News

Saint Monica Preparatory is proud to welcome back Nathalie Rayes ‘92, the former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, to deliver the keynote address at our 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, June 6 at 6:30 p.m. Her career spans public service, private sector leadership, nonprofit advocacy and diplomacy—embodying the values we aim to instill in every student.

The following week, Rayes also has the honor of returning to her university alma mater, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, to deliver commencement addresses at both its undergraduate and graduate ceremonies.

Saint Monica Preparatory students are making waves beyond our campus. This month, both the Los Angeles Times and CBS News' "Inside SoCal" featured three of our seniors, all recipients of four-year, full college tuition and housing scholarships through the Western Golf Association's Evans Scholarship. SMPREP junior Tomas Officer finished in first place at UCLA's Open Mind Film Festival, while senior Lucy Lopez was recognized by the L.A. Archdiocese for this year’s Archdiocesan Christian Service Award. Senior Micaela Patajo took home Gold in the Speed category at the 2025 USA Climbing National Team Trials, while two Mariner juniors are among the 2025 Founding Forward National Essay Winners.

Mariner Boys Golf had a record-setting season, securing the league championship title with only one loss in its overall 14-1 record. Mariners made it all the way to the CIF Team Championship, where they missed the cut by only 11 strokes. Mariner Softball secured second place in Camino Real League play, while Mariner Baseball pulled off an historic win vs. Paramount - the first win in CIF Playoffs for Mariner Baseball in 20 years!

Track & Field, Boys Volleyball, as well as Middle School Golf and Track & Field athletes all also made the highlight reel this spring. SMPREP hosted a Signing Ceremony last week for four of its senior athletes continuing their achievements at the collegiate level. Congratulations, Mariners!

Saint Monica Preparatory students have been traveling the world, with groups from our Upper School attending classes at our partner schools and exploring both South Korea and Japan's education, food, language, religion, culture and other highlights. They reunited with students who visited SMPREP over the past three years of our exchange programs. Meanwhile, a large group of SMPREP 8th grade students took part in the annual trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City for a series of adventures on the East Coast.

Mariner Boys Soccer brought home another division title to Saint Monica Preparatory, following Mariner Football’s 2023 CIF Southern Section Championship win. After an undefeated regular season, they clinched the 2025 CIF Southern Section Division 8 Championship title with a final score of 2-0! Two of our Middle School basketball teams also secured league championship titles this winter.

Last Sunday, Saint Monica Preparatory hosted an Auditorium Groundbreaking Ceremony for our new, intimately scaled, state-of-the-art performance space for dance, music, theatre, spoken word and interdisciplinary collaborations. Deacon Kevin likened the first almost 100 years of the auditorium to "Saturday Night Live's" own recent 50th anniversary, a chance to reflect back on all of the wonderful eras of events, plays and musicals, and more that have taken place here at Saint Monica. The auditorium, which will feature retractable theatre seating, is anticipated to open in January 2026.

UPDATE: We're proud to share that Saint Monica alum Kyle Williams ‘20 was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round (overall pick number 69) in the National Football League Draft! 

Next April during the National Football League Draft, our eyes will be on Saint Monica alum and Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams ‘20. Williams honed his football skills here at Saint Monica, leading to a standout prep career. His success at WSU placed him in the program's record books.

This week, Saint Monica Preparatory celebrated the gift that is Catholic education during the annual, nationwide Catholic Schools Week (CSW) - culminating in an all school Mass. Despite the challenging start to 2025, Msgr. Torgerson encouraged everyone to be grateful to be here together as part of the Mariner community. It was a week full of gratitude and appreciation for the role the parish, community, SMPREP families, the nation, our talented students and of course, our wonderful faculty and staff play in creating the strong foundation provided by Saint Monica Prep.

Many among our Saint Monica Prep community of families, faculty and staff, school board and alumni have lost homes, businesses and so much more in the devastating wildfires. We continue to pray for our Los Angeles community as it recovers and rebuilds. Mariners have answered the call by helping support families displaced by the wildfires. We are grateful to all of the first responders including our own alum Sam Saldibar ‘14, a firefighter with the LA County Fire Department serving on the frontlines of the Eaton Fire.

Congratulations to all of our Mariner student athletes this Fall, especially our seniors competing for Saint Monica Prep for the last time. Mariner Football followed last year’s CIF Southern Section division title with another incredible season. Mariner Girls Tennis and Girls Golf also had strong season finishes. Varsity Cheer is headed to Nationals, while at the Lower School, records were set by Girls Volleyball, Fall CYO Golf Tournament and FIYA Cross Country competitors.

Following October’s Homecoming at Home, when many alumni, current families and community members came together to celebrate our shared Mariner pride, the Saint Monica Classes of 1969, 1974 and 2014 celebrated their 55th, 50th and 10th reunions, respectively. SMPREP welcomed back a group of Visual & Performing Arts alumni for "One Last Curtain Call" before the closing performance of "Almost, Maine," the final play held in the over-90-year-old Cantwell Auditorium as we know it.

Saint Monica Preparatory is once again the Reader Recommended Best High School on the Westside, according to The Argonaut’s annual “Best of the Westside” polling. This year we added to that honor by winning Reader Recommended Best Elementary and/or Middle School as well – showing off our comprehensive TK-12 learning experience. Learn more about 2025-2026 application deadlines.

Our Mariner community will celebrate Homecoming at Home and Monster Mash, our annual Halloween carnival, over the final two weekends in October. In November, join us for the Golf and Pickleball Tournament supporting financial aid. The Fall production "Almost, Maine" premieres November 8. The Holiday Open House & Playdate will be held December 7 for families with children ages 3-8.

Saint Monica Preparatory Junior Allison Griffin completed a 10-week internship at UCLA this summer, part of the highly-competitive Army Educational Outreach Program. She is one of only three high school students accepted into this program in the last two decades!