If you have been associated with Mount Carmel in any way in the past 30 years, then one name that comes to mind is Mr. Curt Ehrenstrom, The long-time teacher and coach lost his year long battle with pancreatic cancer last May. The 2014 Golden Apple winner was always touching the lives of others in the classroom and on the field.

In order to keep his spirit alive, MC has renamed the honors program after this legendary teacher. The Ehrenstrom Honors Fraternity, which will begin with this year’s sophomore class, is for the students who take the most challenging classes offered in each subject for their four years at Mount Carmel. The goal of the program is to increase the opportunity for top students to be admitted to the most selective colleges and universities.

Not only does MC want students to excel in the classroom, but outside as well. Therefore, the new members of this elite fraternity have taken several field trips, including attending a political rally, a Will County Court trial, and a trip to Northwestern University.   They also listened to a representative from the University of Chicago. “We want them to be more enriched academically, culturally, and artistically,” says Mr. Jeff Enright, the head of the Honors Program.

Although everyone would love the opportunity to be a part of this great association, membership is restricted to “the best of the best,” which means you have to be the top 20 in the class. Enright states, “We are hoping this will help our students get into and succeed in the most elite colleges in the world.”

“Having been involved in Mount Carmel for so many decades, we want to constantly honor his memory,” says Enright. When the students receive their diploma at graduation at Rockefeller Chapel, instead of receiving the Honors Diploma, they will now get the Coach Ehrenstrom Honors Fraternity Diploma in honor of the great legend “Coach E.”

Dominic Antonietti, Macauley Kilbane, Luke Goodman,  James Hoey,  Luke Kinsella, Justin Fekete, Jacob Gurgevich, Patrick Kaminski, Nolan Panepinto, Charlie Pasciak, Ryan Vogt, Andrew Chorich, Kevin Czubak, Conor Fagan, Chris Faso, Branimir Ilic, Austin Obrien, William Olsen, Derrick, Ousley, Tyler Stanish, Jacob Correa, Jackson Lockhart, David Riojas, Yahya Thomas, Aron Zaragosa, and Robert Martinez are students who will have the opportunity to receive this diploma at the end of their high school career.