Lake Minnetonka Women Enter Phi Beta Kappa

Mary Margaret (Maggie) Smith, a 2009 graduate of Mound Westonka, and Kate Johnson, a 2009 graduate of Holy Family, were accepted into the Theta of Minnesota Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society at St. John’s University on Tuesday, April 23, along with 73 of their classmates.

Johnson and Smith attended kindergarten through seventh grade together at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School in Mound. In eighth grade, Johnson went on to Holy Family High School in Victoria, and Smith began high school at Mound Westonka.

Both girls excelled at their respective high schools—both academically and in extracurricular activities.

Smith was the 2009 MWHS class valedictorian and captain of the Westonka Alpine Ski and Cross County Teams. She was also chosen to participate in the inaugural Westonka Summer Institute to China.

Johnson graduated with honors from Holy Family, was captain of the Holy Family Softball Team and excelled on the Holy Family/Mound Westonka Swim & Dive and the Holy Family Hockey Teams.

Both young women enrolled at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in the fall of 2009.

In May, Johnson will graduate with a degree in Philosophy and a minor in psychology and has been accepted into the William Mitchell School of Law graduate program this coming fall. Smith is majoring in Biology and Hispanic Studies with a minor in Fine Arts. She the captain of the Blazer Track & Field team and is a member of the Blazer Cross Country Team. Smith will attend graduate school at Montana State University where she was accepted into the Science and Natural History Filmmaking MFA program.

Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest honor society founded in 1776. According to its official website, “Phi Beta Kappa recognizes the crucial role of the liberal arts and sciences in preparing people for whole careers—indeed, for all of life, not just initial jobs, and in building the dispositions of citizenship essential to the maintenance of a democratic society.”

Selection criteria include a grade-point average of 3.75 for juniors and 3.65 for seniors and a liberal arts major. The selection committee also looked at the breadth and depth of the student's program and other achievements, such as a thesis or other research.

Candidates also must demonstrate knowledge of a second or non-native language and their record must include college-level mathematics, logic, or statistics that introduces them to mathematical ideas, abstract thinking, proofs, and the axiomatic method.