Merry Christmas from three Marmion graduates who want to talk with you about Rosary College Prep.
Between the three of us, we have nine daughters who are current Rosary students or alumnae.
We believe so strongly in the irreplaceable value of Rosary that all of us serve on the school’s Governing Board. Rosary is here to stay.
Long before Nov 16, 2024, the day Marmion Academy announced its plan to go co-ed, Rosary was already ahead of the game, planning a robust future.
Prior to Marmion’s announcement, Rosary’s board and Head of School Amy McMahon were two years into creating a strategic plan to prioritize growing the enrollment through expanded outreach and marketing, funding the mission, all while maintaining academic excellence.
Long before that date, Rosary was already in the process of creating a proud new banner proclaiming Rosary’s true identity as the best all-girls college preparatory school in Chicago’s western suburbs, to be known from July 1, 2025, as Rosary College Prep.
In spring 2024, Rosary’s Governing Board surveyed and gathered essential data from current and past school parents. We hired an agency specializing in nonprofits to conduct on-site interviews with administration, faculty, students, parents and board members.
The findings confirmed the board’s belief: There is a robust appetite in the region for well-rounded, all-girls, Catholic college prep education. For 63 years and counting, that has been Rosary’s mission, fueled by the mission and vision of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield.
We certainly knew that Marmion’s decision would impact Rosary, but we also knew that Rosary was prepared for the challenge.
Rosary’s 20-member board includes three Marmion and seven Rosary graduates. More than half of board members have ties to both schools, through their spouses and/or as parents.
Our board believes that Rosary is simply the best college prep school for girls in the Chicago suburbs, and we are backing that up. This year, the board had 100% participation in Rosary’s Giving Tuesday, doubling its strong donation amount from last year.
The choice for a Catholic education for our daughters is clear for us. Here at Rosary, these young women discover the traits and talents that inspire their dreams and fuel their passions. Additionally, they are encouraged, engaged and empowered to find a place where they belong and thrive – a sisterhood of truth, faith and strength.
We have witnessed this transformation first-hand! Here’s what just a few of our daughters have to say about the impact of their Rosary education:
“Looking back, I didn’t realize how much Rosary was preparing me for college until I entered such a fast-paced, demanding academic environment,” says Alexandra Kackert, now a junior at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “The rigorous college-preparatory classes and the many extracurricular activities taught me time and stress management early on, while the teachers and staff consistently motivated me and helped shape me into a confident young woman. I couldn’t be more grateful for Rosary.”
“Rosary made me the most confident kid in the classroom,” says Rosary graduate Reese Gilla, a student-athlete at Washington and Lee University. “I was prepared academically and socially, helping me build thoughtful relationships with my professors and coaches that led me to have a very successful term.”
Rosary consistently delivers on its promises of academic achievement, leadership skills and real-world preparation for its students, who are deeply formed through consistent practice of the Dominican values of prayer, study, preaching and community service.
“I developed some great relationships with teachers that I don’t think would have happened elsewhere,” says Rosary graduate Jessica Hirner. “Rosary is a comfortable place to learn and grow. And as a young Catholic, I felt the confidence to grow in my faith, and to be my true self, who God made me to be.”
So yes, Rosary has a proven track record of success. If you and your junior high daughter want a safe, challenging and healthy learning environment that allows girls to be themselves, grow in self-confidence and be the daughters of God they are called to be, Rosary College Prep is the place for you. Let’s talk.
Steve Hirner, Andy Gill and Pat Kackert,
Rosary Governing Board members and Marmion graduates
