Students of the Month


Elyse Biechele, Student of the Month for February is an outstanding athlete on the court and in her community. A scholar athlete, Elyse carries a GPA of 4.1 and has taken many Honors & AP classes including Honors English I, II, III, AP English, Honors Biology, AP Biology, AP European History, AP United State History, and AP Government.


Elyse Biechele


Elyse has enjoyed being involved in many activities while at Mater Dei. She is a four-year member of the Girls Basketball program, and enters her second year as a captain of the varsity team. “I had surgery for a knee injury this summer. I plan on returning to the basketball court for my final season to play with my 17 teammates


who have been there for me through everything and who I consider family,” states Biechele. In addition to basketball, she has participated in many different clubs and organizations on campus. She is a four-year member of the California Scholarship Federation, Renaissance Club and Campus Ministry. She serves as an ASB Campus Ministry Commissioner this year. She is also a three-year member of the National Honor Society. Elyse is looking forward to being part of the long standing Mater Dei tradition of the senior musical this spring.


Having a special place in her heart for community service, Elyse has completed 160 Christian service hours to date, doubling the required amount for graduation. A member of St. Columban Catholic Church Elyse was an altar server for seven years. She has participated in Mater Dei’s Special Games for the past three years as a volunteer and leader and looks forward to participating again this year. With the Girls Basketball team, she volunteered at the Blind Children’s Learning Center, helped to organize and host a Halloween dance for the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County (DSAOC), created Build-A-Bear bears for children in need in Urban Compass and other organizations at Christmas time, made lunch for the less fortunate through Mater Dei’s Lion Share for those serviced by the Catholic Worker and volunteered as a coach at MD Girls Basketball Camp of Champions for the past four summers. Through Campus Ministry, Elyse gave her time with the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Outreaches and with the National Honor Society, Elyse participated in Rebuilding Together. “My favorite service project was the DSAOC Halloween Dance. It was a fun time from the beginning to end. As a team we had fun decorating the LeVecke for the event, throwing steamers everywhere, and dressing up and dancing with all our buddies, laughing and singing until our feet and voices were sore. It reminded me to enjoy the simple pleasures in life and to celebrate every moment,” recounts Elyse.


Elyse is considering Cal State Fresno, Cal State Fullerton, USC, Washington State University, University of Connecticut, UNLV and Marquette University. She plans to major in Kinesiology, minor in psychology and continue on to graduate school to earn a doctorate degree in physical therapy.


When asked about her favorite Mater Dei memory, Elyse said “winning the Girls Basketball CIF Southern Section Championship at the Long Beach Pyramid. After the game, we all celebrated by shaking Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider and spraying everyone like the pros do when they win a title!”


When reflecting back on her overall experience as a Monarch, Elyse said “Mater Dei has been a great environment to spend my high school years in. The various activities and programs I have been involved in have opened so many doors to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. The MD community has been so supportive of me throughout my four years here, especially the Campus Ministry department. I will always remember the Velcro wall at the carnival, red wave games, Latin class, and chocolate chip cookies at MD.”


Elyse’s mom is Gina Ryba and her brothers are Travis Biechele ‘07 currently a senior at the University of Connecticut and Conor Biechele ’14.


Joseph Schmidt IV, February Student of the Month is not only a stellar athlete, but a great overall representative of the Mater Dei experience.


In the classroom, Joseph has challenged himself with Honors and AP courses while maintaining a 3.75 GPA. He has taken Honors Algebra I, Honors Spanish II and II, AP US History and AP Government.


Joseph stepped out of his comfort zone and joined Honors Chambers Singers as a senior. He has enjoyed being a part of Mater Dei’s incredible choir program and is looking forward to traveling with choir this spring when they visit Italy. Choir’s much-anticipated trip to Italy will include a private tour and recital in the Sistine Chapel.


Joseph Schmidt IV


A four-year member of Mater Dei’s football team, Joseph served as a team captain this year. When reflecting back on his experience with the football program, he says, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to be able to participate and contribute to our great program. I have had the opportunity to play four years of Mater Dei Football and created life-long friendships with my teammates.”


Through football, Joseph has participated in various service projects including sports camps and Monarchs 4 Marines. He has contributed over 98 hours of community service and his favorite activity was through the Monarchs 4 Marines Outreach. He says, “It was a unique experience of giving back to the Marines who sacrifice so much for our freedom.”


To many on campus, Joseph is one of the most spirited members of ASB’s Red Wave Commission. He and his peers serve as emcees at all-school rallies and get the entire student body pumped up and ready for the next big game.


Mater Dei’s Performing Arts Department was part of the Bishop Advent’s Celebration at Marywood back in December. Patrick Williams, Director of Performing Arts, shared how he noticed during the event that “Joseph really went out of his way to represent Mater Dei and made all invited guests feel welcome and happy to be attending. Regardless of the size of the task, Joe fully embraces the job very often without being asked. ”


Joseph has stepped up to represent Mater Dei in a variety of other ways during his senior year. Most recently, he played Santa Claus at our annual Christmas at the Corner Celebration. Joe’s spirit and commitment to character and kindness were obvious to all. He really was a testament to St. Nicholas.


As his senior year winds down, Joseph is looking forward to college life. He hopes to attend the University of Notre Dame, Stanford University, University of Southern California or the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to major in business with a focus on entrepreneurial studies.


He is grateful for the foundation he received during his years at Mater Dei. He says, “It’s amazing how awesome the community at Mater Dei is. It doesn’t matter what I’m going through in my life, I know that I always have someone at school that’s there for me and help me solve my problems.”


Joseph is a member of St. Norbert Parish and is involved in the Vision team, which is a confirmation leadership and community service team. He lives in Orange with his parents Joseph and Debra, and his three sisters Catherine ’02, Mary ’09 and Margaret ’15.


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