Schools

Phoenixville Teen Valedictorian of Devon Prep Class of 2014

The school's seniors earned more than $5.3 million in academic scholarships.

The following was provided to Patch by Devon Prep:

When Devon Prep’s 40 seniors walk into the school’s athletic facility for the 2014 Commencement Ceremony at 10 AM on Saturday, June 7 they will include scholars, athletes, volunteers, class leaders, musicians, Eagle Scouts, actors and more. When they walk out of the gym nearly 2 hours later they will be Class of 2014 alumni.  Watching this momentous event will be nearly 400 parents, siblings, friends, family, alumni and faculty.

Presiding over the Commencement Ceremony will be Very Rev. Fernando Negro, Sch.P., provincial superior of the USA-Puerto Rico Piarist Fathers, the religious order that conducts Devon Prep.  Headmaster Rev. James J. Shea, Shea.P will also be in attendance and Faculty Member Paul Sanborn will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

Collectively the young men in the school’s 54th graduating class earned over $5.3 million in college scholarships. In addition they received nearly 200 acceptances to more than 75 colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Lehigh, Case Western Reserve, Fordham, Drexel and Penn State.

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to Headmaster Rev. Shea, “Devon Prep’s Class of 2014 is a superb group of young men who excel in so many wonderful areas in and out of the classroom. I know that they will be very successful in college and beyond. I will miss them and wish them well in the future.”

Nearly half (18) of Devon Prep’s Class of 2014 are AP Scholars. Twelve are AP Scholars with Distinction. Six were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program, two as Commended Students, two as Finalists and two as scholarship Winners.  Five of these young men are Eagle Scouts, one is an EMT (Andrew Bright of Phoenixville), 10 are members of the “7 Year Club” having attended Devon Prep since 6th grade, and two will go on to participate in collegiate athletics at Division 1 and Division 3 schools.

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition, this senior class performed over 1500 hours of community service doing such things as collecting and distributing food and clothing to needy families, repairing homes in Oil City, PA, and raising more than $24,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. One young man, James O’Shea of Broomall, logged more than 200 hours of community service as President of Devon Prep’s Christian Action Program and as a volunteer at Lankenau Medical Center. Last year he received the Gold Level Presidential Volunteer Service Award for his dedication to serving others through his work at Lankenau.

This year’s Valedictorian is Andrew A. Bright of Phoenixville, and the Salutatorian is Kevin S. Sheng of Chester SpringsBoth of these young men are AP Scholars with Distinction, as well as Distinguished Honors students and members of the National Honor Society.  Bright is a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student and Sheng is a National Merit Scholarship Winner. Bright will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall and Sheng will attend Cooper Union.

This year’s guest speaker is Ms. Maureen McCullough, Esq., regional director for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for Northeastern United States. In this position she coordinates and directs CRS’ engagement and programs, including Fair Trade, Global Solidarity Network for Colleges and Universities, Operation Rice Bowl and International Speaker Tours. 

McCullough holds a Bachelor of Arts from Immaculata University and a Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law. She is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Immaculata and St. Joseph’s Universities.

Prior to her position at CRS she served as chair of the Healthcare Practice Group representing institutional health care providers and medical professionals in all aspects of health care law.

Also, during the Commencement Ceremony, Devon Prep Alumnus and Executive Vice President of Fox News Mr. Kevin Magee ’72,  will receive the Alumni Achievement Award. This award is presented annually to an alumnus who has significantly influenced and benefitted his profession. 

Magee is executive in charge of the Fox Business Network and also oversees Fox News Radio. The Fox Business Network is now available to more than 70 million homes nationwide and Fox News Radio has more than a thousand affiliates throughout the US. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University.

In addition, several academic and activity awards will be presented to the students during the commencement ceremony. After the ceremony most of the graduates will gather in and around the “mansion,” Calasanctius Hall, on campus, for photos with guests and each other.

A Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated for the graduates on Friday, June 6 at 7:30 PM in the athletic facility. The principal celebrant will be Very Rev. Fernando Negro, Sch. P. Provincial Superior of the USA-Puerto Rico Piarist Fathers, and the concelebrants will include Devon Prep Headmaster, Rev. James J. Shea, Sch. P.

Devon Prep is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for young men in grades 6 through 12 conducted by the Piarist Fathers.  The school, which is located in Devon, Chester County, enrolls students from Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties as well as parts of Philadelphia. For more information contact Rose Lombardo at rlombardo@devonprep.com, call 610-688-7337 or visit www.devonprep.com, or  www.facebook.devonprep.com.

See the full Devon Prep Class of 2014 and where they'll be attending college here.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here