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Full Scholarship for Fenwick Senior!

NHS member and Bellwood resident Craig Butler ’20 to attend University of Wisconsin – Madison on a full-tuition “ride” from the Posse Foundation.

By Mark Vruno

Craig Butler, a senior at Fenwick High School, has been named a 2020 Posse Foundation Scholar. Butler will receive a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Wisconsin – Madison, which is one of nearly 60 schools that collaborates with the Posse program. “It’s crazy. I thought it was a dream,” admits Butler, who commutes to Fenwick from Bellwood, IL.

“I was going home after school when I got the phone call from Posse,” he says. The 17-year-old was not sure what to expect. “I explained to the person why I thought Wisconsin was a good fit for me, and he said, ‘Craig, we have good news for you. You’re a Posse Scholar!’ I was somewhat surprised because I know only about 10 students from Chicago get it [the scholarship] to UW.”

The first call Butler made to share the big news was to his mother. “My Mom was so excited and proud,” he reports. “She knows my personality and how I work well with others. She’s always so optimistic.” The second call Butler made was to Mr. Daryl Richardson, his mentor at LINK Unlimited Scholars, who nominated him for the Posse leadership scholarship.

Fenwick Class of 2020 Counselor Emily Anderson praises, “Craig is an incredibly determined, hard-working and deserving individual. I couldn’t be more excited for him. He will be among the first in his family to attend college, and I have no doubt he will prove himself to be a grateful recipient of the Posse Scholarship.” After applying, Butler progressed through an intense, three-stage interviewing process, explains Ms. Anderson.

The speedy Butler runs track for the Friars, making All-Catholic League in the long jump his first year. He tried out for the football team as a senior this past fall. A versatile student-athlete, Butler also is a member of the Fenwick chess and bowling teams as well as the National Honor Society (NHS) and Black Student Union. “Craig has volunteered his time every Tuesday morning to Friar Mentors, providing tutoring for those who need help in Spanish,” Anderson notes.

Outside of Fenwick, he is a recipient of the LINK Unlimited Scholarship and has been awarded its Academic Gold-Tier for his classroom success. Butler also won the 2019 Nissan Resume Challenge.

“Craig is a kind, thoughtful and respectful individual,” Anderson concludes. “I am in awe of all that he has been able to accomplish — and he has done so with grace and tenacity.”

About the Posse Foundation

The Posse Foundation was founded in 1989 because one student was heard saying, “I never would’ve dropped out of college if I’d had my posse with me.” The foundation identifies students with extraordinary potential who might be overlooked by the traditional admissions process of elite schools. Now in its 31st year, it grants more than 700 scholarships annually to students selected from Chicago and nine other metropolitan areas throughout the United States: Atlanta, the Bay Area, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City and Washington, D.C. Butler and the other scholarship winners will attend college in supportive, multicultural groups of 10 students — posses. The program is recognized as one of the most comprehensive college success and leadership development initiatives in the country, as 90% of Posse Scholars go on to graduate.

READ ABOUT THE 2019 POSSE SCHOLAR FROM FENWICK

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Alumni Spotlight: Ways in Which IP Lawyer Kenny Matuszewski ’09 Gives Back

In devastation left in the wake of 175-mph, hurricane-force winds, a Fenwick junior found his purpose 900 miles away from home.

By Mark Vruno

Kenny Matuszewski in 2009

Ten years ago in your life, where were you? If 50 is the new 40, then 40 is the new 30. A lot can happen in the span of a decade: Young alumni finish college, some attend graduate school, then begin to establish themselves in their professional careers; others contemplate marriage, perhaps. Slightly older alumni may have had children and started families. Older children in junior high school, hopefully, are considering taking the admissions test at Fenwick this coming December.

In the late winter of 2009, now 28-year-old Kenneth “Kenny” Matuszewski ’09 had a typical case of “senioritis” at Fenwick, counting the weeks until graduation and finalizing his plans to attend the University of Notre Dame. (In South Bend, he would major in biological sciences and Spanish.) But something profound happened during Christmas break of his junior year that, literally, changed the course of Matuszewski’s life, he says.

A total of 38 Friars drove to New Orleans during Christmas break in 2007: (from left) Morgan Gallagher, Madeleine Stroth, Kerry Burke, Dee McElhattan, Lauren Randolph and Kenny Matuszewski.

After the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Matuszewski and 37 of his classmates traveled to New Orleans to help people rebuild their homes. He vividly recalls “seeing the devastation, three years later.” More than 1,835 people died in the Category 5 hurricane and its subsequent floods, making it the deadliest storm in U.S. history.

After one grueling day of work to rebuild two Baptist churches, Fenwick students gathered at Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter to enjoy cafe lattes and beignets. (Matuszewski is top left.)

“We went … as a part of the Mission New Orleans trip, a Fenwick organization,” Matuszewski explains. Their three chaperones were teachers Mr. Paulett, Mr. Ruffino and Ms. Logas, he notes. “While I had little experience with power tools or construction, I was still able to do something and help a family move into a home. That experience motivated me to find ways I could help people with my strengths; through my pro bono work, I realize I have found such opportunities.”

Fast-forward 11 years: “I have always felt it was my duty to use my talents as an attorney to give back to the community around me,” says Matuszewski, who grew up in La Grange Park and now resides in Westchester, IL. “That is why I have developed a commitment to pro bono work over the years. While this desire was instilled in me by my parents, who were and still are involved in the local library board and Special Religious Education (SPRED), Fenwick further honed it through the [Christian] Service Project.”

Latin students at Fenwick know that pro bono publico is a phrase used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. Unlike volunteerism, it is service that uses the specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are unable to afford them.

Matuszewski at a Glance

  • Graduated from Fenwick High School, 2009 (Kairos leader, Friar Mentor, JETS, Scholastic Bowl, NHS, football, band)
  • University of Notre Dame, B.S. in Biological Sciences and Spanish, 2013
  • Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 2016 (Managing Editor of the Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property, 2015-16)
  • Presently an Associate at Rabicoff Law LLC in Chicago, where he specializes in intellectual property (IP).
  • On March 21st will be honored by United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with the 2018 Pro Bono Service Certificate for the second consecutive year.
  • Family of Friars: Kenny’s three younger siblings also are Fenwick alumni: Kevin ’10, Carly ’15 and Jasmine ’17.

Pro Bono and More

Today, Matuszewski serves the community in several ways. His pro-bono activities include work for the Chicago-Kent Patent Hub. “The patent process can be expensive, confusing and inaccessible to inventors. However, the barriers to entry for low-income inventors are even greater,” he explains. “As a volunteer attorney, I help low-income inventors obtain patents for their inventions. Over the past couple of years, I have worked with inventors who have invented devices ranging from simple footstools all the way to computer applications.” As a result of his efforts, Matuszewski earned the Patent Pro Bono Service Certificate from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for 2018 and 2017.

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A Heartfelt Message of Gratitude, Forgiveness and Love

Families and students in attendance at the 2018 NHS Induction Ceremony heard a rare blend of wisdom and wit from Mr. Tom Draski – with famous quotations ‘peppered in’ for emphasis.

The Fenwick National Honor Society (NHS) recognized 147 seniors at this year’s induction ceremony held Oct. 14th at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in River Forest, IL. Science Teacher and Tennis Coach Mr. Tom Draski was invited to address the inductees and their parents. (Mr. Draski is the 2018 Rev. George Conway Outstanding Teacher Award Recipient.)

Mr. Draski

Mr. Draski prepared remarks mixed around teaching ideas, personal stories and quotations. His speech was themed around the NHS’s four pillars and on a personal message: Seven words that can make you rich.

1st NHS Pillar: Scholarship

Mr. Draski questioned the group on how smart they really were:

  • Are you smart enough to recognize good friends?
  • Smart enough to recognize the wisdom of their parents?
  • Smart enough to recognize what makes you happy?
  • Smart enough to see thru problems?
  • Smart enough to recognize how unique and special God made you?

To highlight these points, he employed quotes from Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Christiane Collange.

2nd NHS Pillar: Leadership

How do individuals inspire others to do more than they thought they could do? Are you a leader in your family, among your friends? Quotes used by Mr. Draski to highlight leadership came from John C. Maxwell, Robin Sharma and Mary Pickford.

3rd NHS Pillar: Service

Mr. Draski stressed remembering service, to each other, to our country, to our planet and to God.

  • Service is our beliefs and thoughts turned into action.
  • Service can happen all the time, not once in a while.
  • Service is sharing peace with others.

Quotes used to highlight this pillar came from Saint Mother Teresa, Sister Mary Macaluso and Mary Kay Ash.

4th NHS Pillar: Character

What is character?

  • If you have character, you always do your best.
  • If you have character, you are a person with a giving heart.
  • If you have character, you know the real secret of happiness.
  • If you have character, you look on the bright side.
  • If you have character, you know what is important to fight for.

Quotes used to highlight character came from John McCain, Thomas Edison, J.M. Barrie, Henry Ward Beecher and Abraham Lincoln.

After talking about the four pillars of NHS, Mr. Draski gave the group a message on how to become rich. It involves investing in the use of seven words. These seven words may not make you rich financially, but your heart will overflow with treasure:

THANK YOU

Mr. Draski emphasized the importance of using these words to anyone who has made an impact on your life in many different ways — from teachers, to coaches, to friends and classmates, to relatives, to people you meet only once in your life, and especially to your parents. (Quotes used in this section by Mr. Draski were by Albert Schweitzer, Georgia O’Keefe, and Confucius.)

I’M SORRY

Mr. Draski mentioned times we put off saying we are sorry. Don’t put it off. Feel a weight lifted from you and gain respect from another. (Quotes: from Louisa May Alcott.)

I LOVE YOU

Practice saying I love you often. Don’t be afraid of saying I love you. Tell your friends you love them. Tell your parents you love them. And tell all the rest of the remarkable people in the world who have made you who you are, “I love you.” Mr. Draski used quotes in this section from Walter Winchell, Jennie Churchill, the Bible-Leviticus 19:18 and Erma Bombeck. “I love you all,” he told the church audience.

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