Many private high schools across the nation take on the challenge of offering students a superior, college preparatory education. Among the finest of these schools, a hidden gem lays atop a hill in Addison.

The Driscoll Catholic curriculum is based upon a tri-level classification system, offering students versatility, based on developing skills, and courses ranging from Honors/Advanced Placement to College Prep II. Honors courses are designed for the accelerated student; one who desires to hone their critical thinking skills. College Prep I courses are standard college prep classes that are geared toward college-bound students who learn at an average pace. CP2 is a rigorous, structured program that helps students accommodate to special learning needs and allows those who learn at a slightly slower pace to more meticulously focus on developing good study skills.

Driscoll Catholic social worker, Annette Severino, assists students who may need extra help in their schoolwork, study habits and organizational skills. Severino, a graduate of Driscoll and Elmhurst College with a degree in special education, displays a gift for helping Highlanders with special learning needs. “Public schools give grants to the private schools in their area to help with funds for special education, since many of them don’t have any types of those programs,” she said. “What I do here is help students with learning disabilities with their homework, projects and tests. I check with their teachers to make sure that they are caught up with their assignments. For instance, I can administer a test orally to a student in a one-on-one session, or help them organize their lockers and binders.”

Severino’s services aren’t the only special programs being offered to Highlanders. Driscoll also provides students with an optional peer tutoring program held in the school’s Terrence Center, a multi-purpose facility nestled in the heart of the Driscoll Catholic campus. In addition to the ACT preparatory work already engrained in the common curriculum, ACT preparation classes are offered to juniors and seniors who wish additional study to prepare for their upcoming test. Class times tailor to the busy schedules of students who wish to hone their standardized test taking proficiency, with classes offered after school, nights and weekends.

Driscoll’s performance statistics fare well when compared to the majority of college prep schools, boasting 100 percent of graduates from the class of 2007 accepted into a college or university, such as Loyola, Purdue and Northwestern. “We do a pretty good job of getting our kids ready for whatever life throws their way,” said Matt Butler, Driscoll’s director of admissions. “We’ve had so many Driscoll alumni go off and do great things after having graduated from here.”

The Driscoll Catholic class of 2008 already possesses diverse successes entering the next educational phase of life. Varsity basketball player Jake Lindfors accepted a full scholarship to the University of New York at Albany. Victoria Schreiber has been accepted and has received scholarship offers from Indiana University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Iowa for her academic achievement. The celebrated quarterback of the Class 4A undefeated state champion football team, David Schwabe, has received a $20,000 scholarship for both baseball and academics to the University of St. Francis. Schwabe also was recently awarded a full scholarship to the Air Force Academy for both football and academics, the first Highlander to ever receive this scholarship.

At Driscoll Catholic High School, the quality education provided to students is in the tradition of St. John Baptist de la Salle and his teaching of compassion, faith and zeal. The mission statement of the school proclaims that the education provided in this type of environment will help students to “develop skills necessary to lead happy, healthy, productive and greatly satisfying lives.”