St. Bede Academy earns College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2023

Pictured are female students who took AP Computer Science Principles or AP Computer Science A last year and students who are currently taking it this year. The students are (back row, from left) Madelyn Torrance ‘23, Kylie Cofoid ‘23, Kylie Hill ‘23, Isabella Hagenbuch ‘24, Ella Englehaupt ‘24; (front row, from left) Mina Trandinh ‘25, Guinevere Wiesbrock ‘23 and Lea Asani ‘23.

PERU – St. Bede Academy has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles. Schools honored with recognition have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses.

More than 1,100 institutions achieved either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science exam takers meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2021-22 school year.

In 2022, St. Bede Academy was one of 832 schools recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles (CSP).

“We’re thrilled to congratulate our female AP computer science students and their teachers on this step toward gender parity in computer science education,” said St. Bede Academy Principal Nick McLaughlin. “We’re honored that our school earned this distinction and look forward to seeing these young women and others pursue and achieve success in computer science education and careers.”

“Computer science is the source code of our economy and so much of our daily lives,” said Trevor Packer, College Board Head of the AP program. “In the five years since we began the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award, it’s been heartening to see schools like St. Bede Academy welcome so many more young women into this vital field.”

The first year of AP Computer Science Principles in 2016-17 attracted more students than any other AP course debut, and participation is on the rise. In 2022, 134,651 students took the AP CSP exam - more than triple the number of exam takers in the course’s first year.

In 2022, 44,811 women took the AP CSP exam - more than three times the number who tested in 2017.

Providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to driving innovation, creativity and representation. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $97,430 in May 2021. However, women represent just 24% of the five million people in computing occupations.

That’s why College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than five times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to female students of similar background and academic preparation who did not take CSP. The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.

These findings highlight the importance of schools nationwide achieving gender parity in AP computer science classrooms. Overall, female students remain underrepresented in our high school computer science classes, accounting for just 33% of AP Computer Science Principles participants and 25% of AP Computer Science A participants. Currently, 51% of the nation’s high schools teach foundational computer science. The 1,105 schools that receive this year’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award serve as inspirations and models for all U.S. high schools.

Tax Information Available Now on FACTS!

January 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 The 2022 Summary of Tuition and Fees paid to St. Bede Academy is now available from FACTS Management Co. The report is only available on-line.  Families must log in to their FACTS account on-line to print a Payment Summary for tax purposes which serves as your Receipt for Qualified K-12 Education Expense.   

To retrieve and print your Payment Summary visit, www.factsmgt.com and sign-in to your account.  Select View Details to the right of Payment Plan & Billing, and then click on the blue box, View Payment Summary. Once on the Payment Summary page verify the year is tax year 2022.  A printer-friendly report is available by clicking the Print button in the upper right hand corner.

The report that is generated will provide fees, both extra-curricular and registration, and tuition paid both on-line to FACTS and to St. Bede Academy in the calendar year 2022.  A sample of the FACTS Payment Summary has been included on the back of this page for your reference.

If you have questions or difficulties logging in to your account please contact FACTS Management Customer Service at 866-412-4637. Other general questions can be directed to me at 815-250-0350 or epostula@st-bede.com.

 It is important to note that not all payments made to St. Bede for fees are eligible for the State of Illinois tax credit.  Only the Registration Fee which covers textbooks, lab fees and materials is deductible.

To claim the tax credit, you will need to complete the Education Expense Credit Worksheet in the Form IL-1040 Instructions.  Please refer to IL-Publication 132 if you need additional information or call the Illinois Department of Revenue at (800)732-8866. 

Sincerely,

Eve Postula

St. Bede Abbey and Academy

St. Bede Academy announces honor roll for 2022-23 second marking period

St. Bede Academy has announced its honor roll for the second marking period of the 2022-2023 school year. Nick McLaughlin, principal of St. Bede, recognizes those students who attained the academy’s fall honor roll and is proud of their accomplishments.

Seniors: Hayden Arkins, Ali Arslan, Lea Asani, Addison Bontz, John Brady, Ryan Brady, Kylie Cofoid, Kristal De La Torre, Alyssa Engels, Gianna Grivetti, George Guo, Johnathon Hackney, Lexi Heemstra, Arianna Heersink, Callan Hueneburg, Dylan Hunter, Mason Hurst, Anh Huynh, Landon Jackson, Shuxuan Li, Anna Lopez, Nathan Lough, Catherine Lukancic, Thomas Makransky, Abigail Michels, Ryan Migliorini, Morgan Nawa, Brendan Pillion, LilyLu RauhFernandez, Emily Robbins, Zoe Roebuck, Gavin Sandoval, Alyssa Schirz, Michael Shaw Ava Stone, Anthony Taylor, Celeste Thompson, Madelyn Torrance, Alyssa Torri, Isabella Villalobos, Ben Wallace, Jaelyn Weber, Macy Zeglis, Xinyi Zhai.

Juniors: Alex Ankiewicz, Samuel Bima, Johnna Bogatitus, Bella Boggio, Ali Bosnich, Macklin Brady, Ella Burris, Summer Conlin, Madelyne Dalton, Rubi De La Torre, Ella Englehaupt, Evan Englehaupt, Aleah Espel, Daliayah Farris, Seth Ferrari, Milana Gayan, Molly Gonzales, Georgina Guo, Isabella Hagenbuch, Gavin Hahn, Makenzie Hanson, Isaiah Hart, Katelyn Harth, Macy Hartt, Mariella Hermes, Kylie Hill, Nathan Husser,  Jeanna Ladzinski, Jadyn Martin, Ariella Mudge, Ava Mueller, Kyra Newman, Olivia Orteza, Kristina Penaverde, Isabella Pinter, Zachary Popurella, Logan Potthoff, Anna Rudenko, Hunter Savage, Kaelyn Schwemlein, Aubrey Siebert, Ryan Slingsby, Benedek Sotonyi, Reagan Stoudt, Amie Tomaszewski, Vy Tran,  Amanda Wojcik, Katherine Zeller.

Sophomores: Haiden Ator, Veronica Bartlett, Andrea Brandner, Qiyu Chen, Ziheng Chen,  Garrett Connelly, Trayger Davis, Alondra Delao, Lorelei Denny, Madalyn Dittmar, Bailey Engels, Yibo Fan, Dominic Fonderoli, Grady Gillan, Phillip Gray, Lacey Griggs, Mirella Haskell, Halden Hueneburg, Elizabeth Huffaker, Tyler Jordan, Maci Kelly, Sadie Koehler, Jaxon Kozak, Ziqi Lin, Haiqing Mao, Greyson Marincic, Gavin Marquez, Jack Maschmann, Quinn McClain, Victoria Mendez, Jake Migliorini, Grace Millington, Adeline Mitchell, Aidan Mullane, Kaden Nauman, Ryan Nawa, Kaden Newman, Logan Pineda, Mason Ross, Analia Salas, Emma Smudzinski, Zixuan Song, Alan Spencer, Elizabeth Vanko, Beatriz Vasquez, Isabel Verucchi, Samantha Wagner, Tyler Walsh, Abraham Wiesbrock, Lizhong Zhang, Ruyue Zhang, Jinhao Zhao.

Freshmen: Margaret Arkins, Annabel Baker, Beckham Baker, Ava Balestri, Genavyve Barnes, Landon Boggio, Lily Bosnich, Noah Buck, August Burr, Drew Carboni, Chuanyang Chen, Anna Cyrocki, Emerald De La Torre, Jose De La Torre, Madeline Fabish, Gino Ferrari, Harrison Fess, Ashton Gonzales, Mae Hagenbuch, Brody Hahn, Weston Heersink, Aiden Hermes, Micah Huettemann, Zachary Husser, Shuyu Jiang, Ava Lattin, Houxian Li, Jiarui Li, Fatima Mandujano, Breanna Martinez, Griffin May, Lili McClain, Ella Mudge, Sophia Ni, Jillian Pinter, Trajan Raffety, Xiangyi Ren, Carson Riva, Chipper Rossi, Sara Ruiz, Alyssa Savitch, Laney Senica, Emma Slingsby, Lillian Soliman, Ryan Soliman, Devin Steil, Baopu Tai, Miranda Torres, Julian Villava, Christina Wang, Peiwen Wu, Xindi Wu, Hongsheng Yang, Yannis Yong, Kian Zeller, Sora Zepeda, Ruihan Zhang, Yijing Zhang, Quanbin Zhao.

St. Bede Academy announces 2022-23 Illinois State Scholars

The 2022-23 Illinois State Scholars are Kylie Cofoid (from left) of LaSalle, Kristal De La Torre of Oglesby, Gianna Grivetti of Ladd, Madelyn Torrance of Granville and Isabella Villalobos of Princeton

Saint Bede Academy Principal Nick McLaughlin is pleased to announce that five academy students have been recognized as 2022-23 Illinois State Scholars.

 The prestigious award is given annually by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), which recognizes high school students from across the state. Illinois State Scholar winners rank in the top ten percent of high school seniors from 749 high schools across Illinois. Selection is based on SAT, ACT and/or Prairie State Achievement Exam scores and/or class rank at the end of the junior year.  High school guidance counselors work in conjunction with ISAC to determine the winners. 

“These students have challenged themselves with our most rigorous curriculum. Their efforts and hard work exemplify the standards set forth by the Illinois State Scholar program. We continue to be delighted by the prestige of this honor and the ability of our students to meet the requirements set forth by the commission,” said McLaughlin.

 The honored students include: Kylie Cofoid (Peru Parkside) of LaSalle, Kristal De La Torre (Trinity Catholic Academy) of Oglesby, Gianna Grivetti (Peru Catholic) of Ladd, Madelyn Torrance (Putnam County Junior High) of Granville and Isabella Villalobos (Holy Cross) of Princeton.

The recognition does not include a monetary award, but recipients are encouraged to cite the honor on college admission forms, applications and scholarship applications.

Christmas Greetings from St. Bede Academy