On the evening of Tuesday, April 29, Chaminade Julienne held the Honors assembly for the juniors and seniors. The students eagerly waited to see what awards they earned through their hard work over the years, as different awards of merit in athletics and intellect were given out.
At the end of the ceremony, the final top three awards are given to three deserving seniors who have been selected through a nomination process by the faculty and staff: the Founders Award, the Mike Trainor Book Award, and the Fuzzy Faust Award.
The Founders Award is given to the senior who best demonstrates, on a daily basis, the spirit of St. Julie Billiart and Blessed William Joseph Chaminade while living out the charisms of the Marianists and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. This year’s Founder Award was given to Frank Riley.
While most of his classmates and teachers knew Riley was an obvious choice due to his devotion to Mary, his strong faith, and the way he exemplifies CJ’s founders’ charisms at school, Riley appeared surprised when his name was called.
Riley bravely and openly lives out his faith even when it appears countercultural. While most of today’s teens are influenced by social media trends, Riley finds inspiration from his patron saint, Saint Paul Ⅱ. He spends time in prayer and helping others in need rather than on a screen.
“Frank is well-respected by his peers,” said Greg Mueller, principal. “His teachers recognize his passion for his faith.” 
While at CJ, Riley’s accomplishments in the classroom helped him achieve an impressive streak, including being on the honor roll for 15 consecutive quarters, earning the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, and being inducted into the National Honor Society. Outside the classroom, Riley was involved in FLIGHT (Faith Leaders in God’s Hands Today), ski club, a regular altar server at CJ all-school Masses, a cantor for Dayton Vespers, and volunteered at Stork’s Nest Baby Pantry. Riley also ran cross country and played tennis. This St. Albert the Great parish school graduate plans to study chemistry at the University of Notre Dame.
Riley said that receiving the distinguished award meant a lot to him. He plans to bring the hand-painted cross he was given at the award ceremony to his dorm next year to help remind him how far he’s come. Riley is grateful to his family, friends, and the CJ community for supporting him so he could live out the Founders Award values.
The Trainor Award winner for Chaminade Julienne’s Class of 2025 is Riley Everding. The award was created in honor of Mike Trainor, CJ’s principal from 1999-2004. Everding received this award for her intellectual spirit, passion for learning, and embodiment of service, compassion, integrity, and faith.
According to Everding, she always aims to try her best, is confident in her knowledge, and is open to learning what she doesn’t know. Her motivation to live this way is rooted in her strive for excellence and pride in doing well in academics and other pursuits.
Everding’s motto is, “When you work hard, good things can happen.” Considering all that Everding accomplished during her past four years at CJ, this philosophy has served her well.
Throughout her time at Chaminade Julienne, Everding distinguished herself as a scholar and a leader. Her accolades include recognition as a Presidential Award for Educational Excellence winner, securing her spot on honor roll for 15 consecutive quarters, a National Honor Society induction, and completing three years of the Project Lead the Way biomedical sciences program, including the biomedical capstone course. Everding’s commitment to her school community extended beyond the classroom, evident by her involvement with the student council, Senior Events and Activities Team (SEAT), Bridges, Eagle Ambassadors, student development council, The Eagle Messenger, and volleyball.
Everding, who graduated from Holy Angels grade school, said that this award helps reinforce her belief that learning is important, especially when trying new things and being the best she can be. She is grateful for this recognition because it represents being a part of something bigger than oneself. Everding plans to study biomedical sciences at Xavier University.
Shane Verdon was the recipient of the 2025 Faust Award. This award was created in honor of Gerard “Fuzzy” Faust, a teacher and coach for almost 50 years at Chaminade High School and Chaminade Julienne. The award is given to a student who exemplifies kindness, humility, and generosity while encouraging others to always give their best.
While Verdon was also surprised when he heard his name called, he appreciated being recognized for his character. Verdon, who attended Miami Valley School’s grade school, says that he tries to keep a positive outlook on life and be respectful to everyone he meets. He considers his social studies teacher, Brian Mix, a role model who helped him become the person he is today by teaching him the importance of kindness and respect. Verdon advises younger CJ students to be bold and do the right thing, even if it could make them unpopular.
“I believe a little bit of kindness goes a long way,” said Verdon. “Give people the benefit of the doubt and check in on people.”
As the Foust Award winner, Verdon was recognized for his demonstrated intellectual curiosity and pursuit of knowledge throughout his career at CJ. His academic achievements include making the honor roll all four years and earning acceptance into the National Honor Society. Verdon exemplified leadership on the field as a two-year captain and a four-year varsity lacrosse player. As a Neighborhood Council member, Student Development chair, FLIGHT (Faith Leaders in God’s Hands Today) leader, JCOWA (Junior Council of World Affairs Citizen) ambassador, and an Eagle Ambassador, Verdon worked to make CJ and the Dayton community a better place. He plans to study chemical engineering at Virginia Tech.
These awards remind students that their hard work does not go unnoticed, whether that be their faith, intellect, or character. Over their four years in high school, these seniors have become better versions of themselves while encouraging others to learn and grow, too. Verdon, Everding, and Riley are now a part of Chaminade Julienne’s legacy, representing the Class of 2025 in a long list of honorees from the CJ community who received these awards.
Portions of this article were adapted from CJ’s Eagle Messenger article, “Honors Awards Ceremony Celebrates Senior Success,” written by Aubrey Brickner ’25 that appeared in the April 2025 edition.