Class of 2026
Notre Dame is proud to introduce our 2026 graduates. Thank you for an unforgettable four years. We are so proud of you! A list of graduates is below, along with recognition of Honor Stoles and our 2026 Valedictorian and Salutatorian.
Class of 2026 Graduates
Ifaz Alam
John Paul Alipala
Owen Blattel
Michael Bogdanovich
Thomas Bolen
Lily Brotherton
William Brown
Ellis Brune
Samuel Canter
Ethan Casey
Mavis Chahin Radlein
Sonnie Childress
Olivia Cisneros
Adam Cork
Mary Tyler Cox
Lily Coy
Houston Crawford
Blake DeBrock
Charleigh DeShaney
Nicholas Dial
Genevieve Diebold
Rylan Dirnberger
Cole Donze
Addison Downs
Peyton Duncan
Lauren Ecker
Thurston Edwards
Ayda Emmons
Parissa Faisal
Colton Farrow
Vita Claire Galati
Emmie Gamel
Adeline Gardner
Valerie Gooch
Cole Graham
DayJon Gray
Brynna Greenley
Ella Hahn
Kambri Huckstep
Elias Huff
Parker Hulshof
Nathaniel Imhoff
Julian Iwuchukwu
Jake Jansen
Heidi Jimerson
Claudia Jones
Gabriel Jones
Isabel Jones
Jackson Jones
Alyssa Jurgens
Alyssa Jurgens
Jeffrey Keck
Cierra Landewee
Colton Landewee
Chase Lawson
Tanner Le
Amelia LeGrand
Max LeGrand
Dalton Leimbach
Noland Parker Lemmons
Owen Lochmann
Abigail Martin
Grayson Maurer
Gary Graham McMullan
Caroline Moon
Luke Naughton
Dylan Neumann
Kayla Niedbalski
Aidyn O'Daniel
Mia Panton
Claire Pfautsch
Presley Pfeiffer
Minh Pham
Harper Raffety
Annabelle Rhodes
Elena RipperdaLucy Ripperda
Angelica Robles
Sebastian Schaaf
Samantha Schoolman
Mark Schuchardt
Maria Seyer
Ryder Siebert
Gabriela Stroup
Maya Thebeau
Julia Thompson
Anna Turner
Eloisa West
Lauren Williamsen
Bleve Thompson Willoughby
Haley Wissinger
Lolah Wunderlich
Felix Brian Zarate-Mauleon
Jay Zhang
Lueck Zimmerman
Class of 2026 Honor Stolls
Elena Ripperda Named Class of 2026 Valedictorian
Elena Ripperda has been named Notre Dame Regional High School’s Valedictorian for the Class of 2026.
Throughout high school, Elena has distinguished herself through outstanding academic achievement. Her freshman year, she received gold on the National Spanish Exam and was on the Notre Dame Algebra 1 Medley team that received first place at Southeast Missouri State University’s Math Field Day. She was named Biology Student of the Year her sophomore year, and once again earned gold on the National Spanish Exam. Last year, Elena was AP Spanish IV Student of the Year, Advanced Math Student of the Year, and earned a silver medal on the National Spanish Exam. During her senior year, she received the first quarter Outstanding Academic Achievement award in Foreign Language.
Very active in the Notre Dame school community, Elena is involved in National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and is the treasurer for the National Spanish Honor Society. In addition to honor societies, she participates in Peer Helpers, Women in God’s Service (WinGs), Encore, Science Club, and is the vice president for International Club. She is a student ambassador, student mentor, and competes for Notre Dame’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) organization.
Elena is a member of Notre Dame’s prestigious Select Singers, and was part of the Quad State Honor Choir and named to the All-District Honor Choir during her senior year. She has been part of her parish choir for the past 10 years.
Putting service at the forefront, Elena is part of two major service organizations. She has been a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters since her sophomore year. She is also a member of the Lodge of Ondessonk & Tekakwitha, which is Camp Ondessonk’s service and leadership organization. Camp Ondessonk is an outdoor and spiritually focused camp committed to Catholic traditions and spiritual growth of campers. Additionally, she will be attending her third Notre Dame Joan Strohmeyer Mission Trip this summer.
Elena is a member of Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Murphysboro, IL. Her parents, Jeff and Kate Ripperda, are who she identifies most as helping her achieve this honor.
“They’ve always given me the resources I’ve needed to succeed and have been incredibly supportive of me,” she said.
Elena will attend Saint Louis University in the fall. She is on the pre-med track and part of the university’s Medical Scholars Program. She plans to major in Biology and minor in Spanish, with the goal of pursuing a career in dermatology or pediatrics.
Lucy Ripperda Named Class of 2026 Salutatorian
Lucy Ripperda has been named Notre Dame Regional High School’s Salutatorian for the Class of 2026.
Lucy is the daughter of Jeff and Kate Ripperda, and a member of Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Murphysboro, IL, where is also a member of the choir.
At Notre Dame, she is the president of International Club and a member of Science Club, Student Ambassadors, Students Mentors, Peer Helpers and Women in God’s Service (WinGs). Lucy is a member of three honor societies; National Spanish Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society and National Honor Society, where she serves in leadership positions for each organization. She also competes for Notre Dame’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Lucy is a Select Singer for Notre Dame, and has been named to the All-District Honor Choir and participated at Quad State Music Festival. She earned a silver medal on the National Spanish Exam her freshman, sophomore and junior years, and received the second quarter Outstanding Academic Achievement award in Foreign Language her senior year. Her freshman year she was part of Notre Dame’s Algebra I Medley team that received first place at Southeast Missouri State University’s Math Field Day.
She has gone on two summer mission trips through Notre Dame’s Joan Strohmeyer Mission Trip program. She is a four-year member of Lodge of Ondessonk & Tekakwitha at Camp Ondessonk, and has been a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri for three years.
Lucy was recognized for her guidance to other students, helping her peers plan ahead and choose classes when they feel uncertain, and for always doing so with kindness and support as part of Notre Dame’s Apostolic Leadership program earlier this year.
Lucy said, “I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in going to a school that is an hour away, and allowing me to thrive at Notre Dame.”
She will be attending Saint Louis University in the fall as a Healthcare Management major, while also minoring in Spanish and Public Health. She has been accepted as part of Saint Louis University’s prestigious Medical Scholars Program.
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