Two St. Joe Students Cited for National Merit Scholarship Commendation

Katharine Issacson, senior at St. Joseph’s Academy, has a dilemma. On May 24, she will graduate from's St. Joe. That date also happens to be her 18th birthday.

Isaacson has mixed emotions about the near future. “I’m happy to be graduating St. Joe, but a little sad to be leaving,” she said. She loves the school so much, she came in this summer to volunteer helping teachers set up their classrooms.

Issacson and Katie Greaves, 18, were notified earlier this year they were selected commended students in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship program.

This places them in the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students taking the test annually.

They should be.

Isaacson scored a 33 on her ACT and a 2110 on her SAT. Greaves went slightly higher, earning a 34 on the ACT.

Both are high honor students. Greaves maintains a 4.12 GPA, mixing in honors classes with A+ test results. Issacson, who has an eye on becoming a doctor or lawyer, has a 4.12 GPA.

Right now, they are both college shopping, determining where they will study the next four years. Isaacson, who carries a heavy courseload in math and biology has Northwestern University down as her dream school.

“I’ll probably end up at Truman State (University), or Loyola (of Chicago) or Bradley (University) or Belmont (University),” she said. She is waiting for early admission, but not going through the rolling admissions process.

Meanwhile, Greaves dreams of going to Vanderbilt University, and has Tulane University, the University of Arkansas, The University of Alabama and the University of Missouri on the list.

Both grew up in Webster Groves. Issacson came to St. Joe via Mary Queen of Peace in Webster. Greaves is a product of the Webster Groves public school system. She first attended Bristol Elementary then Hixson Middle School.

Greaves loves to travel. She she spent nearly two weeks learning art history in France and Italy last summer. That trip is sponsored by the Stein husband-and-wife team at St. Joe's.
 
Isaacson enjoys participating in the school sponsored club activity 'Youth in Government,'  where students get to particpate in a mock trial and a trip to Jefferson City to learn more about a legal or political career. She is part of the tech crew for school musicals and babysits often.

Greaves serves on the junior board of a unique community-based action group Coats for Kids.

“There are kids who live in the inner city who don’t even have a winter coat. They won’t walk to school because it’s too cold, and that leads to another whole new set of problems,” she said. The organization puts on bake sales and other fundraisers to buy new and used coats.

Greaves will be the only member of her family to attend St. Joe. She has two brothers, one at St. Louis University High and one who is younger. Isaacson, on the other hand, has a sister in the eighth grade who is a candidate to attend St. Joe next year.

Both decided going to college in St. Louis is not a realistic option.

“St. Louis is my home, but I want to go away and find out what it’s like to live away. Maybe I’ll come back for graduate school,” Isaacson said.