From the Desk of Mr. Cody O'Neill

I hope this letter finds you well and full of excitement as we transition from a very successful fall sports season into our winter sports programs. Our fall athletes had an outstanding season, and I’m proud to share some of their incredible achievements with you.

First, our Girls' Tennis Team dominated the courts once again, capturing Sectional Championships for the third year in a row. This impressive feat was followed by sending three girls to state, with Jenna Remke and Julia Lukey placing in the top five and Jordan Cheng qualifying for state two years in a row. It was truly a tremendous year for our tennis program.

Our Cross Country Team was back in action this season with Coach Bill Stoll starting his second year to lead the program. His leadership has been invaluable in getting the team off the ground, and this year he was able to help Oliver Ebel qualify for state. The hard work and dedication put in by Coach Stoll and the runners is surely paying off.

Our Golf Programs also continue to improve. For the second year in a row, both our Boys' and Girls' Golf Teams competed at state. The boys’ team sent Luca Kittel, and the girls’ team sent Jordan Cheng, further solidifying their place among the best in the state.

Volleyball had one heck of a season to be proud of. After taking some lumps throughout the regular season and playing some large schools, our girls had amazing success in the post season. Coach Doug led our girls to the sectional championships and just fell short. What a way to compete all year, and we look forward to the future of this program!

With all of this success behind us, I am beyond excited to kick off the winter sports season. Our Girls' Basketball Teams are looking to take that next step this season. Coach Lee and his staff have been working tirelessly, and the girls are ready to build on their past success.

On the Boys' Basketball side, we have a new face at the helm with Lafeyette Bell, setting his standards for building a successful program. Although we faced some challenges early on, the players are buying in, and the team is ready to make progress as the season continues.

In Wrestling, we are looking forward to more historic achievements. With several state placers and #2 Nationally ranked Jimmy Mastny still on the roster, our wrestlers are poised to continue their dominance. Coach Jordan and Coach Ryan have been working hard, and they are determined to re-establish Marian as a state power, even this year with moving up to 2A based on our previous success.

Our Fencing team has also been hard at it with Coach Monika Hess taking over the helm from coach Megan. The kids have been improving since the start of the season and have been enjoying the process.

I’m incredibly excited for the winter sports season and what it holds for our student-athletes. We have so much talent, hard work, and potential across all of our teams, and I know our athletes will continue to make us proud.

Thank you for your continued support of our school and athletic programs. Together, we can look forward to another great season!

Sincerely

Cody O'Neill

NHS Offers Tutoring Sessions

Marian Central's National Honor Society (NHS) will be hosting tutoring sessions during Advisory on Tuesday, December 9th and Thursday, December 11th leading up to Semester Exams. Any students who may be having a little trouble in a class or just have a few questions can stop in the cafeteria after checking in with their advisory teacher.

We hope that these study groups with the tutors will be able to prepare the students for their exams at Marian. By offering this walk-in service, our students will get more of a college-setting tutoring experience, as NHS seeks to help all of our classmates succeed.

Save the Date: Annual College Information Night

Please mark your calendars for our annual College Information Night on Wednesday, January 14th, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. An optional meet-and-greet with college representatives will take place beforehand from 6:00–6:30 p.m.

Additional details will be shared after the first of the year. All freshmen, sophomores, and junior families are welcome to attend.

Spirit Wear Sale

Stock up on Christmas gifts for your favorite Canes!

On-Target, Marian Central's official spirit wear provider, will be selling Canes gear at these upcoming home basketball games:

Tuesday, December 9th - Girls Basketball Game

Friday, December 12th - Boys Basketball Game

Tuesday, December 16th - Boys Basketball Game

All Marian spirit wear will be on sale at SUPER Christmas savings: T-shirts from $5 - Hoodies from $20 - Beanies and hats from $10. Special sale items table at even more savings. Subject to stock on hand.

ACT – REQUIRED FOR ALL JUNIORS

To give our students the best opportunities for college admissions and scholarships and to provide valuable data to improve instruction at Marian Central, we will be having our juniors take the ACT (paper-and-pencil format) during the school day on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The test will begin at 8:00am and end by approximately 10:30 am at which time juniors will return to their regularly scheduled classes for the remainder of the school day. The Enhanced ACT consists of 3 sections: English, Math and Reading. The students will also be taking the Writing and Science portions of the exam. Scores will be available from 2-8 weeks after testing and will be college reportable for students who wish to submit their scores to any of the colleges and/or universities that they plan to apply to senior year.

Additional information about the ACT, including free test preparation options can be found here. Also, the PreACT results from the October test can be useful (and free) to prep for the ACT. Score reports indicate student answers to each test question and correct answers. Students can look up these questions in the test booklets and see where they went wrong and what types of questions they need to work on to improve scores once they take the ACT.

If your student receives testing accommodations through a formal ISP at Marian Central, Mr. Taylor will contact you and your students to apply for accommodations on the ACT. Applications for accommodations will be submitted before we leave for winter break in December.

No registration is necessary for juniors for the April 21, 2026 school day ACT test.

Please contact Mrs. Hilton (khilton@marian.com or 815-338-4220, ext. 121) if you have any questions regarding the ACT.

EXAM EXEMPTIONS - SEMESTER 2

Seniors

Seniors who would like to be exempt from Semester 2 exams, the process starts soon. Please review the form below to make sure you understand what you will need to accomplish regarding academics, discipline and attendance over the third and fourth quarters in order to be exempt from your second semester exams.

Senior Exam Exemption Information 2025-26

AP Classes

All students (grades 9-12) who are enrolled in, paid the fee for, and eventually take the College Board test for any AP class have the option to be exempt from taking their end of semester 2 final exam for that class. Please review the form below to make sure that you understand the guidelines.

AP Exam Exemption Information 2025-26