by Joe DiBlasi

Luke Trout, a 2008 graduate of Calvert Hall and a four year member of the school's baseball program, was honored as the recipient of the 2008 Meager Memorial Award, presented to the graduating Calvert Hall senior, who has made a special contribution to the achievement of the ideals, goals, and spirit of the school.

Along with the Meager Memorial Award, Trout also won four Gold Medals; The Calvert Hall Alumni Gold Medal for Highest honors, in recognition of outstanding achievement in maintaining positions on the Honor Roll every semester for four consecutive years; A Gold Medal for perfect attendance, in recognition of being neither absent nor tardy during all four years of high school; The Brother Felix Ryan Gold Medal for outstanding service to The Hall, the school newspaper; and The Archbishop Samuel Eccleston and Brother Francis McMullen Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in Religious Studies and Community Service Activities.

Luke's contributions to both school and his community have earned him much recognition and several other awards throughout his years at Calvert Hall. He was a two-year member of the National Honor Society, inducted in October of his junior year and the only four-year member of the National German Honor Society, as well as president of the Calvert Hall Chapter in 2008. He was an Honorable Mention in consideration for the Maryland Distinguished Scholar and was recognized by Calvert Hall as the 2008 recipient of both the Principal's Leadership Award and the Jason Wells Memorial Scholarship.

As a two-year catcher on the varsity baseball team, Luke batted .348 and was also a two-time recipient of the Academic Achievement Award, given to the player with the highest GPA on the team. He also received the president's Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence and a letter from the Dean of Discipline in recognition for a flawless disciplinary record.

Many of these awards and recognitions played a vital role in Luke obtaining a Merit Scholarship from St. Mary's College of Maryland, his school of choice, where he will be attending in the fall of 2008. He plans to major in pre-veterinary science. Several previous awards and recognitions Luke earned from Calvert Hall in 2005 through 2007 included a nomination for the 2007 Martin A. Schwalenberg Scholarship and the privilege to serve as the 2006 Calvert Hall representative to the Hugh O'Brien Youth (HOBY) Leadership Seminar, held at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In 2005 he won third place in the freshman-class Persuasive Speech Competition and was awarded the Certificate of Merit in computer applications.

Baseball was also a major part of Luke's high school career. He was a member of Calvert Hall's baseball program for four years in the spring and a member of the Maryland Orioles organization in the summer. His freshmen team in 2005, Junior Varsity team in 2006, and Varsity teams in 2007 and 2008 all won MIAA championships.