April 2015 SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS. Notre Dame High School

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1 April 2015 SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS Notre Dame High School Notre Dame juniors and seniors enjoyed the 2015 Prom at the Loose Cannon with an "I Love Nooga" theme. Members of the Mr. and Miss Notre Dame Court were introduced at the event and Gage Miller and Elizabeth Ciabattone were crowned Mr. and Miss Notre Dame. Other members of the court were Allie Dearing, Eliza Del Carmen, Michaela Leaf, Maddie Robbins, Charles Jabaley, Paul Behlau, Hunter Whiting, and Mark Oliver. Our Lady of Perpetual Help School The OLPH Home and School Association hosted their first Spring Fling picnic social as a last chance to gather school families together to enjoy a bit of fun and relaxation before the eventheavy month of May. Outgoing president Marina Delaney was honored with a gift of handpainted OLPH wine glass set. New officers Maureen Streko (President), Jennifer Flowers (VP), Dawn Singleton (Secretary), and Stacey Malecky (Treasurer) were introduced.

2 OLPH School is gearing up for the transition over to Online Enrollment through RenWeb. Workshops have been scheduled during the month of May to help families feel at ease with the new process. Eighth Grade students organized a collection for Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl. Through donations throughout lent, the school raised $2, OLPH hosted the Sugar and Spice brunch to raise funds to present the Family Honor workshop for 8 th grade students and their families in the Chattanooga Deanery. Over 200 ladies of all ages gathered to hear guest speaker Sr. Mary Dominic, O.P., Professor of Theology and English at Aquinas College, present on the theme: Having Courage in the New Millennium! Knights of Columbus Council 610 prepared the delicious brunch and various donors provided items for a small silent auction and plant sale. Fox 61 News paid a visit to the Kindergarten to interview students about their year, their plans for the summer and expectations for first grade. The video aired on the show Sunday Brunch and the segment can be seen here: CatNo=default&clipId= #.VUjIdSwpEBs.gmail

3 St. Jude School On April 15 St. Jude celebrated the arts with their 4th Annual Fine Arts Festival. Entertainment included singers, dancers, and a flag ceremony led by members of our scout teams. Parents enjoyed viewing a wide variety of art projects that were created throughout the year. A special room was dedicated to art presented by members of the parish. Piano students had an opportunity to perform a special piece as well.

4 After a long week of Iowa Basics, St. Jude Middle School enjoyed their spring social event at the Chattanooga Jump Park. Students were treated to 2 hours of fun, along with a pizza party! The Class of 2015 had a wonderful time on their trip to Washington DC. With a non-stop agenda, and education tour at every step students toured much of Washington DC, along with Arlington, VA, Gettysburg, PA and Mount Vernon. Students attended Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where the rector placed them in front row seating and welcomed them by name. Lifelong memories were made. Knoxville Catholic High School On April 8-10, Nora Connelly, Elizabeth Geist and Tim McCready traveled to Memphis, TN to participate in the Tennessee All-State Competition, sponsored by the Tennessee Music Education Association. At this event, students are assigned to musical ensembles, including Concert Band, Choir and Orchestra, under the direction of University-level conductors from across the United States. This year, Tim McCready performed with the All-State Men s Chorus, Elizabeth Geist performed with the All-State Women s Chorus and Nora Connelly performed

5 with the All-State Orchestra on viola. Students in these ensembles are chosen through a competitive audition process. This accomplishment ranks them among the best music students in the State of Tennessee. Congratulations to these students on this wonderful accomplishment, and also to their instructors, Mr. Jay Romines and Mr. Daniel Varnell. On Saturday, April 11, more than 75 alumni from the Class of 1965 and earlier came together for the 5 th Annual Golden Grads Brunch. This alumni event honors our Golden alumni, celebrates friendship and the bonds formed through the KCHS community. KCHS kicked off this year s Honors Week on Sunday afternoon, April 12, with the induction of 59 new members in the National Honor Society. The Honors Ceremony on Monday, April 13 as a morning assembly to acknowledge the many accomplishments of our student body in academics, and as scholar athletes. It was great to see so many family members at the ceremony to share in their recognition. On Wednesday, April 15, we closed out the events as Dickie Sompayrac served as host for the President s List Brunch for the 30 students who have maintained a 4.0 GPA for all 3 Quarters. Congratulations to KCHS English teacher Ms. Joan Williams as a recipient of the 2015 Belz- Lipman Holocaust Educator Award, which recognizes outstanding educators who excel in the teaching of the Holocaust. Ms. Williams traveled to the State Capitol in Nashville on April 13 to be honored for her efforts. She will receive a $1,500 scholarship which can be used to develop new curriculum, purchase resources and attend training that will help further engage her students. Congratulations to the following students for placing in the Top 10 of their subject area at the city wide math contest held at the University of Tennessee on April 14. Nathan Geist placed 4 th in Geometry and Garrett Mesmer placed 10 th in Algebra 2. On Wednesday, April 15, KCHS hosted a 2015 Signing Day event, our third this year. A total of fourteen athletes have signed so far this year, and five more will sign on Wednesday. Congratulations to the following scholar athletes: Katie Goodwyn-Volleyball-University of the Cumberlands; Brittany Scott-Basketball-Cleveland State; Dom Souder-Football-Benedictine College; Gabby Prevost-Soccer-Transylvania University and Joe Bindner-Track-University of Tennessee. Congratulations to the members of Latin Club and their moderator, Mrs. Jenny Fields. They won 3 rd place in the State of Tennessee at the 2015 TJCL State Convention that was held on April in Gatlinburg, TN. Congratulations to the KCHS Band and Chorus, who performed at State Festivals on April No ratings or scores are given for the State Festivals; groups are invited to perform based on regional results. The band and chorus members performed at a level which shows they deserve to be recognized along with the best bands and choral programs in the state.

6 The KCHS Chorus presented their Spring Choral Concert on Thursday evening, April 30 in the Commons. The concert featured a wide variety of music from Schumann to Billy Joel. It was wonderful to see these talented students entertain with excellent performances of a varied program of musical styles. Students from our foundational schools also performed, and their energy gives us hope that they will soon be performing at KCHS. Sacred Heart Cathedral School Optimists Club Oratorical Speech Contest Sacred Heart Cathedral School speech students who won the Optimist Club Oratorical speech contest at the school level competed at the Club Level on April 24th at the Foundry. Zoe Haub and Chris Paul placed third, Jack Newman placed second, and Katie Holt placed first. Katie will proceed to the District level contest. If she wins that, she will proceed to the state. L to R: Mrs. Karnes, Jack Newman, Chris Paul, Katie Holt, Zoe Haub, Mrs. Trent Congratulations to our Scouts! Three of our current 6th grade students and one SHCS alumni received their Ad Altare Dei emblem on April 26. The Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) is a 6 month program developed by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Its purpose is to help Catholic youth of the Roman rite to develop a fully Christian Way of life in the faith community. Congratulations Ryan, Matthew, Leonardo, and Christian! L to R: Christian Fox (SHCS Alumni), Matthew Sellers, Fr. Joe Reed, Ryan Seaver, Leonardo Vargas

7 Catholic Charities Kids Helping Kids Walk On April 26, Catholic Charities held their annual Kids Helping Kids Walk to support Columbus Home Children s Emergency Services at Knoxville Catholic High School. The Kids Walk had about 190 Sacred Heart Cathedral School students and their families participate. Mrs. Maggie Hook, the SHCS Kids Walk Coordinator, said, this event is so near and dear to my heart because I feel compelled to try to help children and families in our very own Knoxville community. Many times our world-view limits our view of what is happening right in our very own neighborhoods. Plus, I love that our children can help children who are their neighbors and peers. SHCS Kids Walk Participants Sacred Heart Cathedral Groundbreaking SHCS is getting ready for some really big changes around campus! In addition to the official Groundbreaking Ceremony on April 19 th, students have had the opportunity to see what the changes on our campus are going to look like by visiting the alter site, praying over the cornerstone, and many exciting discussions in the classroom. Mrs. Anderson s Kindergarten Class Mrs. Iman s 2 nd Grade Class & Father Joe Reed Mrs. Jester s 6 th Grade Religion Class Mrs. Lisa Maki & Mrs. Sarah Trent

8 The Art of Sacred Heart 25 th Anniversary Gala & Auction SHCS had an amazing evening celebrating our 25th Dinner Auction held at Cherokee Country Club. We are blessed by the support and commitment of all the SHCS families and friends. The Classy Gifts from each grade level were particular hits during the Silent Auction and true works of art! SHCS Spring Concert The Unity Tree & God of This City Congratulations to everyone who participated in the SHCS Spring Concert! Both The Unity Tree and God of This City were truly spectacular. The Unity Tree featured vocalists and actors from Kindergarten 2 nd Grade. God of This City featured vocalists, actors, and instrumentalists from 3 rd 7 th Grade. Included in the show was an original peace, Serve the Lord With Joy, written by 5 th Grade and a slide show created by Mrs. Erwin and the 8 th Grade Technology class, interlude music was provided by 8 th Grader, Tristan Maratos on the piano between shows. The Unity Tree God of This City Sacred Heart Cathedral School Science Fair Superstars Congratulations to the 2015 SHCS 7th Grade Science Fair participants. Eight students who won at the school level on February 12th went on to compete at the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair (SASEF) at UT Knoxville on April 1, two placing and four receiving honorable mentions. Of these eight students, Abby Orillion placed in the Junior Chemistry division and Rachel Watermeier placed in the Junior Environmental Science division at SASEF last week. Both now qualify for the BroadCom Masters National Science Fair, placing their projects in the top 10% of middle school projects in the United States. Rachel Watermeier also won the prestigious Sigma

9 Xi Scientific Research Society Award for Innovation, 2nd Place Junior Division, Life Science for her project Something s in the Air. This honor was also awarded to Rachel s teacher, Mrs. Dietz. Congratulations to all! L-R: Mrs. Allison Dietz, Callie Grace Tucker, Abby Orillion, Ethan Boder, Paxton Robertson, Harrison Elmore, Tony Spezia, Ashley Freudenberg, Rachel Watermeier, Mrs. Sarah Trent L-R: Mrs. Allison Dietz, Abby Orillion, Rachel Watermeier, Mrs. Sarah Trent SHCS 8 th Grade Trip to Williamsburg April 28-May 1, SHCS 8 th Grade took their annual trip to Colonial Williamsburg and the surrounding areas. They enjoyed a visit to Monticello, immersed themselves in 18 th century life in Jamestown and Yorktown, and participated in a witch trial at The House of Burgesses. In Colonial Williamsburg they experienced a slave reenactment camp where they experienced dancing and singing to African music. Monticello House of Burgess

10 Colonial Williamsburg St. John Neumann School Science Fair Update Congratulations! Four of the nine SJNCS students who moved on to the SASEF Science Fair held at UT last week were recognized for their outstanding research and presentations. Honorable Mentions were awarded to the following students: Max Carrillo, Chase Fuller, Ben Kozemko, and Gabriella Sweet. Way to Go, Mustangs! Duke TIP Honors Three SJNCS seventh grade students received State Recognition for their scores on the ACT test this year. To participate in Duke TIP, students must have performed at or above the 95th NPR on their most recent standardized test. To receive Duke TIP State Recognition, these students must then score at or above the national average of recent high school graduates on at least one part of the ACT or SAT. Congratulations to Alex Dally who scored in the top 5% of seventh graders taking this test and to Ian Osborn and Kate Timbes who scored in the top 3%. We are so proud of their incredible achievement! Famous American Wax Museum

11 On March 26th, the SJNCS fourth grade hosted a Famous American Wax Museum. The students selected a famous American to learn about and wrote detailed reports. They then dressed in character as their favorite American historical figures and educated the rest of the school by reciting relevant facts about these important people. This annual event is a school favorite!

12 2015 SJN Spring Variety Show On Wednesday, April 29 in the SJNCS gym, students in grades 3-8 showcased their many talents in our annual Variety Show. Talents included acting, singing, Irish step dancing, performing musical instruments, and tae kwon do. A small selection of these students will also perform at our annual Ice Cream Social in May.

13 St. Joseph School GaGa Ball is Here! After their trip to Camp Greenville last year, our 8th Grade class (now graduates) wanted to bring GaGa Ball to Saint Joseph School with their class gift. Mr. Mofield has been teaching our students the rules and we are working on a playing surface solution. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Ken Morgan and Grace Morgan, Mr. Tommy Wade and Keeley Wade who built the structure and the 8th Grade Class of 2014 for their gift! (On a related note, Mr. Zengel won the Saint Joseph School Inaugural GaGa Ball Game.)

14 Zoomobile 2015 On Thursday, April 16, 2015, our Pre-K and Kindergarten classes were treated to a program from the Zoomobile from the Knoxville Zoo. The presentation dealt with life cycles of animals and the children got to see and touch a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, an ostrich egg, a rabbit, and see a tree frog and the molting of a tarantula. It was a very informative presentation and the presenter commented that in the entire time that she had done this program, aimed at second and third grades, she had never had a group so well informed.

15 SJS Grads Receive Honors at KCHS On April 13th, KCHS held its annual Honors Ceremony and many SJS graduates were among those recognized: Jessica Summitt - Silver Award for over 150 service hours Sophie Ezzell - James C. Brennan Writing Prize Suzannah Pickering - Selected to Girls' State Gunner Trammell - TN High School Press Assoc. Recognition - Photo Award Jason Houbre - President's List; Spanish I; Scholar Athlete Linden Claytor - Fine Arts Presley Clancy - Physical Fitness Elena Swindeman - French I Lucky DePersio - A.P. World History; Scholar Athlete Ross Earl - President's Fine Arts Award Luke Smith - Scholar Athlete Caleb Morgan - Scholar Athlete Katie Whitaker - Scholar Athlete Principal for a Day On Wednesday April 8th, Coleman Sharp, winner of the Mardi Gras Teacher Feature, "Principal for a Day", got to experience a little of what it is like to be the principal of Saint Joseph School. His day began with Mass in the chapel and continued with numerous classroom observations. At Mr. Sharp's request, Middle School recess was also observed. Coleman also wanted to make sure that we practiced a Lockdown Drill that each class prayed the rosary, and that time was taken in the afternoon for a school-wide "Dance Break". We're not sure if he'll ever want to be a principal, but we are certain that Coleman is destined for leadership!

16 Service Project for Our Troops At Christmas time our students wrote Christmas Cards to our troops. The troops loved them and were very thankful to get them. Many hung next to their lockers right up until last week when the Air Guard Unit finally received the call to come home! They were able to pack up their things arriving safely yesterday. Thank you for all of your prayers, cards, and other items from home that helped keep their spirits up. Earth Day 2015 The Middle School students celebrated Earth Day, Wednesday April 22nd, by building raised garden beds, gardening in the outdoor classroom, and planting seeds in the greenhouse.

17 Volunteer Appreciation Mass and Brunch On Friday April 10th, Mass was offered for the volunteers of Saint Joseph School. Mrs. Kathy Rankin organized a delicious brunch in the new Library after Mass. Thanks to all who came and to the many who were unable to make it - we appreciate you all! St. Mary School Oak Ridge April showers brought another wonderful Spring Musical. This year s theme was Singin in the Rain and as you can see below, a great time was had by all. Our students played percussion instruments, sang partner songs (two groups singing two different songs at the same time), and our 6 th 8 th graders sang in 4 part harmony! We are so proud of them and grateful for our wonderful Music Teacher, Mrs. Carol Villaverde. The very next day, we hosted our Grandparents and Special Friends for a breakfast and encore musical.

18 Our Home and School Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser was an overwhelming success bringing in over $2500. We are so grateful to our school and parish community for coming out to help support the event. Look at our great 8 th grade servers! Our 2 nd grade class received their First Holy Communion on April 26 th. They are such an amazing group! St. Dominic School

19 St. Dominic School Our Pre School program proved that you are never too young to help others. St. Dominic preschoolers participated in a Trike-A-Thon to benefit St. Jude s Children s Hospital. It was a wonderful morning watching the children ride their trikes in the school parking lot and knowing that St. Jude s was benefiting at the same time. April was a busy month in the SDCS Library. Mr. Gregory Moss, a published author of children s books visited with our students and provided some insights of what it takes to be an author. The children even helped Mr. Moss write a new story. The third annual Bring Your Child to St. Dominic Library day was held on Saturday, April 11. The morning s activities included the making of Hard Tack and Johnny Cakes and the playing of interactive games that served as a reminder of the Revolutionary War. Other stories and activities gave the children a closer look at the Titanic. The Spring Book Fair was held the week of April 27 th. Mr. Newman encouraged participation with special events such as Pizza with Parents, popcorn & movie day, and Donuts with Dads. Earth Day was celebrated throughout the month of April with various activities. Third, Fourth and Fifth graders took a field trip to Bristol Caverns, the 3 year old class visited Dobyns Bennett s agriculture department, the 4 year old and pre-k class planted flower boxes in the pre-school playground and Kindergarten and First graders visited with Naturalist, Marty Silver, at Warriors Path State Park.

20 In Health class the 4 th and 5 th graders got hands on experience when learning about the heart from the inside out. Fifth grade students enjoy using the SMART board recently installed in their classroom.

21 St. Mary School Johnson City