Colette Kelly named St. Patrick’s Day Queen in Lemont

LEMONT – The St. Patrick’s Day Queen nominating committee announced that Colette Kelly, a high school senior at Lemont High School, has been selected queen of the 2016 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will step off at 1 p.m. March 5 in downtown Lemont.

Nominations for Kelly describe the Lemont native as a “dedicated and talented young woman with a commitment to service and a passion about her community,” the village news release stated.

Kelly is a member of the high school’s National Honor Society, National English Honor Society and Math Honor Society, and a previous member of Student Council, Sign Language Club and Interact Service Club, which involved tutoring for the school’s Special Education/STEM program.

Kelly has been on the Lemont High School basketball team for three years, and the track and field team for four years. Combining her athletic abilities with her passion to help others, she spearheaded a basketball competition, Hoops for Hope, to raise funds to help with the purchase of a handicap-accessible van for a fellow classmate with cerebral palsy.

The submitted descriptions of Kelly’s dedication to serving those in the Lemont community are numerous, according to the release. She has devoted countless volunteer hours helping others through the Hope and Friendship Foundation, provided more than 300 volunteer hours at Silver Cross Hospital, volunteered numerous hours to Haunted Central to benefit the grade school and community, participates in the (not)Invincible Project to bring awareness of the dangers of drug use to teens, and teaches piano lessons to children through Lemont Plays for Food, in which the proceeds are donated to the Lemont Food Pantry.

Her most recent achievement is being awarded a scholarship through Comcast Foundation’s Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program. Only one student per school may be nominated for the scholarship, which recognizes high school seniors from Comcast communities for their commitment to community service, academics and demonstrated leadership.

“Representing all the qualities the nominating committee looks for in the St. Patrick’s Day Queen, Colette will celebrate her Irish heritage as she leads the St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” the release stated.

For more information about the parade, visit www.lemont.il.us.