Commencement 2009
Devon Prep's 50th Graduating Class
Devon Preparatory School’s Class of 2009, Devon Prep’s 50th graduating class, has received over $7 million in college scholarships and more than 275 acceptances to nearly 100 schools, including 14 Ivy League acceptances from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania.
These 56 students hail from communities in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties. In addition to the Ivy League acceptances, they also received acceptances from MIT, Johns Hopkins, the US. Military Academy, NYU, Tufts and Georgetown Universities among others. One of the graduates has been accepted into Villanova University /Drexel’s College of Medicine and another into Drexel University’s BS/MS Program.
Among the members of Devon Prep’s Class of 2009 are 30 AP Scholars including 13 AP Scholars with Distinction, two National AP Scholars, 12 National Merit Scholars (four are Finalists, two of whom are Scholarship Winners) and one National Hispanic Scholar. The average SAT score for this class is 1278 of a possible 1600.
In addition this senior class has performed over 1800 hours community service doing everything from collecting and distributing food to needy families to raising money for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
One senior, Brian Lefchak, accumulated over 350 service hours supporting the Arthritis Foundation. In addition to advocacy efforts he planned and performed in two concerts to raise several thousand dollars for a scholarship fund for Camp JRA (Juveniles Reaching Achievement), where children with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases can have fun, learn about their disease, and form social bonds with others who share their challenges. The money he raised will provide tuition for 10 children (ages 8 -18) to attend the week long summer camp.
According to Headmaster Rev. James Shea, Sch.P., these graduates are an outstanding group of young men. “During their time at Devon Prep they have consistently excelled in and out of the classroom, and have dramatically increased the spirit of the school. I am delighted to see their excellence recognized by being accepted into the finest colleges and universities in the United States,” Fr. Shea said. “These young men are a credit to our school and their families.”
Class of 2009 Valedictorian is Patrick T. Mannion and Salutatorians are Felix deRosen and Christian R. Mirabile. All three of these young men are AP Scholars with Distinction as well as National Merit Scholars. Mannion is also a National AP Scholar and National Merit Scholarship Winner. Both Mannion and deRosen will attend Harvard University in the fall and Mirabile will attend the University Pennsylvania.
This year’s Commencement Speaker will be Devon Prep Class of 1993 Alumnus Mr. Mark Malseed, bestselling coauthor of “The Google Story,” a critically acclaimed book published in more than 25 languages worldwide.
Class Highlights
- 56 Seniors
- 275 Acceptances to 97 Colleges & Universities
- 14 Ivy League Acceptances
- 7.1 Million in Scholarships
- 30 AP Scholars, 13 with Distinction
- 2 National AP Scholars
- 12 National Merit Scholars, Four Finalists, 2 Scholarship Winners
Standardized Test Scores
- Average Critical Reading: 635
- Average Math: 643
- Average Writing: 633
- Middle 50% Critical Reading: 590-710
- Middle 50% Math: 570-720
- Middle 50% Writing: 560-720