Congratulations to this year’s Distinguished Graduates
John Bapst has a robust Distinguished Graduates Program, where students pursue their passions in particular topics. They study extensively in school and extend their learning and experiences in those areas outside of class with special projects. What’s your passion?
Fifteen John Bapst students participated in this year’s Distinguished Graduate Program and presented their work in Sekera Auditorium. Congratulations to all!
Ziyu “Tony” Huang, STEM
N-Body Problem: The problem of predicting the individual motions of a group of celestial objects interacting with each other gravitationally.
Faculty Advisor, Mentor: Scott Burgess
Quan “Bill” Minh Le, STEM
Music Notes Detention
Faculty Advisor, Mentor: Mike Murphy
Jacob Levesque, STEM
Renewable Fuels Made from Biomass
Faculty Advisor: Mary Lammert; Mentor: Thomas Schwartz
Tyler McGoldrick, STEM
Masks’ Effect on Oxygenation of High School Students
Faculty Advisor: Tanya Lubansky
Henry Nadeau, Humanities
English I Curriculum Redesign
Faculty Advisor, Mentor: Jen Babcock
Aishwarya Rajan, STEM
Evaluation of Microplastic Toxicity on the Embryonic Development of Green Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus
Faculty Advisor: Tanya Lubansky
Olivia Victoria Rand, STEM
Mutational Profile of Leukemia and Lymphoma Patients in Rural Maine
Faculty Advisor: Sarah O’Connell; Mentor: Mike Babcock
Jaedan Sockbeson, STEM
Comparison of Approaches to 1HNMR Analyses
Faculty Advisor: Mary Lammert; Mentor: Paul Voziyan
Sophia Steadman, Fine Arts
Orchestration of Instrumental Music into a Sound Track: “Send in the Clowns,” A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim
Faculty Advisor: Al McIntyre
Amber Stokes, STEM
Impact of Environmental Conditions on Khumbu Icefall and Nuptse Glacier on Mount Everest
Faculty Advisor: Tanya Lubansky; Mentor: Dr. Kristin Schild
Lucia Volin, STEM
Connecting Maine’s Environmental Conservation Efforts
Faculty Advisor: Tanya Lubansky
Maizy Weirich, Humanities
Gender Norms and How They Effect Leadership
Faculty Advisor, Mentor: Jacob Maddaus
Maizy Weirich, Fine Arts
Vocal Song Composition
Faculty Advisor: Colin Graebert
Lia Weirich, Fine Arts
Original Film
Faculty Advisor: Melissa Burns; Mentor: Lindsay Weirich
Uyen Nguyen, STEM
Tidal and Meteorological Effects on Harbor Seals and Gray Seals Haul-Out Behaviors in the Gulf of Maine
Faculty Advisor: Tanya Lubansky
What is the Distinguished Graduate Program?
John Bapst Distinguished Graduates are those students who have a passion for a particular area which they studied extensively in school and have extended their learning and experience in that area outside of class with a special project. Distinguished Graduates Program projects are approved in advance and done under the guidance of a qualified mentor from the faculty or outside the school.
There are several areas in which students can become Distinguished Graduates: Fine Arts, Global Studies, Humanities, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and Interdisciplinary Studies. In each area, students will study in multiple, but related, disciplines. They may design their own course of study, depending on their interest area, and ultimately will design and implement the individualized special project to which they dedicate a significant amount of time.
Students who are Distinguished Graduates will have it noted on their transcript and will also receive recognition in the spring of their senior year.
The minimum course requirements for each Distinguished Graduates Program are listed below. Students may be considered Distinguished Graduates in multiple programs.
- Fine Arts – 4 years of Fine Arts courses (or equivalent with department approval), including 2 different artistic areas, and a special project.
- Global Studies – 4 credits of Social Science and 4 credits of Modern & Classical Languages, 1 additional credit in either department, and a special project.
- Humanities – 4 credits of Social Science and 4 credits of English (including AP Literature and AP Language), 1 additional credit in either department, and a special project.
- STEM – 9 credits combined from the areas of Math, Science, and Technology, including at least 4 at the AP or advanced level, and a special project.
- Interdisciplinary Studies – Working with the Academic Dean, students who have interests that do not fall into one of the above categories may custom build a Distinguished Program for themselves.
Students who wish to be considered for the Distinguished Graduates Program must first apply through the department chair. Copies of approved plans are given to the Academic Dean and Counselor. Students can apply at anytime up to spring of their junior year. The student, department chair, and mentor design the course of study and special project which is submitted for approval by the department and the Academic Dean.
To find out more about this program, please contact Academic Dean Jason O’Reilly at joreilly@johnbapst.org.