The school’s special senior awards went to Haley Elizabeth Protz for the Alice I. Hession Academic Award, Lauren Nicole Jordan for the Brother Benedict Stoegbauer, S.D.S., Community Service Award, Abagail Lavira Heiliger for the Reverend Louis Giardino Religion Award, Thomas Michael Custodio and Mariella Reiko Cazzavillan for the Linda Bifulco Athletic Award, Andrew Martin Paul and Savannah June Whetstone for the Edward Manlove Falcon Flight Award, and Claudia Rose Manauis for the Dana Bathurst Fine Arts Award.

The St. John Paul II Catholic High School 2025 Bishop’s Trophy went to Rania Dihu. In the fall of 2025, she will begin her journey in the Early Acceptance Program at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama, where she plans to pursue her dream of becoming a pediatrician.

The St. John Paul II Catholic High School 2025 Bishop’s Trophy recipient represents the four pillars of the school and exemplifies the mission to learn enthusiastically, lead honorably, and live responsibly. The Bishop’s Trophy is the highest honor a graduating senior enrolled in a diocesan high school can receive from the Diocese of Birmingham. The recipient must exhibit the highest standards of scholarship, character, and school spirit. Academically, the student must be among the top five in the class.