The fourth in our Senior Spotlight series features Caroline Kubacki, now in her final year at Benet Academy. Seeing the success our graduates have enjoyed, whether they matriculate to Naperville North, Naperville Central, Benet Academy, or St. Francis High School, should instill confidence in every current Saints Peter and Paul School parent that their children are being well prepared for the challenges and opportunities in high school.
Current Extra Curricular involvement: 
S.A.L.T. (Serving and Loving Together) Board Leader
I have been a member of SALT all four years of high school.
I organize all the service events that Benet students participate in as well as in-school service opportunities. I helped plan Benet's Life Week and Catholic Schools Week activities. I also organized Christmas Drive Shopping Day, where Benet students buy groceries, clothes, and toys for a local family.
S.A.L.T. Dignity Leader
This was my junior year position on the SALT Board where I was responsible for transforming service event sign ups from the paper on the bulletin board to an online signup, which allowed more students to participate in service events
Benet Herald
I started off as a writer for the girls sports section my freshman and sophomore year. As a junior, I was selected to be the Editor of the School News section. This year, I am the Assistant Editor of the Benet Herald.
Athletics
Throughout my four years, I ran cross country (freshman & sophomore) and played lacrosse (freshman - junior). I was the varsity goalie for two years.
Faith Development
I have attended the March for Life every year since freshman year with Benet's pro-life group. I also took a pro- life dialoguing course with Benet's group after we won the Students for Life Most Pro-Life Group award in 2017. I was selected to be a Catalyst and Logos retreat leader in both my junior and senior years and proudly serve as a Eucharist Minister at all-school Benet Masses.
I also travelled to Krakow, Poland, for World Youth Day with Benet.
Awards / Accomplishments:
I studied hard to make First Honor Roll all four years. I am a member of the National Honor Society and National Foreign Language Honor Society. This year I was elected to be part of the Homecoming Court.
College Plans:
I was recently accepted as an early admit student to Harvard College! I am very excited for what the next four years have in store for me as an Economics Major.
High School Lessons from SSPP:
I was extremely well prepared going into Benet Academy. I knew how to properly take notes in class and study for tests. I understood the value of time management. Was I perfect? Of course not! But it was the foundation of good study habits learned during my years at SSPP that helped me to grow as a student at Benet Academy.
SSPP Extra-Curricular Involvement:
While I was a student at SSPP, I was involved in many extra-curricular pursuits. I played volleyball, basketball, and ran cross country for a season. I participated in Girl Scouts, the school play, Spanish Club, and Young Rembrandt's after school. I was very proud to represent my homeroom as a class representative from 5th to 7th grade in Student Council. It was a true honor to be a member of Mary's Court in May Crowning and also Student Council Class President which, among other things, afforded me the opportunity to represent the student body and speak at Mr. Glowaty's retirement assembly.
How my Catholic faith resonates with me as a teenager:
I am very fortunate to attend a high school so dedicated to bringing the Catholic faith alive to its teenage students. I love every minute of my religion classes spent discussing the Bible, Catholic Social Justice, Church History, and Spirituality. I also have gained an appreciation for the experiences I have been offered to live my faith through not only words of prayer but action. As mentioned earlier, for the past four years I have marched in the March for Life in Washington D.C. to protect the unborn and in 2016 I did a pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. There is no greater feeling than celebrating Mass surrounded by teenage Catholics from around the world joyfully waving their country's flag and sharing their faith. It was beautiful to be truly encompassed by the universal church.
Teachers at SSPP who had a profound impact on me:
There have been so many individuals who have helped shape who I am today. I am immensely thankful for the teachers who have taught me not only their lesson plans but how to be a good person and lead a happy life. I thank my teachers for being a role model of Christ's love in my life.
I would especially like to thank Mrs. Manza, Ms. Ondracek, Ms. Roche, Mrs. Skroch, and Ms. Zavodny (now Mrs. Paski). These five amazing teachers have always looked out for me. Thank you Mrs. Manza for your kindness and sparking my love for reading in your first grade class. Thank you Ms. Ondracek for opening my eyes to new authors like Roald Dahl and E.B. White. I will forever remember how much fun I had with the multiplication table sundae parties and building my solar system project in your third grade class. Thank you Ms. Roche and Ms. Z for inspiring my writing and public speaking skills. Thank you Mrs. Skroch for your history lectures. I loved learning about the ancient civilizations in World History, new locations in Geography, and our nation's history in American History.
Advice for current students:
My advice for current SSPP students is to not be afraid to get involved in high school. Naperville is an amazing town to be a high schooler in! Whether you go to a public or private high school, there are so many amazing opportunities to get involved. There is a value in just showing up freshman year. Whether it is the first meeting of a club, sport team tryout, musical audition, or back-to-school sock hop, it is worth it to show up and give it your best shot. You never know what friends you could meet there.
