Best & Brightest

• Rhyse Jaeschke, son of Laura and Gary Jaeschke of Des Plaines, was named to the spring quarter dean's list at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind., for earning at least a 3.3 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Jaeschke is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.

• Jack J. Baczek, son of John and Maria Baczek, Mount Prospect, and a senior at Northwood University in Midland, Mich., was named to the spring 2007 dean's list for achieving at least a 3.25 grade point average.

• Kathleen Lucille Hojnacki of Elk Grove Village was awarded a Certificate of Academic Excellence by Northern Illinois University's Academic Advising Center for achieving a grade-point average of 3.80 during the spring 2007 semester.

• Holly Trotter, daughter of Andrew and Jane Trotter of Elk Grove Village, was named to the spring semester dean's list at Monmouth College for achieving at least a 3.667 grade-point average. She is a senior majoring in math and Spanish.

• Steven Scholz, of Elk Grove Village and a sophomore at Fenwick High School, received second honors for the second quarter of the 2007-2008 school year.

• Amanda Wenzel, daughter of Peter and Nancy Wenzel of Elk Grove Village, was named to the spring semester dean's list at Monmouth College for achieving at least a 3.667 grade-point average. She is a freshman majoring in Spanish.

• Brian Kura, son of Deborah Kura of Park Ridge, was named to the spring semester dean's list at Monmouth College for achieving at least a 3.667 grade-point average. Kura is a senior physical education major.

• Alil Kunica, a resident of Elk Grove Village, has received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from North Central College.

Kunica is among 97 students who received baccalaureate and advanced degrees from the college Dec. 1 after completing the fall 2007 term.

• Kevin Christopher Polit of Mount Prospect, an Architecture major, was named to the dean's list at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah Ga., for the fall quarter 2007.

Full-time undergraduate students who earn a grade point average of 3.5 or above for the quarter receive recognition on the dean's list.

• Stacy Pareti, daughter of Mark and Connie Pareti of Des Plaines, is among 63 student members elected to join The Loras Alpha Chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma, a National Scholastic Honor Society that invites college students earning a GPA of 3.7 or above to join. Pareti is a senior at Loras College.

• Alison Balaskovits, daughter of Kenneth and Judith Balaskovits of Park Ridge, is among 63 student members elected to join The Loras Alpha Chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma, a National Scholastic Honor Society that invites college students earning a GPA of 3.7 or above to join. Balaskvits is a junior at Loras College.

• North Central College has named senior Sanida Sisic, daughter of Demil and Zumra Sisic of Mount Prospect, to its dean's list of scholars for the 2007 fall term.

• Christine Heyd, daughter of James and Catherine Heyd of Elk Grove Village and a junior at North Central College in Naperville, was named to the school's dean's list for the 2007 Fall Term.

• Katherine Loftus, daughter of Catherine and Timothy Loftus of Elk Grove Village, and a junior at North Central College, Naperville, was named to the dean's list for the 2007 fall term.

• Eric Thomas Krumsee of Mount Prospect graduated from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, at the end of the spring 2007 semester with a master of business administration degree.

• Roosevelt University accepted a record number of 56 new students into its Roosevelt Scholars Program for the 2007-08 academic year, which began classes in September. The average ACT of a scholar is 26.8, ranking in the 89th percentile nationally. The program offers an enriched curriculum with an emphasis on urban and metropolitan issues or the sciences. Scholars must maintain high academic standards to remain in the program.

Elk Grove Village: Kira Dolce, mathematics/secondary education.

Des Plaines: Garciela Solis, English.

Mount Prospect: Edward Golba, political science; and Jessica Sandacz, psychology.