Best & Brightest

• Aimee Wright, daughter of Buddy and Laurie Wright of Lake Zurich, and a junior at Elmhurst College, was inducted into the Zeta Pi Chapter of Phi Beta Delta Honors Society for International Scholars at a March 2 Induction Ceremony. Members must have at least a 3.25 GPA and have a study abroad experience. Wright spent the month of January participating in the trip "Understanding, Remembering and Memorializing the Holocaust." She traveled to Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. She is a 2005 graduate of Lake Zurich High School.

• Lorraine J. Radcliffe of Wauconda, a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was named to the fall Dean's List for a achieving a 4.0 grade point average.

• Kevin Baranowski, son of John and Cheryl Baranowski of Hawthorn Woods, is participating on the 2008 Coe College Kohawks baseball team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Baranowski is a 2007 graduate of Lake Zurich Senior High School.

• Jean Gentile of Grayslake graduated from Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, Utah, with a master's degree in teaching in elementary education.

• Christine Cooney of Lake Zurich was named to the dean's list for the fall semester of the 2007-08 school year at Illinois State University in Normal. She was also inducted into the Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society on April 23. To qualify students must have a 3.0 GPA, have completed at least 45 hours of course work, and be in the top 25 percent of their class. She is a junior majoring in Human Development and Family Resources.

• Claire Marie Admire of Lake Villa graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in management from the Online Undergraduate Program of Upper Iowa University in Fayette in December 2007. For summa cum laude honors, Admire had a grade point average between 3.8 and 4.0.

• Lauren M. Hock of Libertyville has been named to the dean's list for the winter quarter of the 2007-08 academic year at Northwester University in Evanston.

• Elizabeth Mitchell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Mitchell of Grayslake, was named to the fall 2007 Dean's List at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind., for achieving a grade point average of at least 3.4.

• Bryan Wengert of Gurnee was chosen as a Presidential Scholar at Illinois State University, Normal. The highest award made to incoming students, a Presidential Scholarship provides $8,000 for each of four years, a total of $32,000.

Recipients study abroad one term, complete a 130-hour service learning project in a community setting, complete a special set of general education courses and fulfill Honors Program requirements. They generally develop individualized plans of study, work closely with faculty on research projects and assume campus leadership roles.

• Brianne Howser of Lake Zurich was awarded the Aaron and Doris Cushman scholarship from the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana College of Communications for excellence in the field of Advertising. She is a May 2008 graduate who majored in advertising with minors in business and sociology. Howser is also a recipient of the Bronze Tablet also known as University Honors for graduating in the top 3 percent of the college. Her name will be inscribed on a bronze tablet displayed in the school library.

The 2004 Lake Zurich High School graduate has also been named an Edmund James Scholar graduating with Highest Honors.

• Gordon Booker of Gurnee and Erik Bennett of Lake Villa were chosen as University Scholars at Illinois State University, Normal, and will receive a University Scholarship which provides $5,000 for each of four years.