Montini Catholic High School is celebrating the remarkable careers of longtime educators Campus Minister Michael (Mike) Blanchette and Dean of Students Anne Westerkamp '84 as they begin their well-earned retirement. The Lasallian college preparatory high school in Lombard hosted a special reception on Thursday, May 21st, welcoming alumni, students, faculty, family, and friends to honor their years of dedication, leadership and lasting impact on the Montini community. Guests gathered to share memories and to celebrate the legacy both are leaving behind after decades of service and commitment to Montini students.

 

In August 1986, Mike Blanchette joined Montini Catholic as chaplain, working in Campus Ministry and teaching religion while also preparing to join the Franciscans. In June 1989, he entered the postulancy program for the Franciscans of the Sacred Heart Province, and the following year began his novitiate. During that period of discernment, Mike chose to take a leave from religious life and the priesthood.  He spent several years working in social services, including with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, where he later became program director for the Foster Care and Adoption Program. He also spent time in Mexico helping open a daycare center for single mothers before ultimately feeling called back to a career in education.

 

In January 2003, Mike returned to Montini Catholic to teach Theology and work in ​t​he Campus ​Ministry​ department. Over the years, he became chair of the Theology Department while continuing to grow the school’s community service learning program.

​​He has diligently worked to create service opportunities for ​Bronco students to put their faith into action both locally and beyond. He organized weeklong trips with Habitat for Humanity, participated in the Lasallian Youth Gathering, and led students through the El Otro Lado ​Border​ Immersion ​Program in El Paso to learn more about immigration issues. ​I​n 2017 he​ launched Montini’s first international mission trip to Nicaragua​ which he considers his fondest memory and most rewarding accomplishment during his time at Montini.  "It was great to see how caring and genuine our students were as we worked on building houses in the garbage dump community.  They worked very hard, because they saw the need and they wanted to help make the living conditions for the families better.​"  Throughout his years as campus minister, Mike emphasized that one of the greatest gifts a person can give is helping someone who can never repay them - a lesson his students carried with them long after the trips ended.

Mike ​has also worked hard to foster monthly partnerships with community organizations​ in DuPage County. Over the years, he helped build lasting relationships with groups including The Outreach House, Easter​seals, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and a homeless shelter in La Grange.​  "​M​y goal was to build a program rooted in Montini’s Lasallian mission ​- one that encouraged students to understand the purpose behind serving others and to carry those lessons beyond the classroom.​"

​"Mike possesses a rare gift: the ability to make faith feel real, approachable, and alive​,​" said President Kevin Beirne.  "Through his teaching and ministry, he has helped students not simply learn about God, but encounter God in their everyday lives. His influence can be seen throughout our Theology curriculum, in the service-learning opportunities he helped build, and in the immersion experiences he created for students both locally and internationally.​  ​More importantly, Mike has taught through the witness of his life.​  He is one of the kindest and most genuine people you will ever meet. There is a gentleness and humility about him that immediately puts others at ease. He never seeks recognition, never asks for attention, and never misses an opportunity to help someone in need. In a Christ-centered school community, it is not an exaggeration to say that Mike has been, for so many of us, a true example of Christ-like love, compassion​ and service.​"

During his 26 years at Montini, Mike says the relationships he built with colleagues, students, and families meant the most to him.  He will truly miss the students, faculty and staff and the entire Montini community. When asked what he 'won't' miss - "grading papers and opening the building at 5:30AM!"  As he reflects on his time at Montini, Mike says he believes he is “a better person for having been part of the Montini Catholic family.”  Montini Catholic is immeasurably better because Mike Blanchette has been part of it.

​Mike will continue to teach classes at Lewis University and plans to travel and spend more time with family and friends.  He is looking forward to having more time for gardening and reading.  His advice to students at Montini - "strive to be the best person you can be and strive to recognize God in the ordinary events of your lives - and, stay strong in your faith."

This 2025-26 school year marked Anne Westerkamp ’84’s 33rd year of service at Montini Catholic High School. When she crossed the stage as a Bronco graduate in 1984, she could not have known that her journey with Montini was far from over.

Anne attended Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle, where she played four years each of volleyball, basketball and softball (mirroring her high school athletic involvement in the same sports). She graduated with a degree in Physical Education in 1988. After assisting her Montini Physical Education teacher and Softball Coach (Pam Miller) and helping out with summer camps, Anne was hired to coach sophomore Girls’ Volleyball at Montini.  Then, at the end of the 92-93 school year and Coach Miller's retirement, Anne interviewed for the vacancy and was hired to teach PE and coach the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team. 

"My earliest memories of Montini began when I was on the sidelines or in the bleachers watching my siblings in action," remembers Anne.  "I have 9 brothers and sisters, and I'm number seven in line.  All of us graduated from Montini.  Students and teachers were very nice to us.  I was called 'Little Wes'".   Anne laughs that she might just publish a coffee table book to share all that she has experienced as a member of the Montini family. "My own classmates, coaches, teammates, and teachers will forever be held in high regard.  I have been blessed to have worked with so many wonderful students, parents, and staff.  I laugh every day. It is not lost on me how lucky I am to be a part of the Montini Catholic family."

"I will miss the people the most," Anne says.  "We have a beautiful facility here, but what makes Montini great is the people.  The people are family, and family is everything."  What will she not miss? "Running detentions and supervising lunches two to three times a day, every day."  

"There are countless graduates this year - and countless more beyond these walls - who are better people because of Anne Westerkamp," said President Beirne.  "They are better students, better teammates, better sons and daughters.  Anne has always had a unique ability to balance accountability with compassion. Students know that she expects the best from them because she genuinely believes in them. She has guided young people through challenges, mistakes, victories, disappointments, and milestones with a steady presence that has shaped lives in ways many may not fully appreciate until years later.  And she has done all of it with incredible humility.  She has never cared about titles, attention, or praise. She simply shows up every day and does what is best for students and for Montini Catholic.  She is not just someone who worked at Montini Catholic - she is an institution here."

"I hope students will remember me as someone who genuinely cared," says Anne.  "That I listened.  That I was kind.  That they know they mattered to me.  If I was your coach, PE Instructor, or Intramurals Coordinator, I hope you had a blast!!  I sure did."