Registration for summer camps is ongoing and open to any student in the community. Please see the list below for camp offerings in July and August. More information and registration forms are listed on the home page of this website.
July 12-16
Girls/Boys Tennis Camp
July 19-23
Girls/Boys Basketball Camp
Boys Wrestling Camp
Girls/Boys Soccer Camp
Girls Softball Camp
July 26-30
Leadership Camp
August 2-6
Girls Volleyball Camp
Summer Writing Camp
Rising seniors Mary Grace Carey and Emily Cinquemani were selected to attend the annual Palmetto Girls State at Presbyterian College. Rising seniors Klyn Carr and JP Wilmeth were selected to attend the annual Palmetto Boys State held at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. These one-week leadership and citizenship-training programs, which took place June 13th-19th, were created to further educate outstanding high school students about state and local government.
Rising senior Caitlin Rowe attended the United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar June 5-10. A fast-paced, six-day experience for high achievers who have completed their junior year in high school, this seminar teaches about life at the Naval Academy, where academics, athletics, and professional training play equally important roles in developing national leaders.
St. Joseph's Catholic School Chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker, along with seventeen high school students and three chaperones, traveled to El Salvador June 2nd-9th on the school's annual summer mission trip. Faris Armaly, Denise Azores-Gococo, Brandon Blaso, Mary Grace Carey, Peter Covington, Alex Davidson, Matthew Dix, Claire Furmanski, Ivan Gonick, Ashli Legaly, Maddy Longenecker, Natalie Olson, Ricky Schosky, Stephen Schwark, Triston Sexton, Mary Stanton, and Arianna Wise, along with faculty chaperones Anne Gragtmans and Julie Schroeder and alumnus and translator Will Coffey, enjoyed four work days, two educational days, and a day of recreation. At the CIDECO village, a Catholic housing, education, and employment project, St. Joseph's students helped local students with their English conversation and played sports with the students. In addition, they painted eight classrooms and cleared rubble from the yard of the local parish. They also visited a convent of Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Charity, learned about the inner city slum work of a Salesian priest, Padre Pepe, visited the site of the assassination of Archbishop Romero, and learned about the history, geography, politics, and spirituality of El Salvador. In addition, the St. Joseph's team prayed together each day, assisted at Mass in village churches, distributed rosaries to local people, and participated in a colorful Corpus Christi procession through the town.
"The El Salvador mission trip is a life changing experience and we thank all those who gave generously to make this possible," concluded Father Longenecker.
Math Department Chair George Carr and History Department faculty members Meby Carr and Kevin Stanton were invited to read Advanced Placement Exams again this summer. George Carr graded AP Statistics exams for his fifth year in Daytona, FL. Meby Carr served as a Table Leader in grading AP U.S. History exams for her eighth year and Kevin Stanton graded AP U.S. History exams for his third year, both in Louisville, KY.
St. Joseph's was reviewed for re-accreditation this past spring by the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) and a copy of the committee's report was recently mailed to Headmaster Keith Kiser. Listed below are some highlights from the report:
Teachers at St. Joseph's Catholic School are well-qualified to assume the positions to which they are assigned. Appropriate credentials are on file to support the fact that faculty members meet all standards required under SCISA guidelines. Statements by representative students reaffirm the committee’s observation that the teachers maintain high professional standards in carrying out their duties. A climate of mutual respect is maintained in the teacher-student relationship. Student achievement is paramount in the goals teachers set for themselves.
Curriculum guides at St. Joseph's are detailed and complete with respect to scope and sequence. The guides adequately describe the outcome of each course and provide suggestions regarding the methods to be employed in reaching the desired outcome. The guides are compiled in a manner that clearly outlines the content of each course and serve as a quick reference for new or substitute teachers and for parents who might wish to review the school’s curriculum.
One of the more outstanding features of St. Joseph's is the specialized laboratory facilities dedicated to the various physical and life sciences. They are well-equipped with properly stored chemicals and other devices and contain all the safety features required by regulation.
Teachers and administrators at St. Joseph's Catholic School have participated in an array of professional development activities during the current year and during the preceding two years.... Professional development activities run the gamut from pre-service workshops prior to the annual opening of school to attendance at national meetings appropriate for the teaching specialty of individual faculty members. A number of faculty have participated in specialized SCISA seminars and workshops during the past three years. The committee commends the faculty and administration at St. Joseph's for their efforts to remain current in their respective teaching specialties.
Students at St. Joseph's support the school and state that they are receiving an education of quality that will prepare them for success in their college pursuits and in life. During interviews with students, committee members found them to be supportive of the teachers and administrators at the school.... In turn, the committee notes that the excellent test results earned by the students reflect positively on both the students and the many professional teachers at the school.
The Committee wishes to thank all members of the St. Joseph's School family for their cooperation and courtesies during the accreditation review. It is evident to each of us that the school is meeting a community need for an exemplary educational program in a disciplined environment. The dedication and vision of the school leaders, staff, faculty, and parents in providing this unique opportunity for children is commendable and an inspiration for those of us who have had an opportunity to view the school in action.
Two SJCS students, sophomore Elizabeth Moore and eighth grader Madeline Fric, were recently presented with some of Girl Scouts highest honors:
Elizabeth was presented with the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. Gold Award recipients have earned three Interest Project Awards, the Career Exploration Pin, the Challenge Award, and the Senior Leadership Award requiring thirty hours of leadership. Finally, recipients are required to design, plan, and implement a sixty-hour Gold Award Project that meets an expressed need in the community and will have a lasting impact on the community. Elizabeth's project was entitled "Beautify the Knight." Elizabeth landscaped the front of the school's gym and created an educational booklet based on the native plants she used. As a St. Joseph's basketball player, Elizabeth felt it was important to give back to the school by beautifying the gym entrance. She transplanted, edged, mulched, and planted the area, and then presented Science Department Chair Joanna McLucas with an education booklet. The garden creates a welcoming environment as well as an outdoor classroom for the middle school students to learn about native plants for many years to come.
Madeline was presented with the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award that can be earned by a Cadette Girl Scout. Silver Award recipients have earned three Interest Project Awards and a Career Award. They have also earned a Leadership Award and a Challenge Award. Each girl is then required to design, plan, and carry out a forty-hour Silver Award project. Madeline worked with her troop on the Girl Scout Craft Hut. Their goal was to transform the condemned hut at Camp Mary Elizabeth into a colorful place that would inspire younger scouts while at Girl Scout Camp. The screens, walls, tables, and benches were repaired and/or replaced. The girls researched their materials and spent many hours sanding, hammering, staining, and painting. Madeline's hope is that this restored hut will now allow more scouts to enjoy camp as much as she has.
The following athletes were named South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) All-Stars and were invited to play in the recent All-Star Game: Carly Hudson (softball), Aaron Lesiak (baseball), and Mary Stanton (soccer).
The following middle school athletes were recently named South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) All-Conference for spring sports: Aimee Coggins, Megan Copsey, Melissa Mohr, and Melissa Zankman (girls soccer) and Christian Baliker (boys golf).
The following SJCS athletes were recently named South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) All-Region for spring sports: Aaron Lesiak (baseball), Nic Poupore (boys soccer), Carly Hudson, Caitlin Rusnak, and Stephanie Saunders (softball), and Jena Mohr and Mary Stanton (girls soccer).
The following SJCS athletes were recently named South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) All-State for winter and spring sports: junior Kelly Assinesi (Boys Basketball), senior Carly Hudson (Softball), and junior Mary Stanton (Girls Soccer).
More than twenty SJCS alumni soccer players returned to campus to compete against the varsity teams as the St. Joseph's Alumni Board sponsored the second annual Alumni Soccer Competition on Sunday, May 23rd. The games offered two exciting matches; but in the end, the alumni were victorious, as both the men and women defeated their respective varsity squads. The women's game ended with a score of 3-2, and the men's game finished at 3-0. Following the games, the Alumni Board provided hamburgers and hot dogs, as current students, parents, friends, and alumni gathered in fellowship.
The alumnae team roster included Ali Bunchman '05, Marie Capelle '05, Lizzie Champ '05, Nicole Coia '05, Haley Kernell '08, Andie Keyser-Baker '07, Liz Sanders '08, and Mary Williams '09. Also helping out on the alumnae team were Class of 2010 players Emily Coggins, Jena Mohr, Katie Sanders, Anna Wilkes, and Katie Winebarger.
The alumni team roster included Tim Bailey '08, Daniel Beck '05, Chris Carino '04, J.D. Carino '09, Drew Cajka '07, Kevin Cleys '05, Danny Conley '08, Matt Dobson '04, Keith Early '08, Ryan Fernandes '04, David Frazao '09, Andrew Fryml '08, Ryan Hart '03, William McDonough '05, Matt Polowczuk '06, and Rob Valerio '04.
Headmaster's Farewell Remarks - Part 1:
Headmaster's Farewell Remarks - Part 2:
Commencement Address, Sr. Sheila Galligan, IHM - Part 1:
Commencement Address, Sr. Sheila Galligan, IHM - Part 2:
Commencement Address - Sr. Sheila Galligan, IHM - Part 3:
The school's fourteenth Commencement Exercises were held on Saturday, May 29, 2010. The Class of 2010, consisting of 63 members, was offered college scholarship and grant money in excess of $4 million dollars. Fifty-three members (84%) of the class received scholarship offers, including 52 members who were awarded money from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education: 14 Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, 33 Life Scholarships, and 5 Hope Scholarships. Six members of the class were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, with two out of the six named National Merit Finalists. In addition, three members of this class were awarded athletic scholarships. The Class of 2010 was also distinguished by the addition of several new colleges and universities to the ever-growing list of schools to which the previous 466 graduates were accepted, including Georgetown University, George Washington University, Holy Cross College, Kansas State University, Syracuse University, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and the University of San Diego. This also marks the fifth year in a row that a St. Joseph's graduate was awarded a Furman University Hollingsworth Scholarship, one of only 13 awarded statewide this year.
Click here to view more photos.
Click here to view the Ernest Rawlins Portrait Studio gallery.
Click here to view the Greenville News photo gallery.
Click here to read Josh Bathon's Salutatory Address.
Click here to read Alex Panuccio's Farewell Address.
Click here to read the song lyrics sung by the Class of 2010 senior vocalists.
Click here to read the song lyrics sung by the Faculty Choir.
National Art Honor Society members Claire DeMars (Class of 2010) and rising junior Matthew Dix were commissioned by French teacher Charlotte Dabbene over a year ago to paint Vincent Van Gogh's "Café Terrace at Night" on one of the French classroom walls. They began by drawing the picture on the wall last summer and spent many afternoons during the 2009-2010 school year painting after school. The completed mural measures eight feet wide by nine feet high. This is one of many student painted murals around the school.
Several staff members were recently recognized for length of service:
At the school's annual year-end celebration held recently, Headmaster Keith Kiser announced the 2010 top teaching awards. Presented annually to one middle school and one high school teacher who demonstrate commitment and dedication to St. Joseph's Catholic School while exemplifying the spirit of teaching in all walks of life, the following individuals were honored with this year’s awards:
Seventh grade students in Sarah Wicker's math classes recently worked on a project on three-dimensional geometry. Students designed a 'candy box' and calculated the surface area and volume. To build the box, students cut a flat pattern, called a net, out of poster board and folded it into a 3-D solid. Each project was built out of at least two distinct solids which included prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones. The project helps students visualize three dimensional solids and understand the relationship between a solid and the two dimensional shapes that form it.
Students enjoyed a rainy, fun-filled Team Day on Friday, May 21st, the last team competition of the school year. Congratulations to the high school team of the Black Falconers, the 2009-2010 Headmaster's Cup winners. Congratulations to the middle school team of the Dark Knights, the 2009-2010 Noble Knight winners.
Seniors took part in the annual Senior Send-Off on Friday, May 21st. In a high school student assembly, faculty members recounted fond memories of the Class of 2010. The Senior Video was shown and the annual farewell Red Door Ceremony was held.
As a tribute to the school's early beginnings, where every student entered and exited the first campus through a red door, graduating seniors, on their last day, now leave campus through that same red door. Prior to the sixty-three members of the Class of 2010 processing out through the door and around the campus to cheers from students and staff, Headmaster Keith Kiser read the following excerpt:
In the autumn of 1993, St Joseph's opened its doors. On that August morning, the first thirteen students entered the school through a red door. At the time, the red door was the entrance to a little house next to St. Michael's Lutheran Church on Augusta Road. Since then, by God's providence, the generosity of many friends and family members, and the hard work of countless people, St Joseph's has become a beacon for fine Catholic education in Upstate South Carolina. During our fifteenth anniversary celebration, the red door was donated to St Joseph's and placed here at the center of our school.
Seniors, every door is a symbol of transition. As you cross the threshold, you step into a new chapter on your adventure of faith. Your future is bright because your foundations are sure. If you build on what you have received at St Joseph's Catholic School, your life will be full of blessings because it will be full of God’s grace. Before long, we will celebrate your graduation with all due ceremony and joy, but today, I ask you to pass through this red door as a symbol of your farewell to St. Joseph's Catholic School. This is not the end, but a new beginning. As you go through the red door, remember that Christ calls Himself the door and the way to eternal life. He invites us to step out of our normal expectations and follow Him on the greatest adventure life has to offer: the adventure of faith. To quote Pope John Paul II, "Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ!"
Seniors, we hope that as you go you will always remember your time at St. Joseph's Catholic School with affection and loyalty. May God bless you and protect you. Fare forward and farewell.
Following the ceremony, seniors were given their Alumni Cards and enjoyed a final Senior Luncheon, prepared by the Parents Guild. That afternoon, the seniors enjoyed their last Team Competition Day on campus.
SJCS does not rank its students, and therefore does not name a Valedictorian or Salutatorian. Instead, graduating seniors must meet other criteria in order to receive the top student awards. Headmaster Keith Kiser recently presented three members of the Class of 2010 with the school's top three student awards:
At the school's annual Deo Gratias year-end celebration held recently, commendations were awarded to the following students: Mark Baker, Michael Baliker, Brandon Blaso, Alex Davidson, Michael D'Onofrio, Neva Jacobsen, Luke Lepak, Michael Newton, Cindy Stanley, Andre Stoddard, Laura Twomey, and Theresa Wersinger. Each of these students was recognized for living out the mission of the school during the 2009-2010 school year.
St. Joseph's fielded thirty-four sports teams for the 2009-2010 school year: eight middle school teams, ten junior varsity teams, and sixteen varsity teams. Within the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) AAA League, the combined seasons produced four state champions: Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Boys Swimming, and Girls Swimming. Varsity Girls Volleyball, Varsity Boys Basketball, Varsity Boys Golf, Varsity Boys Tennis, Varsity Girls Soccer, and Varsity Girls Softball all advanced to the state playoffs. Middle School Girls Volleyball, Middle School Boys Basketball, Middle School Girls Basketball, Middle School Boys Soccer, and Middle School Girls Soccer were all crowned Conference Champs.
Twenty-three athletes received the SCISA Scholar-Athlete Award. In order to be eligible, a student must have earned a 3.5 GPA and have lettered in two varsity sports. The following students met that criteria: freshmen Shannon Beck, Allison Griffin, Justin Finigan, Katherine Reynolds, Nicholle Stein; sophomores JD Brookbank, Dani Inglesby, Chris Schrank; juniors Klyn Carr, Mike Devon, Katie Lynam, Jeanne Morrison, Elizabeth Reynolds, Caitlin Rusnak, Stephanie Saunders, Tristan Sexton; seniors Emily Coggins, Alex Davidson, Carly Hudson, Jena Mohr, Katie Sanders, Jimmy Williams and Katie Winebarger.
Twenty-six athletes were named to the SCISA All-State teams in their various sports: Brad Benore, Josh Benore, Ben Longenecker (Boys Cross Country), Emily Coggins, Kayli Henk, Dani Inglesby, Katie Lynam, Katie Sanders (Girls Cross Country), Michael D'Onofrio, Jared Kauffman, Jeremy Mehl, Justin Mehl, Ian Okinaga, Josh Schammel (Boys Swimming), Victoria DeMaria, Kate Kelly, Katrina Konopka, Olivia Leftwich, Amanda McNulty, Aya Nance, Kelly McNulty, Cory Satterfield (Girls Swimming), Amanda Morel (Varsity Girls Volleyball), Kelly Assinesi (Varsity Boys Basketball), Mary Stanton (Varsity Girls Soccer), and Carly Hudson (Varsity Girls Softball ).
The following athletes were named SCISA Players of the Year: Jared Kauffman (Boys Swimming), Victoria DeMaria (Girls Swimming), Emily Coggins (Girls Cross Country), and Josh Benore (Boys Cross Country).
Three coaches were named SCISA Coaches of the Year: George Carr (Boys Cross Country), Marie Kernell (Girls Cross Country), and Jill Holliday (Swimming). Paul Assinesi (Varsity Boys Basketball) was named Region Coach of the Year.
The Lady Knights Varsity Softball Team recently wrapped up a successful season with an overall 15-3 record and a second place region finish. The team raised their level of play in the second half of the season, going on an 8-0 run before heading into the state tournament. Although the results were good, player injuries plagued the team throughout the season.
"Faced with the eventual loss of five starters by season-end, we found out what it really means to be as good as your bench," stated Head Coach Bill Hudson. "I was extremely proud of the players that were both ready and willing to step in, as well as the leadership and positive attitude the core players maintained all spring, providing continuity to what could have been a disastrous season."
Juniors Gabrielle Genal, sophomore Maddy Longenecker, and eighth grader Elizabeth Bannio (called up from JV Team) stepped in at some critical times. The Lady Knights ended their season at the SCISA State Tournament after disappointing losses to Robert E. Lee Academy and Florence Christian.
"Unfortunately, our performance in the state tournament was not our best effort, but I think the injuries caught up with us," added Coach Hudson. "Despite the losses, the team battled hard and we can certainly hold our heads high. It's an accomplishment anytime you get the opportunity to compete in a state championship."
The Lady Knights success was also reflected in post-season accolades. Senior Carly Hudson and juniors Caitlin Rusnak and Stephanie Saunders were named to the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) 3A Region One All-Region Team. Hudson was also named to the All-State Softball Team, in addition to being named Region Player of the Year. Additionally, Hudson and Saunders were selected to represent the school on the SCISA All-Star Team. A five-year letter winner, senior catcher Carly Hudson recently signed on to play softball at the University of South Carolina Aiken next year.
"All of these ladies have definitely been standout players, and I am continually amazed at their level of play," concluded Hudson. "With all of the injuries to other starters, Stephanie Saunders' versatility paid off for us this year as she stepped in at second base, centerfield, and third base, all with the same high level of play. Carly has been a tremendous leader on and off the field as well as a strong ambassador for our sport. She will be missed next year."
The future remains bright for the Lady Knights as they return a veteran roster for the spring 2011 season, competing for the first time in the South Carolina High School League. The team looks forward to the return of injured players Kaitlyn Dunphy, Katie Gagne, Jeanne Morrison, and Liz Reynolds.
JV Softball
Varsity Softball Coach Bill Hudson began promoting the idea of adding a JV Softball Team to the school’s roster at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. For Hudson, the reasoning was simple - a solid JV program would not only sustain but improve the established varsity program.
The call was then put out to be part of the new JV team and fifteen players responded to the call: ninth graders Grace O'Connor and Audrey Ward (outfield), eighth graders Elizabeth Bannio (pitcher, center field), Madeline Fric (second base), Kayli Henk (shortstop), Kira Sawyers (first base), and Margaret Stanton (third base); seventh graders Hayn Arrington, Ellen Harris, Jessica Forry, and Emma Wetenhall (outfield), and Carolyn McCullough (pitcher, catcher, center-field); and sixth graders Shelby Durham and Emma Gross (outfield) and Michelle Malsch (pitcher, catcher). The team was led by Head Coach Schanon Smith and assistants Duane Henk, along with Bill and Zoe Hudson.
All fifteen of these young ladies set a high standard for a first time team, finishing the year at 7-2 and beating every opponent they faced at least once. The season included wins over varsity squads as well as established programs like Christ Church and Laurens Academy.
"These young ladies far exceeded any goal I set for them," stated Head Coach Schanon Smith. "They worked really hard in practice and it showed in the games. I am very proud of this team and everything they accomplished."
Many players had an outstanding year, but the efforts of Elizabeth Bannio, Carolyn McCullough, Emma Gross, and Michelle Malsch cannot be overlooked. Malsch was a solid performer in the circle as pitcher all year and brought a strong bat to the plate. Bannio led the team offensively along with outstanding defensive play at centerfield and pitcher. McCullough, normally a pitcher, stepped in to fill a whole at the catcher spot while being a solid hitter all year. The work ethic and dedication of Gross was an inspiration to players and coaching staff alike.
"The success of this team is huge for the softball program at St. Joseph's," concluded Hudson. "It's easy to look at the JV roster and see a bright future for the varsity program."
To view those students recognized in the list of Annual Academic Awards, click here.
With their high school career coming to a close, seniors recently celebrated one of their last days on campus wearing t-shirts reflecting their college choice.
The SJCS Fine Arts Department presented an evening of music at the 2010 Spring Concert held on campus on Thursday, May 13th. The school's Beginner String Orchestra and Intermediate/Advanced String Ensemble, conducted by SJCS Strings Instructor David Saliny, opened the concert, playing a variety of pieces, including selections from Music for the Royal Fireworks by G.F. Handel, Adagio-Allegro by Vivaldi, and Trumpet Voluntary by J. Clark.
Following the strings performance, the Eighth Grade Chorus, the Advanced Chorus, and the Knights Chorus entertained the audience with several selections. The Eighth Grade Chorus performed the popular "Glee" arrangements of Don't Stop Believin' and Lean On Me, featuring several soloists. The Advanced Chorus repertoire included Anton Bruckner's Locus Iste and Z. Randall Stroope's arrangement of Sara Teasdale's poem I Am Not Yours. Both the Advanced Chorus and the Knights Chorus entertained the audience with a beautiful medley from the Broadway musical, Les Miserables, highlighting the vocal skills of eight soloists amongst fifty student participants. The highlight of the evening was the performance by the Men's Ensemble of selections from the Broadway musical, Jersey Boys, featuring Can't Take My Eyes off of You, Walk Like A Man, and December 1963 (Oh, What a Night). The evening concluded with the pop hit Somebody to Love.
The Eighth Grade Chorus, the Advanced Chorus, and the Knights Chorus were conducted by SJCS Choral Director Jennifer Gurn and accompanied by senior pianist Adam Mosley and freshman percussionist J.P. Kiser. The school’s Jubilate Guild hosted a light reception following the concert to honor all of the participants.
Congratulations to seventh grader Abby Anderson, who qualified for Grand Recognition in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP). In addition to the previous ten SJCS seventh graders who merited State Recognition by scoring above the national average of high school juniors and seniors on at least one section of the ACT or SAT, seventh grade talent search participants with the highest scores received Grand Recognition. There will be a special ceremony to honor this group of individuals on May 24th on the Duke University campus. Abby will receive a medallion as an acknowledgement of her high achievement.
The Varsity Girls Soccer Team had a riveting season that went all the way to the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) AAA semifinals this year. After a brilliant opening weekend in which they won games against Augusta Christian 10-0 and Ben Lippen 5-1, the Lady Knights thought their season was going to be a breeze of big wins.
"We had a very deep bench, so I expected that our season would fly by with nothing but success," stated Coach Shannon Herman. "This was the most all-around skillful team I had ever coached." However, due to a tough schedule and increased level of play throughout SCISA, the Lady Knights found their battle to be more uphill than expected.
St. Joseph's won their first challenge with Hammond (Columbia) 3-2 after ten minutes of overtime and a penalty kick shootout, but lost their second meeting with Hammond on their home turf in Greenville 4-5. They also split wins with Heathwood Hall, winning at home 4-2 and losing 4-5 in overtime and a PK shootout in Columbia. Battling for a second place seed in the region, the Lady Knights needed to win both of their late season games against their Catholic School rival, Cardinal Newman, but came up short both times, suffering a 0-1 loss in Columbia and a 2-4 loss at home.
As the third team in the region, the Lady Knights traveled to Charleston to play Hilton Head Prep (second seed in the lower-state region) in the first round of the state playoffs. The Lady Knights managed to pull off a huge upset by topping Hilton Head 2-1, advancing to the semifinals of the SCISA AAA State Cup. It was a hard fought game in which three yellow cards were given for unnecessary roughness as the two teams clashed for their chance to advance. Knights' goals were scored by junior Mary Stanton and freshman Shannon Beck. Senior captain Katie Winebarger assisted Beck's game-winning goal.
The semifinals were held in Columbia at Cardinal Newman (first seed in the upper-state region). Coming into the game, Cardinal Newman was undefeated in the region and had twice bested St. Joseph's. The Lady Knights opened the game with an early goal from Winebarger, assisted by junior Katie Lynam, but the Cardinals were able to even the score at the half. Again, the Lady Knights fought for a lead, with Stanton scoring off of freshman Meredith Schosky's assist, but again the Cardinals fought back. The battle ensued into two mandatory ten minute overtime periods, during which the Cardinals scored in the first few minutes. The Knights rallied to answer when Stanton connected to Winebarger late in the second overtime period, sending the game into two sudden death five minute overtime periods. These ten minutes went scoreless and the teams headed into a penalty kick shootout. The Knights kicked first and Beck put a point on the board. The Cardinals answered. Senior Anna Wilkes kicked second, scoring and keeping the lead for SJCS. Goalie junior Taylor Boyle almost got her hand on the Cardinals second kick, but they managed to even the score again. Schosky missed her shot, but so did the Cardinals, keeping the score tied. Senior captain Katie Sanders also missed her shot, giving the Cardinals a one point lead and forcing the Knight's fifth shooter to make her shot and the Cardinals to miss one of their next two in order for the Knights to continue. Winebarger made her shot, but the Cardinals made both of their shots, giving them the chance to play Pinewood Prep in Columbia for the SCISA AAA State Cup.
While disappointed with the outcome, the Lady Knights were very pleased with their performance. "That was the most fun I have ever had in a soccer game," stated Winebarger. Senior captain Jena Mohr added, "I've played on this team for six years now, and I can say with certainty that great soccer was played here, and I know we left it all on the field."
Mohr and Stanton were picked to the All-Region Team and played in the All-Star Game on May 15th. Stanton, the team's MVP and the region's second ranked player, totaled 24 goals and 5 assists for the season. Mohr split her time between playing goalie and center midfield and totaled 2 goals, 2 assists, and 96 saves. The Lady Knights bid farewell to five seniors this season: Co-Captains Jena Mohr, Katie Sanders, and Katie Winebarger, along with Emily Coggins and Anna Wilkes.
Varsity Boys Soccer
After a strong start to the season, the Varsity Boys Soccer Team had to quickly turn their focus to overcoming adversity. Two key players for the Knights, junior Alex Burnikel and his freshman brother Austin, both suffered season-ending injuries and underclassmen were unexpectedly called on to become key players. Freshmen Pietro Bottari, Patrick Jones, Tim Litzinger, Davis Osborn, and Nic Poupore got plenty of playing time and contributed greatly to the team’s success. The team was 7-12 for the season, but Coach Frank Kucinic feels that the record does not indicate the level of the team’s overall success.
"We played Southside Christian and Christ Church, along with conference foes Cardinal Newman and Hammond in some closely contested matches, and we probably learned more by our narrow losses to these top teams than we did winning some of our other games," stated Kucinic. "I am very proud of the team's can-do attitude and hold great anticipation for what the future has in store for these young boys."
Seniors Michael D'Onofrio and Jimmy Williams continually kept the underclassmen motivated and "were the glue that kept the team together," added Kucinic. D'Onofrio added, "We were a young team this season, but the guys showed amazing determination and perseverance despite the setbacks we faced."
Three players were nominated for the SCISA 3-A All-Region Team: freshmen Pietro Botarri and Nic Poupore and junior Miguel Larrain, with Poupore voted on by the coaches to represent the region.
The Lady Knights Middle School Girls Soccer Team won their fourth consecutive Carolina Middle School Conference (CMSC) Tournament Championship on Friday evening May 7th against Mitchell Road Christian Academy (MRCA).
"This year's team has come a long way," stated Coach Jervey Inglesby. "Early in the season, the girls struggled to put two passes together without breaking down. By the end of the season, they had gained strength by executing great teamwork."
The Lady Knights played well in the first half of the game, but were not able to put the ball in the net as the half ended scoreless for both teams. At the start of the second half, MRCA appeared to be the more aggressive team, but before long, St. Joseph's settled down and managed to build the ball to the front. A deflected shot from seventh grader Charlotte Ruble was finished by eighth grader Megan Copsey for the deciding goal. The match ended in victory for the Lady Knights 1-0.
"A big strength of the team was our defense with Aimee Coggins and Melissa Mohr in the middle," stated Coach Inglesby. "Sierra Hyer and Carley Reinholtz also played well on the outside. The midfield, led by Melissa Zankman and Kelly Olin, played their most consistent game of the season. On the outside wing, a much improved Sara LeBlanc managed to dribble around MRCA’s defense to provide a strong outside attack."
Named to this year's All Conference Team were Aimee Coggins, Megan Copsey, Melissa Mohr, and Melissa Zankman.
"When we started the season, many people thought we would not be as strong as last year, since we lost so many eighth graders to the varsity team," stated eighth grader Melissa Zankman. "But with good coaching and strong teamwork, many of the younger players improved quickly to help us win. We have had to go to penalty kicks to beat MRCA for the past three years, but this year we were able to defeat them in one goal."
Sixth grade students in Sharon Ruble's science classes recently studied electricity and circuits. The students spent their lab period creating parallel and series circuits. They used switches, doorbells, groupings of light bulbs, and even their braces to better understand the effects of resistance, voltage, and current. Their lab concluded with calculations using Ohm’s Law to relate these values.
Congratulations to senior Emiko Kakimoto, who won Second Place in the alternative/pinhole photography category at the 20th Annual Upstate High School Art Exhibit sponsored by Greenville Technical College. This exhibit is the largest high school art exhibit in the state with four counties represented, including 17 schools and 138 entries. Five other St. Joseph's artists entered work in the competition.
The St. Joseph's College Guidance Office recently announced that three additional students out of a class of 63 seniors have qualified as Palmetto Fellows. Katie Sanders, Jimmy Williams, and Anna Wilkes have met the award requirements for spring Palmetto Fellows by maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.0 and scoring a minimum of 1400 on the SAT I (Critical Reading and Math) or 32 on the ACT. Eleven seniors were previously awarded fall Palmetto Fellows: Faris Armaly, Denise Azores-Gococo, Claire DeMars, Jacob Hanna, Meghan Hudak, Taylor LeBlanc, Alex Panuccio, Jessica Rex, Lauren Visin, Stella Watson, and Katie Winebarger.
The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Program recognizes academically talented South Carolina high school seniors and encourages these individuals to attend colleges in state. Each Palmetto Fellow may receive a scholarship up to $6,700 annually, renewable for three years, to pursue a baccalaureate degree at a participating college or university in South Carolina.
The St. Joe's varsity baseball season was, by every account, a successful season, but not one measured purely on a winning record or player improvement. Although both were true, Coach J.B. Barwick based this year's success more on a re-birth of enthusiasm and passion for the game.
"Although it doesn’t seem like much, our region wins were huge for the boys confidence," said Barwick. "They realized the games that got away would have meant second place in the region. Sometimes you learn how to ride a bike better once you have fallen off of it. We hope that this is the case with our program."
The regular season record ended at 11-9 and the team was 3-7 in the region, a significant improvement over last year. Ryan Stamler continued to pitch well in region games and Alex Davidson and Aaron Lesiak continued to be strong hitters.
"The team finished the season with a better understanding and execution of finishing games," added Coach Barwick. "They battled Bethel Park High School from Pennsylvania to win the game 17-15, a true testament to will."
Alex Davidson, LJ Kleger, Aaron Lesiak, and Ryan Stamler were nominated for All-Region. Aaron Lesiak was voted to represent St. Joseph's on the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) Region One, 3A All-Region Team.
"Our team was extremely young compared to our competition," concluded Coach Barwick. "The experience gained by the boys is priceless for future seasons. I will continue to work with the boys over the summer and condition in the fall, as we continue on our path to excellence."
Middle School Baseball
The middle school baseball team finished the season 10-2, highlighted by a home and away sweep of Southside Christian's JV Team, 9-4 and 5-2. This year's pitching staff was led by Andrew Buff and Stan Bikulege, with assistance provided by Sean McDermott and Patrick Frick. Ryan Stamler started the season on the roster but was quickly moved up to varsity squad, where he earned three region wins.
The roster included eighth graders Stan Bikulege, Andrew Buff, Alex Malsch, David Marable, Tucker McMillen, Angelo Pahila, Andre Stoddard, and Danny Waldsmith; seventh graders Ryan Cerino, David Durham, Patrick Frick, Andrew Friedholm, Sean McDermott, Jake Reinstein, and Evan Willoughby; and sixth graders John Krall, Carter Powell, Wyatt Nally, AJ Quartararo, and Jack Valente.
"The team practiced every day with the varsity team, providing for the future of the Knights baseball program," added Coach Barwick. "This fine squad of young men will continue to bring about good things for the school, both on and off the baseball field."
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Tennis Team finished their regular season with a solid 6-5 record. After a slow start, posting losses in their first four matches, the squad rebounded and lost only one more match. Ironically, the match that showcased the team’s improved progress was the only match they lost during a streak in which the team went 6-1.
During their first meeting, Heathwood Hall (Columbia) posted a 6-3 victory over the Knights in a match that wasn’t as close as the score appeared. However, the second time the two schools met, the contest came down to the final doubles match. Patrick Mobley and Tristan Sexton battled valiantly for St. Joe's, but Heathwood Hall was eventually victorious in a tiebreaker.
"We were so proud of the boys in that match," stated Coach Chapman, speaking for himself and Assistant Coach Joel Brandon. "There was not one player from top to bottom that did not play their best that day."
The Knights received a bid to the state tournament, playing Hilton Head Prep in Hilton Head on April 26th, but the squad was soundly defeated by a team that’s likely to go a long way in the state tournament. Nevertheless, Coach Chapman was not discouraged.
"I really think these guys have turned a corner," concluded Chapman. "If they continue to push themselves in the off-season, I truly believe we will be a contender in our division next season."
JV Boys Tennis
The JV Boys Tennis Team was under the new leadership this season. David Foster, the Varsity Girls Tennis Coach as well as SJCS math teacher, stepped up to take over the program.
"I was excited to be a part of a younger program, especially working with the boys and developing their skills and mastery of the basic fundamentals of the game," stated Coach Foster.
Team members included seventh graders Jimmy Fountain, Jon Knight, Ryan Litzinger; eighth graders Patrick Hudak, Colin Miller, David Reed, Andrew Stein; and ninth graders Connor Bolick and Team Captain Grant McMillan.
Overall, the team went undefeated in the conference and was 5-2 for the season. McMillan was undefeated in all of his singles matches for the season.
The team worked hard on sharpening the form of their forehands and backhands, executing different doubles strategies, and moving up to the net to finish their points. Even though the season was a short ten weeks, Coach Foster praised the boys for their work ethic, desire to improve, and their ability to problem solve to win matches.
"Whether it was our player's consistency, their fitness level, or coming up to the net to scare their opponent, the team exhibited a great ability to pull out a win in several tight matches."
One example was the match at Christ School Episcopal School. With the score tied 3-3, it was up to doubles partners Hudak and Litzinger to pull out a victory for the Knights. When all seemed lost, with St. Joseph's down 1-7 (in an 8-game pro set), Hudak suggested that they both play back on the base line, and in less than thirty minutes, the match was tied 7-7. Litzinger and Hudak then went on to win the tiebreaker, winning their match, and scoring a victory for the team.
"I look forward to next spring and the new league and to continuing to work with these players," concluded Coach Foster. "If they work on practicing what I have been emphasizing this season, I can't wait to see how much their game improves next year."
On May 7th, St. Joseph's students joined more than 500 other schools around the world by signing Student Signatures in Space® posters to celebrate "Space Day 2010." Student Signatures in Space® (S3) provides elementary and middle school students the opportunity to send their digitized signatures into space and feel a personal involvement with the crew and the mission. St. Joseph's was one of only three schools in South Carolina selected to participate in this program.
Participating schools are sent giant posters for their students to sign on Space Day, which is celebrated each year on the first Friday in May. Schools return the posters to Lockheed Martin, the signatures are scanned onto a disk, and NASA flies the signatures aboard a Space Shuttle mission. Upon completion of the mission, the poster is returned to the school along with a photo of the astronaut crew that took the signatures into space and a NASA flight certification verifying that the signatures flew in space.
Jointly sponsored by NASA and Lockheed Martin, S3 is one program of the award winning Lockheed Martin Space Day educational initiative. "We started the Student Signatures in Space® program in 1997 as a way to attract youngsters to space and science studies by giving them a personal connection to space," explains Community Relations Senior Manager Barbara Reinike, who oversees the S3 activity as Lockheed Martin's Space Day program coordinator. "We had 220 schools participate the first year, and it was so successful that we expanded the program to 500 schools per year."
More information about Space Day and Student Signatures in Space® is available online at www.spaceday.org.
In honor of May, the month of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph's held its annual May Procession and Crowning during the weekly school Mass on Friday, May 7th. A student representative from each household joined the procession with flowers that were presented on the altar before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In his homily, Father Longenecker, the school Chaplain, spoke about the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary and explained how it was possible to believe in angels, and that the supernatural life was the motor that drives the Catholic faith. Following the homily, seventh graders Caroline Baer and Morgan Rose Mazur came forward to crown Mary with a wreath of roses.
The St. Joseph's school family celebrated the feast day of "St. Joseph the Worker" on Friday, April 30th by working in the community for various organizations and charitable causes. Students and staff volunteered at St. Mary Magdalene Parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Catholic Radio, Knights of Columbus, Miracle Hill Ministries, the Meyer Center, Prince of Peace Catholic School, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School, Project Host Soup Kitchen, Diligent Hands Gracious Hearts, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Greenville Glen Assisted Living Center, Oakleaf Assisted Living Center, NHC Nursing Home, and Meals on Wheels, just to name a few. Jobs included, but were not limited to, cleaning up the Reedy River, working with special needs children, cleaning, painting and doing yard work, visiting the elderly, clearing out brush and debris, and supervising elementary school field days.
The annual Fine Arts Honor Society Inductions were held on Wednesday, April 28th at the school. Installation and inductions of the newly-formed National Honor Society for Dance Arts, along with the inductions of new members into the Tri-M Music Honor Society (Chapter #3535), the International Thespian Society (Chapter #6388), and the National Art Honor Society were held.
St. Joseph's Student Council hosted Prom 2010 on Saturday evening May 1st at the Sawmill on North Main from 8:30 P.M. to 12 Midnight. Seniors Alex Davidson and Brittany Newsome were voted Prom King and Queen and juniors John Pereira and Stephanie Saunders were voted Junior Prince and Princess. Prior to Prom, the SJCS Parents Guild hosted their annual Pre-Prom celebration at the school from 7:00- 8:15 P.M., where parents and siblings joined students for a social hour and viewing of the Senior Video. Following Prom, students enjoyed games, music, food, and prizes at the parent-sponsored After-Prom held at the Greenville Sports Club at Five Forks from 12:30-3:00 A.M.
In an effort to develop an assessment database to help educators determine if students are meeting national standards in science and to determine what common misconceptions students hold that need to be addressed, SJCS students have been chosen, along with students from other selected schools across the country, to field test assessment questions. Science Department Chair Joanna McLucas was selected again this year to participate on Project 2061, a five-year National Science Foundation funded project administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). McLucas will give the AAAS assessments to all of her students in May, and their scores and responses will be used, along with other schools, to determine science standards for future students.
Congratulations to SJCS eighth grader Alex Malsch, who recently won the Regional First Place Prize and $100.00 in the Knights of Columbus Essay Contest. The annual contest asks eighth graders from across the state to answer a historically important question. This year's question was "What Freedom Means to Me." Alex's essay will now be entered in the state competition. Alex entered the contest as an extra credit assignment from SJCS history faculty member Peter Adair.
Congratulations to SJCS seventh grader Andrew Schatteman, who placed second in the Upstate Catholic Middle School Chess Tournament held at St. Joseph's on Saturday, May 1st. Fifty-eight students in grades 1-8 from Our Lady of the Rosary, Prince of Peace, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Mary's, and St. Joseph’s Catholic School, along with several Catholic Home School students, participated in this second annual event. Divisions were determined by grade level and number of participants, and trophies were awarded to the division winners. St. Joseph's participants included: sixth graders Christian Baliker, Savanna Bannio, Gabby Perrotta, Josiah Tennent, Ethan Veideman, Kamden Williams; seventh graders Cameron Cummings, Benjamin Haertel, Andrew Schatteman, Charles Vandross; eighth graders Gil Gonzales and Luke Lepak.
In Division One, the winners were: First Place, Joshua Barrow (St. Mary's); Second Place, Andy Widman (Prince of Peace); Third Place, Brendan Dunlavey (St. Mary's). In Division Two, the winners were: First Place, Nashaiya Kearse (St. Anthony's); Second Place, Colin Burns (St. Mary's); Third Place, Cian Rusnak (St. Mary's). In Division Three, the winners were: First Place, Ben Ragan (St. Mary's); Second Place, Shane Dunlavey (St. Mary's); Third Place, Jeremiah Whitlow (St. Anthony's). In Division Four, the winners were: First Place, Elias Longenecker (St. Mary's); Second Place, Andrew Schatteman (St. Joseph's); Third Place, Paul List (St. Mary's).
Congratulations to sophomores Abby Clark, Amy Hase, and Mitchell Jones, who finished second in the group performance category of the State History Day Contest and qualified for the National History Day Contest to be held at the University of Maryland on June 14th. Their performance also earned them the "Wil Lou Gray Award" for Outstanding Entry on Women's History.
Eleven SJCS students traveled to the State Archives in Columbia, SC on Saturday, April 24th to compete in the annual state contest. Students earned entry into this event by winning a regional competition held at the Greenville Upcountry History Museum and Greenville Library on March 23rd. Other state notables included Kevin Carey, who won third place for his individual performance on the work of Eli Whitney, and Andrew Grant who also placed third for his research paper on "Aviation." Both are first alternates for the national contest. Other St. Joseph's students who participated in the state contest included Justin Finigan, Alli Griffin, Katie McCormick, Surya Veerabagu, Audrey Ward, and Ellen Willis.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Golf Team recently wrapped up their season with an overall record of 29-7 and a season-ending second place finish in the region. In addition, freshman Bradley Kauffman finished second in the individual region standing.
The second place regional finish earned the Knights a spot in the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) State Championships that were played at the Quail Creek Golf Course at Coastal Carolina University outside Myrtle Beach on April 26th and 27th. In this season finale, St. Joseph's finished in fourth place, the best finish yet for the school's varsity golf program. The dominance of the Charleston-Hilton Head region remained strong, but St. Joseph's performance earned the respect, not only of their region rivals, but those from the other state regions as well.
"Our players brought some well earned recognition to the school," stated St. Joseph's Coach Bob Van Norden. "I was asked a number of times, 'Who are you guys…where are you from?'"
The team shot 309- 310 for the two rounds led by the team's three freshmen Bradley Kauffman (78-75), Justin Finigan (77-78), Charly Van Norden (77-77), and junior Craig Scholz (77-80).
"We will miss our graduating co-captains, Michael Baliker and Austin Cajka," concluded Coach Van Norden. "However, this team will continue to perform well in the upcoming seasons with its strong young players. The future of St. Joseph's golf could not look brighter."
Junior Kelly Assinesi was recently named All-State Basketball by the High School Sports Report (HSSR). Kelly will be honored at the HSSR Banquet in Columbia on Sunday, May 2nd.
St. Joseph's held its fourth annual Spring Art Show April 19th-25th at the school with both middle school and high school students represented. Categories included drawing, painting, photography, color and design, and 3D/sculpting.
Congratulations to rising ninth graders Ben Dunphy and Natalie Rogers, who were recently selected as the recipients of the St. Joseph's Scholar Award. This scholarship, awarded annually to two incoming freshmen, recognizes academic excellence.
Congratulations to seventh grader Ellen Harris, who was named the South Carolina Winner for the SHADE Foundation of America 2010 Poster Contest. Ellen’s winning entry (poster # 31 on the link below) is now eligible to compete in the national contest, with the winner selected by online voting. You may vote once between now and May 6, 2010. Ellen, who entered the contest as an extra credit assignment under the direction of SJCS Science Department Chair Joanna McLucas, will receive a digital camera and the school will also receive gifts. The national winner will receive a family trip to Walt Disney World and the national winning school will receive a Weather Tracking Station and software, along with a Smart Board for the teacher's classroom.
Vote for national poster winnner.
Click here.
Members of the sophomore class recently enjoyed a voluntary day-long retreat at Jones Gap State Park. SJCS chaplain Father Longenecker led a group of students on the theme "The Mountaintop Experience." Sessions exploring the stories of Moses and Elijah, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Transfiguration were combined with a hike to Jones Gap Falls and a cook-out lunch provided by the school and prepared by Jimmy Touzeau, Dean of Student Life. The weather was beautiful and the students enjoyed some spiritual and reflective time in the midst of a busy school year.
Seventy-three eighth grade students recently enjoyed a pilgrimage trip to the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. They visited the Spanish fort of Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish Military Hospital, the Mission of Nombre de Dios, the Cathedral Basilica, and the Alligator Farm. The students' favorite activities included shopping on St. George Street, a scenic boat cruise, and an old-fashioned hoedown square dance.
Congratulations to seventh grader Julian Hodge, who won his age division in the South Carolina Level Eight Mens Gymnastics Competition held recently in Lake Murray, SC. Julian placed first All-Around and first in four out of six events (Floor, Pommel Horse, Vault, and High Bar). He also earned a spot to compete at the Regional Mens Meet held recently in Chattanooga, TN, where he placed third on High Bar and eleventh All-Around.
St. Joseph's senior Carly Hudson signed to play softball at the University of South Carolina Aiken on April 21st. As the team catcher, Carly earned five letters on the varsity team and has been a four-year starter. She was a three-time Team Captain and MVP, and was also named to the All-Conference Team, the All-Star Team, and the High School Sports Report All-State Team.
"We are very excited to have Carly coming to play softball for us," stated Jerry Snyder, Head Softball Coach, USC Aiken. "She is exactly what a student-athlete is supposed to be…very capable in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. Carly brings a good knowledge of the game, she has a strong arm behind the plate, and swings a great bat."
Pictured on either side of Carly are her parents, SJCS Varsity Softball Coach Bill Hudson and his wife Zoe. Standing, from left to right, are SJCS Athletic Director Jan Carino, Headmaster Keith Kiser, Jordan Hudson '08, former SJCS softball coach John Peoples, and hitting instructor Harold George.
St. Joseph's held its annual appreciation night for Founders Society members on Thursday, April 22nd on campus. More than sixty Founders enjoyed a catered dinner and the first official viewing of the school’s new charism video. Following a brief presentation by Headmaster Keith Kiser and Founders Chairs Pat and Missy McLear, the members were then treated to the premier of the spring musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. The Founders Society was created in 1998 to ensure the stability and longevity of St. Joseph's mission in promoting academic excellence while striving to form the minds, hearts, and souls of its students in the likeness of Christ. Members make annual unrestricted gifts of $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, which helps to provide tuition assistance to deserving students.
The Fine Arts Department presents their spring musical Thoroughly Modern Millie April 23-25. Journey with Millie on her trip of self-discovery, as she arrives in New York City searching for work and love at the height of the Jazz Age. Winner of six Tony Awards, including "Best Musical," you won't want to miss a minute of this spirit-filled adventure. Performances are Friday and Saturday, April 23rd and 24th, at 7:00 P.M. and Sunday, April 25th at 3:00 P.M. Doors open thirty minutes prior to show time and seating for all performances is on a first-come, first-serve reservation basis. Adults are $15.00 each and students and senior citizens are $10.00 each.
The school's annual induction ceremony for the St. Joseph's Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) was held on Wednesday, April 21st in the school chapel. Twenty new members were inducted into one of the oldest and most prestigious national organizations for high school students. NHS students, selected by a Faculty Council for meeting high standards of scholarship, service, leadership, and character, must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, as well as demonstrate leadership and service through activities in both the school and the community. Students inducted were: Cole Buchanan, Sara Campanelli, Kaitlyn Dunphy, Grace Hanna, Amy Hase, Megan Heijjer, Payton Holbrook, Ellie Larson, William Lewis, Kelsey Mazur, Anna Mercer, Elizabeth Moore, Jessica Peck, Jay Rex, Caitlin Rusnak, Tristan Sexton, Caroline Sparr, Mary Stanton, Katie VanHaasteren, and J.P. Wilmeth.
Ten SJCS seventh grade students have qualified for State Recognition in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) by scoring at or above the national average of high school juniors and seniors on a least one part of the SAT or ACT college entrance tests. Hayn Arrrington, Haley Berryman, Andrew Burnikel, Keyes Gilmer, Benjamin Haertel, Lizy Hernandez, Matthew Jennings, Patrick McLear, William Tierney, and Emma Wetenhall will be recognized in a special ceremony at Furman University on May 26th.
Fifty SJCS seventh graders, or 61% of the class, qualified for participation in the Duke TIP by virtue of their performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), scoring in the top five percentile in one of the qualifying sections during their sixth grade testing sessions. The Duke TIP helps identify academically promising seventh grade students based on standardized test scores.
Congratulations to junior Theresa Krupka, who qualified for the semifinals in the USA Biology Olympiad competition. Her score placed her in the top ten percent of more than 6,000 test-takers nationwide. Theresa recently completed the USA Biology Olympiad Semifinal Exam at St. Joseph's on March 31st and is awaiting her results. Winners from this exam will go on to compete in the national finals at Purdue University and finally, the international Olympiad in South Korea.
Congratulations to junior Jeremy Mehl, who tied for the highest grade on the American Chemical Society (ACS) High School Chemistry Exam. The test was administered to 371 chemistry students in the Western Carolinas Section, which includes Greenville County, along with other South Carolina and North Carolina counties. A score of 33 points or higher indicated outstanding performance. St. Joseph's had seven students with scores of 33 or higher, and five students with scores of 30-32 points out of twenty-four AP Chemistry students. Jeremy, along with nine other students in this section, will take the National Olympiad Exam at Furman University on April 23rd.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Tennis Team began their regular season with an air of cautious optimism. After all, many of their top players were returning from the year before. Nevertheless, the Knights were well aware that their most heated rivals, Heathwood Hall and Hammond Schools (Columbia), were also returning strong teams.
This year's top six players include junior Tristan Sexton in the #1 position. Moving up from the #5 slot to #2 is sophomore Ian Miller, a player that has made tremendous progress in the last year. Holding steady as the #3 player is sophomore Andrew Holsen. A player that spent most of last year at #6, junior J.P. Wilmeth, now occupies the #4 spot. The #5 player is a new addition to the team this year, eighth grader Alec Biscopink, and junior Patrick Key holds the #6 spot. Junior Ricky Schosky, sophomores Justin Peck and Kyle Pietrzak, and eighth grader Patrick Mobley also contribute to the team's success and help round out the squad.
Season to date, the team holds a 3-4 record. However, the Knights are on the upswing, managing a victory in three of their last four contests, due in large part to solid performances from Ian Miller, who won several crucial matches, and Andrew Holsen, who has shown a vast improvement over the course of the season.
The real test for the Knights will be when they face Heathwood Hall on April 20th in the last week of regular season play. When the two met earlier this spring, it was a highly contested match. The outcome of this match will also indicate if the Knights will be able to compete at the state level.
"Our chances are good for making the state playoffs if we can continue to play on the level that we have in the last four matches," concluded Coach Sean Chapman.
History faculty member John Devanny participated in the third annual Carl B. Menges Colloquium held at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY April 15th through 18th. Sponsored by the Alexander Hamilton Institute, the meeting brought together prominent scholars in economics, history, law, and politics from across the country to discuss the topic, "Dedicated to a Proposition: Examining the Relation between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution." In addition, undergraduate and graduate students from numerous universities were in attendance and were given the opportunity to ask questions of the participants.
St. Joseph's Class of 2010 members volunteered at the South Carolina Special Olympics held on Wednesday, April 7th on the Furman University campus. Twenty-four seniors gave up a day of spring break to assist students from Plain Elementary and Summit Drive Elementary in a variety of events. Senior class sponsors George and Meby Carr also attended the event. "Our seniors did such a great job and were very enthusiastic about this event," added Meby Carr. "They made such an impression on these young children, and in turn, the student-athletes made quite an impression on our seniors."
Congratulations to seniors Claire DeMars and Meghan Hudak, who were recently named candidates in the 2010 Presidential Scholars Program by the U.S. Department of Education. These two are among a group of sixty-eight South Carolina high school seniors identified as candidates for the scholars program, which honors young people for outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship and community service. The candidate pool consists of some 3,000 students nationwide with high SAT or ACT scores. A review committee will narrow that list to about 500 honorees in the semifinal round. Approximately 120 students will make the final round and be invited to an awards program in Washington, DC, this coming June.
The Presidential Scholars program was created in 1964 to recognize academic achievement and expanded in 1979 to salute students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts.
The annual Foreign Language Honor Society Induction, History Honor Society Induction, Science Honor Society Induction, and Junior Class Ring Ceremony were held recently in a school-wide assembly.
The St. Joseph's Foreign Language Honor Society is comprised of Latin, French, and Spanish students who have earned an "A" average in both semesters of their second year language and the first semester of their third year language, and who are committed to the study and understanding of other cultures.
The RHO KAPPA History Honor Society is an honor society for the recognition of achievement and excellence in the discipline of social studies at the high school level. The SJCS chapter was formed in the fall of 2009 for high school students interested in the study of history who would like more opportunities to become involved in historical research, activities, volunteerism, and scholarship. This society is open to all juniors and seniors who meet the qualifications for membership, which includes maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher, maintaining a B+ average in all history classes, and continuing to take a history class during senior year. SJCS history department faculty member Meby Carr serves as the chapter advisor.
The Science National Honor Society was founded in 2000 to encourage and recognize high school students in the sciences. The SJCS chapter was formed in the fall of 2008. This society is open to all juniors and seniors who meet the qualifications for membership, which includes maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher, maintaining a B+ average in all science classes, and service to the school community. Science Department Chair Joanna McLucas and science faculty member Jennette Pelicano serve as the chapter advisors.
Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2011 who received their class rings. Originating in 1835 by the graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the custom of awarding class rings spread rapidly to other institutions as a means of perpetuating the ideals and traditions of each school. The seal on the SJCS ring identifies the rising senior as a St. Joseph's Catholic School Knight and as an upperclassman. The class ring is a unique symbol of pride, class unity, and school recognition.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Baseball Team has shown significant improvement over last year. The team is currently 9-6, and with seven games left in the season and a shot at the state playoffs, the boys have established themselves as a team not to be taken lightly.
"They are improving every day in regards to understanding the game," stated Head Coach JB Barwick. "The boys continue to hit the ball well and are becoming more and more aggressive on the bases. We are still a very young team and are now at the crossroads of learning how to win and how to finish games. Once they master this, the future will be incredibly bright for St. Joseph's baseball."
Scott Burnley, Alex Davidson, Nick Leonard, Aaron Lesiak, and Ryan Stamler have provided the majority of the pitching, while L.J. Kleger has been the anchor at catcher. Doug Cates, Cody Davidson, and David Estes have contributed defensively and on the offensive side of the plate. Additional outfield players include Connor Bolton, John Dutch, Tucker Genal, Will McLellan, Daniel McCullough, and John Pereira. Playing infield are John Griffin Hawkins, Graham Roberts, Jack Twomey, and Joey Wooten. Stan Bikulege, Alex Malsch, and David Marable have shared time this season between the middle school and varsity team.
The team is hitting over 300 again for the season. Highlights of the season to date include an eleven inning victory over Cardinal Newman School (Columbia), where Ryan Stamler held the Cardinals scoreless with bases loaded in three out of four innings. In a double header with Greenville Charter High School, David Estes hit a "walk-off" double to win the second game.
The next home game is Tuesday, April 13 against Ben Lippen and has four remaining home games after this. The season ends with a double header at Rabon Gap on April 24th.
St. Joseph's parent Craig Hudak served as honorary "Headmaster for the Day" recently, a privilege obtained as a result of his successful bid at the school's 2009 Knight Before Christmas Auction Gala. SJCS Headmaster Keith Kiser cleared out his office on April 1st, giving Dr. Hudak a great view of how things ran from the front office, and allowing him the opportunity to play some April Fool's jokes on the students. Spring vacation was jump started with coffee and bagels for the staff and Easter cupcakes for the students. Between classes, high school students were allowed to use their cell phones and everyone was treated to music from another era. "The doctor was in" for the faculty and staff, as Dr. Hudak provided free medical consultation from the Headmaster's Office.
On most other days, Dr. Hudak is a cardiologist with Carolina Cardiology Consultants in Greenville and Anderson. His wife, Judy, is a past president of the St. Joseph's Parents Guild. They are the parents of SJCS students Meghan (Class of 2010) and Patrick (Class of 2014), and daughter Katie is a fourth grader at Our Lady of the Rosary.
The Orbon, Ruble, and Schroeder Households, all winners in the school's spring "Box Tops for Education" contest, recently enjoyed a pancake breakfast at the school. St. Joseph's Box Tops School Coordinator, Barbara Key, and her staff of volunteers helped prepare and serve breakfast for fifty-five students on Thursday, April 1st. The Orbon Household collected 830 box tops, the Ruble Household collected 935 box tops, and the Schroeder Household collected 967 box tops. Special thanks to all the participating households, with over 6,000 box tops collected as a result of this contest.
For the 2009-2010 school year alone, Parents Guild has earned over $1,600 from the Box Tops program, helping to offset the many end-of-year events that they sponsor, including After-Prom, the Eighth Grade Convocation, Junior and Senior Luncheons, and the Baccalaureate Reception. Families are encouraged to keep saving box tops and another contest will be announced in the fall.
The Varsity Girls Softball Team entered the 2010 season with high expectations, its sights set on a conference championship and a return to the state playoffs. This confidence was buoyed by the return of a solid roster, including most of the starting players from last year.
The starting lineup is anchored by two returning fifth year players: team captain and senior catcher Carly Hudson and junior shortstop Caitlin Rusnak. Other starters include juniors Meredith Moore (right field), Jeanne Morrison (left field), Liz Reynolds (center field), Stephanie Saunders (second base), and freshmen Alli Griffin (pitcher/third base), Katherine Reynolds (first base), and Clarissa Sutter (third base/pitcher). Rounding out the lineup are junior Gabrielle Genal (outfield), sophomores Maddy Longenecker (outfield) and Madeleine McMillan (second base), and freshman Katie Gagne’ (catcher/first base). Due to an off-season back injury, junior Kaitlyn Dunphy rounds out the roster as a non-playing member of this year's team. The Lady Knights are coached by Bill Hudson and assistant Schanon Smith.
With an overall record of 7-3, the Lady Knights are enjoying a great start. "I had really high expectations going into this season and thus far I'm really proud of what our team has accomplished, especially our ability to follow through and win close games," stated Rusnak. These close games include come from behind wins at Augusta Christian and Shannon Forest. Coach Hudson added, "The ability to win late in the game is critical to our goal of winning a championship and points to our maturation as a team."
Offensively, the Lady Knights have been productive averaging nine runs a game through the first ten games. The offense has been led by the outstanding performance of Carly Hudson at the plate. With 39 plate appearances, Carly has a blistering batting average of .727 with an on base percentage of 78 percent. "Carly's determined confidence and her ability to hit with power to all fields has shown opposing pitchers loud and clear that she will not just hit something they throw in the zone, but she will hit their best pitch," noted Coach Hudson. "An opposing coach noted, 'It doesn't matter if we pitch her outside, inside, or down the middle or walk her she will hurt us at the plate'." Other offensive leaders include Saunders (.474), L. Reynolds (.387), Morrison (.324) and Rusnak (.308).
The defense continues to benefit from solid pitching, as well as a solid infield and outfield. Freshmen Alli Griffin and Clarissa Sutter have shared the pitching duties. Neither pitcher strikes out a lot of batters, but their ability to throw strikes gives the defense a chance to work. In the field, the Lady Knights are led by the play of Hudson, Rusnak, and L. Reynolds. "With Carly behind the plate opposing coaches are reluctant to risk stealing or to get too far off the base, Rusnak provides a range at short stop that simply turns a lot of potential base hits into outs, and Liz's ability to catch the ball deep in the outfield and throw it on a rope to home plate shuts down a lot of offense," added Coach Hudson.
With all of the positives of the 2010 season, the Lady Knights have not been without disappointment. The pre-season loss of starting first baseman Kaitlyn Dunphy left the team with a sizeable spot to fill. Freshman Katherine Reynolds has been a solid addition and continues to improve with each game. Recent losses to Ben Lippen (7-8) and Cardinal Newman (6-10) have given the team a 2-3 conference record and a shot at the runner-up spot instead of the conference championship. However, these losses have provided added motivation for the team to reach its potential. "We've had one or two disappointments so far this season, but they’ve been learning opportunities and we're preparing ourselves for bigger things," added Saunders. The team will also have to adjust to the loss of Liz Reynolds for the second half of the season due to injury.
Despite the setbacks, the team remains steadfast in its goal of competing for a state title and playing to the best of its ability. In its loss to Cardinal Newman, the Lady Knights demonstrated a tenacity that will guarantee success in the second half of the season. "The disappointment in being six outs away from a win is overshadowed by the tremendous amount of promise in the fact that this team beat us 16-1 earlier in the year," concluded Coach Hudson. "I have repeatedly told the girls that it’s not always a matter of the scoreboard, but a question of are we getting better. We just need to get a little better at the little things."
The Lady Knights will host conference rival Augusta Christian on April 15th in a key match-up.
The high school Student Council is currently sponsoring a Book Drive for St. Anthony's Elementary School. New or gently used age-appropriate children’s books may be dropped off in the front office. These books will be provided to St. Anthony’s students in hopes that every child in grades K-5 can take a book home to read over the summer. Students are encouraged to gather up their used books and donate them now. The book drive ends April 30th.
Sixteen high school students have volunteered for the school's summer mission trip to El Salvador and are in need of sponsors. Anyone interested in helping sponsor a SJCS student’s travel expenses, please contact the school chaplain, Father Dwight Longenecker, at dlongenecker@sjcatholicschool.org.
Several students were recently selected as High School Resource Staff for the YMCA's Middle School Model United Nations Conference. Seniors Roger Clinkscales and Michael D'Onofrio and juniors Mary Grace Carey, Klyn Carr, Kaitlyn Dunphy, Anna Mercer, Danielle Sampson, Stephanie Saunders, Mary Stanton, and Arianna Wise applied for conference positions as organizers and resource workers at the YMCA camp in Black Mountain, NC April 8-10th. These students, who were part of St. Joseph's delegation to Youth In Government, will give up part of their spring break to volunteer at the conference.
Sixth grade students in Sharon Ruble's science classes recently studied motion and force. The physics concepts related to motion and force were tested using cars built by hand from recycled materials using old bottles, caps, and straws for the body, wheels, and axles. The cars were then decorated and creatively named. While simultaneously exploring the concepts relating to speed, momentum, and acceleration, the students competed for the fastest car and a trophy was awarded to the winners from each of the girls and boys science classes. The champions’ names will be engraved on a plaque and added to the previous "Ruble Race Day" winners.
Juniors Emily Blake and Michael McCall recently auditioned for undergraduate theatre programs at the Southeastern Theatre Conference held in Lexington, KY. Over 150 colleges and universities were represented. Both students received several offers when called back to audition for over twenty different schools. The students also spent time attending workshops and attending a variety of performances.
Senior Nikki Scarlett and sophomore Allison Espada, along with 325 other voice students, recently participated in auditions sponsored by the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singers (N.A.T.S). Both were selected to advance to the Regional Auditions to be held April 10th at USC, Columbia. Both students will also be performing in the school’s spring musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, April 23-25.
Varsity Team
The St. Joseph's Varsity Golf Team is off to a strong start this season. Fourteen students tried out for this year's squad and twelve made the final cut. The 2010 team consists of returning seniors and co-captains, Michael Baliker and Austin Cajka; juniors Mike Devon, Natalie Malafronte (the first female to qualify for the varsity golf team) and Craig Scholz, sophomores Tyler Lagnese, Jay Rex, and Chris Schrank, and freshmen Bradley Kauffman, Justin Finigan, Alex Kickham, and Charly Van Norden.
The Knights began with two straight region match victories in Columbia, besting five other schools from the Columbia and Augusta regions. Justin Finigan shot 39 in both matches to lead team scoring under cold, wet, and windy conditions. Locally, the team has bested Veritas Academy, Laurens Academy, and Greenville Tech Charter and has split with Oakbrook Prep, with lowest team scores led by Craig Scholz and Bradley Kauffman. The team’s record currently stands at 14-1 with four additional regional matches still to be played.
In his second year at St. Joseph's, Coach Bob Van Norden believes that his team can be regional champions, and has set an objective to win all six region matches. "With the depth of our starting squad and the consistency exhibited by our players, we are viewed by our competitors as the team to beat," stated Coach Van Norden.
"I think this is an achievable goal," added junior Craig Scholz. "Our ultimate objective will be to compete well in the state championships held in late April outside Myrtle Beach."
With freshman Justin Finigan, Bradley Kauffman, and Charly Van Norden all part of the starting lineup, followed close behind by Alex Kickham, the team is setting up for a strong future, building on the successful middle school foundation already in place.
Middle School Team
The St. Joseph's Middle School Golf Team began the 2010 season on February 17th. Sixteen participants braved the cold temperatures over a ten-day period to try-out for spots on this year's squad. At the conclusion, twelve students were selected: eighth grader Tyler Yearwood and seventh graders Grant Espada, Patrick McLear, and Antonio Zimeri returned from last year’s team. New team members include eighth graders Brennan Koslow, Luke Lepak, Joey Schosky and sixth graders Christian Baliker, Sean Finigan, Riley Koslow, Jack Mobley, and Alexander Unterzaucher.
Coach Scott Yearwood is excited by the prospects this team presents for the future of the Knights golf program. "Before the season started, I considered this to be a re-building year from last year’s middle school conference championship team," said Coach Yearwood. "However, there are six players all capable of shooting good scores at the same time. As a team, we have far more depth than in the past and a lot of young players who will gain experience to be even better in the future."
The Knights 2010 season started the week of March 15th with four matches falling within an eight day period plus an instructional clinic at Furman University.
The reigning conference champions carried their winning tradition into their first match of the season by defeating Shannon Forest Christian School and Spartanburg Day School. Battling high winds, the Knights fired a team score of 147 followed by Shannon Forest with a 175 and Spartanburg Day with a 192. Eighth grader Tyler Yearwood was the Tournament Medalist shooting a score of 35. Tyler was followed closely by teammates Alexander Unterzaucher (36), Brennan Koslow (37), and Christian Baliker (39).
On March 18th, the team participated in an instructional clinic conducted by Furman University Lady Paladin Golf Coaches Jen Hanna and Sarah Sargent. Each player received one-on-one instruction from the coaches and college players with special emphasis on short game skills. "It was a picture perfect day for golf and all who participated had a great time," added Coach Yearwood.
The next day, the team placed second in a three-team event, losing to Mitchell Road Christian Academy by a score of 157 to 163. St. Joseph's Tyler Yearwood again had the low round for the day with a 38. Tyler was followed by Brennan Koslow and Christian Baliker, each shooting 40, followed by Patrick McLear (45).
On March 23rd, the team took revenge for their earlier loss, defeating Mitchell Road and St. Mary School by a score of 157 to 163 and 168 respectively. Sixth grader Christian Baliker shot 36 for the low round, followed by Tyler Yearwood (37), and Sean Finigan and Patrick McLear both posted 42.
The following day, the Knights hosted St. Mary's in a match at Carolina Springs. The Knights continued their winning ways by defeating St. Mary’s 196 to 213. Brennan Koslow was Tournament Medalist with a score of 45, followed by teammates Christian Baliker (47), Tyler Yearwood (49), and Joey Schosky (55).
At the half way point in the season, the Knights are 6-1 with three scheduled matches remaining. They will conclude their season at the Conference Tournament on Monday, May 3rd.
Click here to view photos of Middle School Golf Team at Furman University Clinic
Click here to view photos of Varsity Golf Team vs. Greenville Tech Charter/Oakbrook Prep
Congratulations to the following SJCS eighth grade students who were awarded prizes in the junior division (grades 6-8) of the Greenville County and South Carolina Regional Science and Engineering Fair held on March 9th: Alec Biscopink, South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers Award and a $100 savings bond; Melissa Mohr, Greenville County Medical Society Alliance Award and a $50 cash prize; Tyler Yearwood, Fourth Place in Physics and $20 cash prize; and Alexander Powell, Honorable Mention in Environmental Science.
The following eighth graders placed well in the SJCS Science Fair and also presented their projects at the competition: Kurt Arevalo, Stefani Azores-Gococo, Kayli Henk, Tucker McMillen, Caitlin Moon, Noah Schammel, and Elizabeth Shafer. Middle school science teacher Ryan Koon accompanied the students to the science fair.
The St. Joseph's Parents Guild sponsored their first ladies night out, Sip into Spring, at Twigs Tempietto on Saturday evening, March 20th. Over one-hundred ladies enjoyed welcoming in the first day of spring by visiting interactive displays on art, cooking, fashion and flower arranging. Music was provided by guest DJ and SJCS faculty member Frank Kucinic. Special thanks to SJCS faculty member Sharon Ruble, graduate Tiffany Godbout Sanders '02, and parents Donna Cajka, Mike Fawcett, Jeanie Gilmer, Michelle Hyer, Linda O'Brien, and Kate Tierney. Modeling clothes for the evening were SJCS parents Kelly Koutsioukis and Amy Rex and staff members Barbara McGrath and Jennette Pelicano. The support of many St. Joseph's friends and their enthusiasm for this event made it an evening to remember.
Five members of the St. Joseph's chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) won trophies at the FBLA State Leadership Conference held March 19-20th in Charleston. In the Networking Concepts category, freshman Matthew Morel placed first in District One and third on the state level. Freshmen Connor Bolick placed second in District One and fifth in the state, and Grant McMillan placed third in District One. In the Personal Finance category, seniors Amanda Morel and Brittany Newsome placed first and second, respectively, in District One. SJCS faculty advisor Karl Orbon accompanied the students to Charleston.
Eleven SJCS students have advanced to the state level in the National History Day Contest by winning a regional competition held at the Greenville County Library on March 18th:
These students will travel to the State Archives in Columbia, SC on Saturday, April 24th to compete in the state contest. Any student who wins at the state level will automatically qualify to compete at the national level in Washington, D.C. in early June. Last year, two St. Joseph's entries advanced as National Finalists.
St. Joseph's Catholic School College Guidance Office recently announced that eleven students out of a class of 63 seniors have qualified for early awards as Palmetto Fellows. Faris Armaly, Denise Azores-Gococo, Claire DeMars, Jacob Hanna, Meghan Hudak, Taylor LeBlanc, Alex Panuccio, Jessica Rex, Lauren Visin, Stella Watson, and Katie Winebarger met the Early Award requirements by maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.0 and scoring a minimum of 1400 on the SAT I (Critical Reading and Math) or 32 on the ACT. The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Program recognizes academically talented South Carolina high school seniors and encourages these individuals to attend colleges in state. Each Palmetto Fellow may receive a scholarship up to $6,700 annually, renewable for three years, to pursue a baccalaureate degree at a participating college or university in South Carolina.
SJCS freshman Alexis Krcelic, featured in Sunday's Greenville News, is hoping to one day open a cooking school for underprivileged children and has applied for grant money to help fund her project.
Father Luke and Brother Felix from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal were on campus for the school's first school-wide mission held March 16th-18th. The religion classes met in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on Tuesday and Thursday for individual sessions and on Wednesday, the friars led sessions for all students as part of the annual Lenten Day of Reflection. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are a dynamic community of young men following Christ in the way of St. Francis. They conduct missions and retreats and work with the poor in the inner cities. This religious community was founded by Father Benedict Groeschel and seven other Franciscan friars in the Bronx in 1987. There are now over 130 brothers working in friaries around the world.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Soccer Team is hard at work getting back to state title form. The squad looks a little younger than last year, but the team’s performance should be even better.
The Knights had an interesting end to last year's season, with a loss to Wilson Hall (Columbia) in a play-off game that was called at half-time due to inclement weather. "The game was never finished, and the boys who played in the game will never forget that feeling," stated Head Coach Frank Kucinic. "There was no closure to the season, so they have approached this season ready to work hard and it shows."
Senior captain Michael D'Onofrio and fellow senior Jimmy Williams lead this year's squad. Junior captains Alex Burnikel, Klyn Carr, and Tyler Visin have been integral in mentoring several of the talented freshmen who have already made a significant contribution to the team. Helping in the midfield and in the attack is Pietro Bottari, JD Brookbank, Andrew Grant, Patrick Jones, Tomas Larrain, Collin McMillen, Tariq Namouz, and Davis Osborn. Anchoring the defense is Ashton Ardoin, Daniel Escobar, Timothy Litzinger, and Nic Poupore. Leading the attacking end of the field is Austen Burnikel, Seth Kiser, and Will Tomlinson. Experienced goal keeper Miguel Larrain is back for the Knights again this season.
The squad is off to a good start. Posting a season-to-date record of 3-1, the Knights celebrated wins over Augusta Christian School, Boiling Springs High School, and Westminster Catawba Christian. The team lost a nail-biter to conference rival Hammond School (Columbia) 3-2.
"I've reminded the boys that the school patron, St. Joseph, is the patron saint of workers," added Coach Kucinic. "Fueled by the disappointment of last year’s season ending loss and ready to live up to the standards of our school patron, the squad seems determined to outwork any other team we will face."
The team faces Heathwood Hall at home on Friday, March 19th at 6:00 P.M.
Sixth grade students were invited to attend a "Spring Fever" bowling outing on Wednesday, March 10th during Mini-Mester week at the Golden Skate Park in Simpsonville. Approximately 45 girls and boys and several parents enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon of bowling, pizza, and socializing. Special thanks to SJCS parents Heidi Cooney, Karen Edwards, and Linda O'Brien for helping to organize this event. Plans are in the works for an end-of-year get together.
Click here to read a related story in the March 12th Greenville Journal.
St. Joseph's Student Council and National Honor Society officers attended the annual SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) Student Convention held March 7th-9th in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Members of the Class of 2010 traveled to Orlando, Florida March 10-13 for the annual senior class trip. The students spent time at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure Amusement Parks, as well as Wet 'n Wild Water Park. Despite rainy weather the first two days, the seniors enjoyed going on the rides, especially the Rock n' Roll Rip Coaster and The Hulk. The third day spent at Wet 'n Wild was sunny and clear - perfect for sunbathing and water roller coasters. The group enjoyed meals at many of the local restaurants, including Bubba Gumps, Hard Rock Cafe, Margaritaville, and the Latin Quarter. SJCS staff members George Carr, Meby Carr, Megan Koon, and Jimmy Touzeau accompanied the students to Florida.
The St. Joseph's International Thespian Society Chapter 6388 participated in the Palmetto Dramatics Association and South Carolina Thespian Festival held recently at the University of South Carolina Aiken campus. Over twenty schools from throughout the state competed in the event. Fine Arts Director Teresa McGrath and SJCS parent Lesesne Panuccio accompanied the students to Aiken.
St. Joseph's Catholic School science students won all seventh grade award categories at the Bi-Lo Invention Convention held March 10-11th at the Bi-Lo Center.
In addition, SJCS Science Department Chair and Middle School Science Teacher Joanna McLucas won the "Bi-Lo Legacy" Award and Headmaster Keith Kiser was presented with the "Principal with the Highest Percentage of Winners" Award. Student winners in all categories received savings bonds and gift certificates.
Several French students from St. Denis International School, a Catholic school located in Loches, France, converged on St. Joseph's during February to experience first-hand American culture, family, and student life. The French students and their chaperone lived with St. Joseph's host families during their time in the upstate. Special thanks go to the following St. Joseph's families for volunteering to open their homes to these students: the Cooney, Kiser, Kling, Miller, Newton, Rogozenski, and Wersinger families. As hosts, these families were instrumental in providing a warm welcome to this foreign exchange group by providing food, lodging, transportation, and activities.
The French students were immersed in the daily life of the school, making new friends and learning much from the faculty and staff. They were involved in school activities and quickly became part of the spirited student section at Knights basketball games. While language sometimes created a barrier, the French students broke down that barrier with the universal teenage language of video games, Facebook, music, the mall, and food. During their visit, they shared in several American traditions, such as Super Bowl parties and Valentine's Day celebrations. The students enjoyed weekend trips to Myrtle Beach, Savannah, and Raleigh. Activities included skiing, snow tubing, paintball, go-kart racing, bowling, Charlotte Bobcats basketball, walks in downtown Greenville, and trips to the movies.
The favorite activity for many of the French students was shopping. They made many trips to the mall and other retail outlets to purchase American goods. Clothes were a popular purchase and Atlanta Braves baseball caps will now be seen at St. Denis School. Some students were in need of an extra suitcase to take home their newly acquired American treasures.
However, the overwhelming favorite of all the French students was the Southern cuisine. They indulged in such culinary delights as Hardees Thickburgers, cheese grits, Southern cooking, Five Guys fries, sushi, BBQ, Italian, Mexican, Girl Scout cookies, corn dogs, and the pièce de résistance of American cuisine - Waffle House hash browns! The students purchased bags of American junk candy (Mike and Ike's, Nerds, Gobstoppers and Twizzlers, just to name a few). While France boasts some of the finest wine in the world, nothing compared to the delicate bouquet of the South's finest beverage…sweet tea. The French students consumed gallons of sweet tea in their short stay here, and have reported that they are now making their own batches back at home in France.
All in all, the trip was an enjoyable and rewarding experience for the students and the host families that opened their homes and family life to these visitors. "We were so blessed to have had the experience of hosting Amelie," concluded host parent Shelley Kling. "She has truly become a part of our family, and we plan to stay in touch with her and her family for many years to come (they have even invited us to come stay with them this summer). Many thanks to St. Joseph's for putting this program together. I know this has created lasting memories for us and the exchange students."
High school students in the Exploring Art II class recently made linocut prints. First, they had to draw themselves in the classroom using a mirror. Once that was completed, they transferred their image onto linoleum. The students then had to determine what would be left and what would be carved out. Using special carving tools, they took out that part of the linoleum they did not want to print. The raised surface was then coated with printing ink to make a print. Each student had to complete two black-on-white prints, two white-on-black prints, three colored ink prints, and several multiple color prints to emphasize a special area of their design.
Eighth grade boys in Deborah Henderson's art class, working in groups of two or three, were recently given instructions to build something three-dimensional. They enjoyed the freedom to design their own projects, as well as cutting card board and using hot glue guns and spray paint. The projects included the Olympic snowboard race track, an electric guitar, a four-foot tall guillotine, a banana split, a city, a chess set, Sponge Bob, and Sponge Bob’s neighborhood.
Congratulations to SJCS senior Laura Twomey and juniors Kelly Assinesi and Alex Winebarger, who were selected to participate in the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) North/South All-Star Game that was held on Saturday, March 6th at Orangeburg Prep. The All-Star Teams were comprised of the top players from each of the three AAA SCISA regions.
SJCS junior Cole Buchanan and freshman Tyler Neves competed in the South Carolina Scholastic Hockey Association Championship Tournament held in Charleston, SC the weekend of March 5-7th. Both boys play for the Greenville South High School Team, which includes players from St. Joseph's, Greenville Charter, J.L. Mann, Mauldin, T.L. Hanna, and Woodmont High Schools. The Greenville team competed against eleven high school programs from around the state. Cole scored three goals and Tyler scored one goal in their team's 7-0 Friday night victory over Goose Creek High School (Charleston). Although the Greenville team lost on Saturday in the second round of championship play, Tyler later competed and placed second in the Breakaway Contest from amongst a field of eleven other high school contestants in the Skills Competition.
Congratulations to eighth grader Alec Biscopink, who has been invited to play with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra as a guest soloist in their Thursday, March 11th concert at Anderson University.
Congratulations to eighth grader Luke Lepak, who was named the Eighth Grade Middle School Champion at the South Carolina Chess Association 2010 Scholastic Championships held on Saturday, March 6th in Columbia, SC. Nearly ninety students from around the state participated.
The Diocese of Charleston recently presented service recognition awards to the following St. Joseph's Catholic School staff members for their length of service in Catholic education:
The awards were presented following a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Guglielmone on March 3rd at St. John Neumann Church in Columbia, SC.
The St. Joseph's Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) recently sponsored a free Adult Computer Class on campus, teaching adults and senior citizens the basic use of Microsoft Word and the Internet. This class represents one of the many service commitments made each year by NHS students.
This school year, NHS has donated school supplies to St. Anthony's School, sponsored a school-wide pumpkin decorating contest, collected items for a Toy Drive and sold Mardi Gras beads on Fat Tuesday to raise money for Children's Haven. The NHS students organized a fundraiser in response the earthquake victims in Haiti. The group also wrote thank-you notes and gave snacks to teachers during Catholic Schools Week, donated boxes of tissues to the school, and helped with Open House, Grandparents Day, and New Student Orientation. Twice each week, NHS students offer free tutoring after school. Their current endeavor is the "Bring Spring" Flower Fundraiser that raises money for the Deacon Bob Brady Scholarship Fund. Click here to print out a "Bring Spring" Order Form.
Students are selected to NHS based on four criteria: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. SJCS staff members Viri Lashley and Michele Houmis serve as the club moderators. .
Congratulations to sophomore Peter Schatteman, who earned the highest score of any SJCS student in the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 12. High school students recently participated in the AMC, the first in a series of exams leading up to the International Math Olympiad, and honor is awarded to those students who earn the highest scores. Other students who placed well on the AMC 12 included juniors Jeremy Mehl and JP Wilmeth, who placed second and third respectively. On the AMC 10, the highest scorer was sophomore Mark Schott, followed by sophomores Amy Hase and Ian Miller, who tied for second place.
Students in Kevin Stanton's ninth and tenth grade history classes recently completed research projects for the National History Day Contest in South Carolina. Students selected topics that reflected this year's contest theme "Innovation in History." Projects included a variety of research papers, exhibits, documentaries, and dramatic presentations. About eighty SJCS students participated in this year's event, held in the school library on February 18th. Twenty-three students have now qualified as finalists for the Regional History Day Contest to be held on March 18th at the Upstate History Museum in Greenville and the Downtown Greenville Library.
The school finalists are:
The winners of Greenville Regional Contest will qualify for the state contest to take place in Columbia on Saturday, April 24th.
The Varsity Boys Basketball Team, along with forty die-hard student fans, boarded the team bus to Columbia on February 24th for the SCISA state quarter-final game against Hilton Head Prep. Both teams came out strong offensively, hitting 60% from the floor in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Knights made some mistakes, allowing Hilton Head to open up a small lead. St. Joseph's trailed at the half 31-25, with junior Alex Winebarger scoring twelve of the Knights' points.
Senior Ian Okinaga and junior Craig Scholz led St. Joseph’s in the third quarter with strong defense, but St. Joseph's offense was shut down by Hilton Head's strong plays. At the end of the third quarter, the Hilton Head Dolphins had built their biggest lead of the game 42-33. With 3:05 left in the game and the Knights down by twelve points, Coach Paul Assinesi called a time out.
"I told the boys that they had to play an all-out full court press and gamble for steals," stated Coach Assinesi. "This would be our last chance to make a run."
The Knights came out of the huddle like they just had been recharged. In the next 2:38, they cut the lead to two points, with sophomore Michael Kopscik at the free throw line for a chance to tie it up. He made the first shot and missed the second, and Hilton Head Prep was immediately fouled as they grabbed the loose ball. The Dolphins made both free throws to put them ahead 63-60 with fourteen seconds left. Junior Kelly Assinesi dribbled the length of the floor to score on an acrobatic reverse layup. Hilton Head Prep in-bounded the ball and was fouled again with four seconds left. Once again, they made both free throws. The Knights threw the ball up-court to Winebarger with hopes for a long three to tie the game, but the ball fell short. Hilton Head Prep had survived the Knights comeback 65-62.
"In the locker room, I told the boys how proud I was of them for not giving up and giving their fans a reason to be proud all season," concluded Assinesi. "I also reminded my seniors (Roger Clinkscales, Michael Swoyer, and Ian Okinaga) that they left with the school's best record (19-9), first region title, and first state quarter-final appearance. They have set the bar high into the future for our basketball program."
The SJCS Fine Arts Department and Jubilate Guild hosted the second annual Knights Follies on Saturday evening, February 20th. The event showcased talent from throughout the St. Joseph's community, including artwork, baked goods, and song, dance, and theatrical performances. Middle school faculty member Joel Brandon served as the Master of Ceremonies, and faculty members Peter Adair, Pauline Bellavance, and Christine Wiethop served as panel judges. Eighth graders Gene Langan, Patrick Mobley, Tyler Yearwood’s band won the Sir Frolic award with their performance of "Drops of Jupiter."
SJCS seniors Brad and Josh Benore signed to run cross-country at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina on Friday, February 26th. Both boys ran cross-country all four high school years and were both named team captains this year. Brad lettered all four years on the varsity team and was named to the High School Sports Report (HSSR) All-State Team. Josh lettered for three years on the varsity team, and was named the South Carolina Independent School Association 2009 Cross-Country Individual State Champion as well as the HSSR Runner of the Year. Pictured on either side of the boys are their parents, David and Sheri Benore. Standing, from left to right, are Varsity Boys Cross-Country Coach George Carr, SJCS Athletic Director Jan Carino, Jessica Benore '08, and SJCS Headmaster Keith Kiser.
Students in Ryan Koon's eighth grade science classes recently completed a laboratory investigation on rocketry. Each group tested different trajectories to determine how high and how far they could launch their rocket. Each group was able to successfully launch their rocket at least once, and several were able to recover and re-launch their rockets. This investigation was part of an eighth grade unit on Astronomy and the Space Race of the 1960s.
Congratulations to the middle school Quiz Bowl Team for finishing as the state runner-up at this year's South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) statewide competition held in Orangeburg, S.C. on February 23rd. The team, comprised of eighth graders Ben Dunphy, Wil Magaha, Feras Namouz and Noah Schammel, and seventh graders Sam Reidt and William Tierney, was unbeaten in the Semi-finals, and lost only one game in the Championship round to the state champion Wilson Hall team. This marks the second runner-up finish for the Middle School in the past five years, during which time the school has also captured two State Championships. The team is coached by SJCS Middle School faculty members Peter Adair and Joel Brandon.
Representing St. Joseph's Speech and Debate Club, sophomore Abigail Clark placed second in the Oral Interpretation competition at the Riverside High School Warrior Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament held on Saturday, February 20th. Over 200 hundred students from twelve high schools competed in this annual tournament. Earning 115 out of 120 speaker points and placing first in two of four rounds, Abby received her trophy for presenting Jean Shepherd's humorous short story, "Lost at C." SJCS English Department Chair and Speech and Debate Club Moderator Kenneth Covington served as a judge at the event.
The senior class attended a presentation from Trey Gowdy, Spartanburg County Solicitor, during the Wednesday Omega Day activity period on February 24th. Gowdy is currently running for the 4th Congressional District seat, and he spoke to the students about his job as County Solicitor, important issues of concern to elected officials, and why he is running for Congress. His visit was at the request of senior Roger Clinkscales and history faculty member Meby Carr.
Freshmen returned to their middle school households today for Household Homecoming. What is sure to be the start of an annual tradition each year at St. Joseph's, ninth grade students were welcomed back with balloons, banners, and smiles, enjoying thirty minutes of shared snack, conversations, and laughter with their former middle school household members. It also provided the eighth graders a time to ask questions about high school, covering topics from high school changes to study halls, and from honors classes to high school privileges. The freshmen enjoyed their role as mentors and several deans reported there was no shortage of interaction. "Left alone, this probably would have gone on for most of the morning," concluded Middle School Household Dean Bill Hudson.
Congratulations to seniors Claire DeMars and Stella Watson, who have advanced to Finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship Competition by demonstrating, through their distinguished performance, high potential for future academic accomplishment. They will be notified in March of their standing as Merit Scholarship winners.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Basketball Team headed into last Saturday's first round of the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) AAA state playoffs having already accomplished a great deal this season. The Knights ended their regular season 18-8 and 8-2 in conference play, earning a tie for the region championship. Junior Kelly Assinesi was named Region Player of the Year and junior Alex Winebarger was named All-Region. Coach Paul Assinesi was named Region Coach of the Year.
The Knights took on Laurence Manning Academy in Saturday's state playoff opening round in Columbia. St. Joseph’s came out strong defensively to jump to an early 11-2 lead. Laurence Manning weathered the storm and closed the gap to 15-8 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Knights' defensive intensity dropped, and St. Joseph’s saw their lead cut to 25-20 at the end of the first half.
"I stressed to the boys at half-time that we had to play stronger defense for the last sixteen minutes and stop settling for long range jump shots if we wanted to advance," stated Head Coach Paul Assinesi. "We were bigger and quicker than this team, and we needed to start taking advantage of it."
In the third quarter, the Knights turned up the defensive pressure and were able to get easy shots, as junior Kelly Assinesi continuously drove the ball to senior Michael Swoyer and junior Alex Winebarger. The Knights held Laurence Manning to only five points for the quarter and led 37-25.
"I held up one finger as the boys walked onto the court at the start of the fourth quarter," added Coach Assinesi, "reminding them they still had one more quarter to play to advance to their first playoff win."
The Knights continued to play solid defense, trading baskets back and forth for the balance of the fourth quarter. When the final horn sounded, the Knights were up 49-35.
"What was really special about this game was watching seniors Roger Clinkscales, Ian Okinaga, and Michael Swoyer," concluded Assinesi. "They had been part of this rebuilding process, and now they were part of something this program had never done."
The Knights advance to the quarterfinal game on Wednesday against Hilton Head Prep at the Sumter County Convention Center at 5:00 P.M.
Congratulations to the SJCS Girls Middle School Basketball Team, who recently went undefeated in conference play and were named the CMS Conference Champions. The team was also named the CMS Conference Tournament Runner-Up. The Lady Knights, who finished the season 10-3, were led by an experienced group of eighth graders that included Elizabeth Bannio, Madeline Fric, Sierra Hyer, Melissa Mohr, and Campbell Plumblee. Seventh graders Caty Brown, Imani-Grace King, Frankie Malafronte, and Deanna Zimeri, along with sixth graders Sarah Kocher, Sara Masachi, Michelle Malsch, and Margaret Utecht also supplied outstanding hustle and playmaking. Brown, Fric, and King were selected to the All Conference Team. Keunna Thomas led the team as Head Coach.
Click here to view more photos from the Conference Tournament.
Congratulations to the SJCS Boys Middle School Basketball Team, who recently won the Carolina Middle School (CMS) Conference Tournament. The team beat Shannon Forest 41 to 26 in the tournament championship game to end the season. The Knights were undefeated in conference play and also earned the title of CMS Conference Champions. The team was led by a capable and experienced group of eighth graders that included Gene Langan, Alex Luzzatti, Alex Malsch, Austin Mattison, Feras Namouz, David Reed, Sean Rusnak, and Andre Stoddard. Mattison, Reed, and Stoddard were selected to the All Conference Team. Seventh Graders Patrick Frick and Kevin Lorenzen supplied outstanding playmaking for the team, as did the presence of sixth graders Joe Blasso, John Krall, Sean Langan, Carter Powell, and Walker Seamen. SJCS History Department faculty member Kevin Stanton led the team as Head Coach.
These individuals are being honored at the High School Sports Report Banquet in Columbia, SC on Sunday, February 21st.
The 2009-2010 Jubilate Guild officers are: President, Barb Bathon; Vice President, Lesesne Panuccio; Treasurer, Christi Mobley; Secretary, Susan McMillen; and Officer At Large, Kathy Lewis. The Jubilate Guild is a sponsorship organization whose principal function is to enhance the students’ educational opportunities in the Arts. In addition, the Guild seeks to promote an appreciation and understanding of the Arts in all forms, thus providing an environment in which the creative spirit of all students is enriched. This organization works under the guidance of the school's Advancement Office.
The Guild is spearheading the Fine Arts Department’s annual fundraising event, "Knights Follies," on Saturday, February 20th at the school beginning at 6:00 P.M. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and parents, the evening also includes a silent auction and a chance to cast your vote for your favorite act. Come out and support the Arts!
Student Council recently sponsored several events on campus. Over 200 high school students enjoyed the annual winter dance, themed the "Black and White Masquerade Ball," on Sunday, February 14th. The annual "Steal Her Heart Away" contest was held on Friday, February 12th. High school girls could choose to purchase a paper heart for $1.00 and wear it throughout the day. If a boy succeeded in making a girl talk to him, she had to give him her heart. Congratulations to junior Clark Burgess, who won the prize for stealing the most hearts. The $150.00 proceeds from this event benefited the Deacon Robert Brady Scholarship Fund.
Father Michael Cassabon, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston and a 1998 St. Joseph's graduate, currently serves as the parochial vicar of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Fayetteville, NC. He celebrated Mass at St. Joseph's last week during a few days of vacation visiting his family in Greenville.
Congratulations to seventh grader Luke Coffey, who was recently named a State Winner in the Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest. Luke wins a $75 Savings Bond and his entry is automatically entered in the National Poster Contest.
Students in Joanna McLucas's seventh grade science classes participate in this event each year, and several other SJCS students also received honors: In the Alcohol Awareness Category, 12-14 Division: First Place-Luke Coffey, Second Place-Francesca Malafronte, Third Place-Sarah LeBlanc, Honorable Mention-Haley Berryman, Elizabeth Hernandez, and Sam Reidt; in the Drug Awareness Category, 12-14 Division: First Place-David Durham, Second Place-Vicki Schwark, Third Place-Madeline McChesney, Honorable Mention-Keyes Gilmer, Nicole McElveen, and Mary Ellen Grosskopf. In the Drug Awareness Category, 8-11 Division: Third Place-Andrew Burnikel and Honorable Mention-Charles Vandross.
First Place Winners received $25.00, Second Place Winners received $15.00, and Third Place Winners received a $10.00 cash prize. Mike Windey, Youth Chairman for the Knights of Columbus Council 10819, presented the awards at a Middle School assembly on February 12th.
Click here to view the winning posters.
SJCS faculty and staff prepared and served breakfast to the student body on Tuesday, February 16th in celebration of Fat Tuesday. Doors opened at 7:30 A.M. and students were able to enjoy and sample an array of breakfast casseroles, pancakes, bagels, donuts, fresh fruit, and beverages during an extended morning period set aside for the day's activity. Special thanks to SJCS parent Tom Baliker, who donated Mama Mary's pancakes, and to SJCS faculty members Marie Kernell and Sharon Ruble, who once again organized this annual event.
Congratulations to the SJCS Middle School Quiz Bowl Team, which won the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Regional Competition held on Tuesday, February 9th at St. Joseph's. The team, comprised of eighth graders Ben Dunphy, Wil Magaha, Feras Namouz, and Noah Schammel, and seventh graders Sam Reidt and William Tierney, was undefeated in the Regional, overcoming Cambridge Academy of Greenwood, Oakbrook Prep of Spartanburg and Richard Winn Academy of Winnsboro. By virtue of their Regional Championship, the team has received an automatic invitation to the SCISA State Championship, which will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd in Orangeburg, SC. SJCS middle school faculty members Joel Brandon and Peter Adair serve as the team moderators.
The Covington and Orbon Households organized a visit to St. Anthony's School on Wednesday, February 10th. Pete Bynarowicz, Tyler Lagnese, Taylor LeBlanc, Ian Miller, and three SJCS French exchange students helped the elementary school children make Valentines for a local nursing home. The older boys also helped their 'buddies' make Valentine mailboxes. The afternoon was filled with smiles and laughter.
St. Joseph's celebrated Catholic Schools Week January 31-February 6 with a variety of events highlighting the blessings of Catholic education. Under the National Catholic Educational Association 2010 theme,"Catholic Schools…Dividends for Life," highlights of the week included activities centered on staff, student, and volunteer appreciation. This annual event rejoices in education that goes beyond preparation for a secular life by also preparing students for a Christian life.
Click below to view highlights from the week:
SJCS Chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker will be signing copies of his book The Gargoyle Code at St. Anthony's Catholic Store on Saturday, February 13th from 10:30 A.M. to 12 Noon. In addition, local author and SJCS alumni parent Robbie Goodall Boman will also be signing copies of her book Miracles of South Carolina. A well-suited book for Lenten reflection, The Gargoyle Code's diabolical correspondence from a senior demon to his young protégé begins on Shrove Tuesday and leads the reader on an entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring journey, day by day, towards Easter Sunday. Miracles of South Carolina is for believers and skeptics alike. True stories of faith, surprise, and the miraculous fill its pages, many told publicly for the first time.
Click below to read a related article:
Father Longenecker’s unconventional journey to the Catholic priesthood
The Catholic Miscellany, 02-04-10
Father Longenecker has begun to write a regular column for the website CatholicOnline.
Click below to read his current article:
The Future Church: Why Progressivism is Passé
Congratulations to seniors Miggy Maceda and Tara McGarry, who have been nominated by the school to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Nominees were selected based on their leadership skills, participation in service organizations and clubs, outstanding character, and exemplary academic performance. Two hundred NHS winners will be chosen from nominations nation-wide to receive a $1,000 college scholarship in spring 2010.
The St. Joseph's Wrestling Team ended their season this past Saturday, February 6th at the SCISA (South Carolina Independent Schools Association) State Individual Championships. With only eight wrestlers participating, the Knights walked away with an array of medals, including a second place finish by freshman Noah Davis (125 lb.).
"All-in-all, it was a good day for us," stated Knights' Head Wrestling Coach Jason Smith. "We won some big matches, and lost a few close ones. But in the end, it's obvious by Saturday's outcome that we peaked athletically at just the right time of the season." Coach Smith also credits the team's performance to Assistant Coach Joseph Nort. "Coach Nort has really pushed these guys this year. His 'red flag' practices prepared our team for long days like Saturday."
Davis's second place finish was the highlight for the Knights. His great performance on Saturday capped off a very successful freshman season. In his path to the finals, Davis defeated the third-seed wrestler from Hammond School in the semi-finals, before falling in the finals to the number one seed from Cardinal Newman.
"Noah is a workhorse," added Coach Smith. "He comes to practice everyday, and works hard. He never complains, and always tries to get better…and his effort was rewarded today."
Davis was not the only St. Joseph's wrestler to pick up hardware on Saturday. Three other Knights claimed third place honors in their respective weight classes: freshman Connor Bolick (135 lb.), junior Clark Burgess (152 lb.), and sophomore Gabe McCall (171 lb.).
"I love to see a guy come back and finish third in a tournament," said Coach Smith. "It shows a lot of character, pride, and class."
All three wrestlers lost in close matches during their semi-finals match, but then wrestled back and won the rest of their matches. Burgess, who came into the state tournament seeded third, lost to the number two seed in the semi-finals by a three-point decision. McCall, who came into the tournament seeded fifth, defeated the fourth seeded wrestler from Hammond in the first round before facing the number one ranked wrestler from Cardinal Newman. In what was arguably the best match in the tournament, McCall lost by a one-point decision sending him to the consolation round. Both Burgess and McCall secured two more victories, each via pin fall, to earn bronze medals.
"I really wanted to win the whole thing today," Burgess said, “but I made little mistakes. I am going to work hard over the next nine months to make sure I can win a gold medal next year."
Along with the four medal winners, the Knights also had three wrestlers finish fourth in their respective divisions: eighth grader Nadir Dbouk (103 lb.), sophomore Perry Bolick (119 lb.), and junior Daniel McCullough (130 lb).
"It was great to see these young wrestlers compete and win," added Coach Smith. "I'm sorry they didn't earn the top prize, but they far exceeded expectations. All three of these guys won some big matches to make it to their final match.
"There are no seniors on our team this year, so all of our place winners will return next season," concluded Smith. "We are real excited about our move to the High School League, and we look forward to establishing some new rivalries and growing our program."
Congratulations to the following middle school students chosen to represent the school in the 2010 South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Middle School Quiz Bowl Competition: eighth graders Ben Dunphy, Wil Magaha, Feras Namouz and Noah Schammel, and seventh graders Sam Reidt and William Tierney. These students will represent St. Joseph's in the SCISA Regional Competition on Tuesday, February 9th.
Student Council recently sponsored a school-wide food drive in honor of Catholic Schools Week. High school students competed by grade level to see which class could bring in the most pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned goods, and peanut butter. Middle school students competed by grade level to see which class could donate the most cereal boxes. The senior class and the seventh grade class were each declared winners, and both classes won a dress-down day. Approximately 1000 cans of food, 132 boxes of pasta, 50 jars of spaghetti sauce, 45 jars of peanut butter, and 106 boxes of cereal were collected, and all items were donated to St. Anthony's Food Pantry.
The Fine Arts Department presented the Class of 2014 Eighth Grade Play "Gone With The Gust" on Thursday evening, February 4th at the school.
The school recently held a special blessing of the throats in honor of the Feast of St. Blase, a fourth century bishop and martyr. It is an ancient Catholic tradition to say prayers of blessing for throats on his feast day (February 3). St. Blase's martyrdom recounts how, on his way to trial, he cured a child who was choking. This blessing is performed by placing two crossed candles, blessed the day before on the Feast of the Presentation of Christ, on the person's throat as prayers are said. While it is traditional to pray for sore throats and colds to be cured on this feast day, it is also a time to ask God's blessing on the throats of teachers, singers, and all who praise God or proclaim His word with their voices.
SJCS students received a surprise visit on Wednesday, February 3rd, when three ensemble members of the touring production of "Wicked" visited the school during the day's activity period . Michelle London, Charles Hagerty, and Michael Drolet spent time with the students sharing stories about their musical theatre training, their work as actors, and tips on pursuing theatrical careers. Several St. Joseph's staff members and students attended that evening's performance of "Wicked" at the Peace Center, and were delighted to discover that Michelle London, the understudy for the character of Glinda, was playing that principal role for the performance.
The High School Quiz Bowl Team competed in the Dorman High School Cavalier Academic Challenge on Saturday, January 23rd. Sophomores Elizabeth Moore, Taylor Murphy, Michael Newton, Jay Rex, Peter Schatteman, and Chris Schrank played five preliminary rounds in the morning, answering a variety of questions on art, history, literature, math, music, religion, and science. For the second year in a row, the SJCS team qualified to participate in the afternoon semi-final round of this nationally ranked tournament, competing against teams from throughout the Southeast. The Dorman Tournament is part of the National Academic Qualifying Tournament. The St. Joseph's Quiz Bowl is moderated by SJCS Math Department Chair George Carr.
High school students in George Carr's and Julie Schroeder's math and physics classes were given an opportunity to see, first-hand, the applications of their class work in calculus, physics, and statistics as they toured the General Electric plant after school on Wednesday, January 27th. The group was taken inside the industrial facility in Greenville that assembles GE gas and wind turbines. Special thanks to SJCS parent Rick Stanley, whose connection with GE allowed this tour to take place.
Father Hayden Vaverek, longtime supporter and friend of St. Joseph's Catholic School, visited campus recently with two of his brothers who also are priests. The three brothers concelebrated Mass in the school's Daily Mass Chapel. Father Hayden, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Anderson, grew up in San Marcos, Texas, and has three sisters and three brothers. Father Gavin Vaverek, JCL, is pastor of St. Mary Church, Longview, in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, and Father Timothy Vaverek, STD, is pastor of St. Joseph Church, Waco, in the Diocese of Austin, Texas. The brothers from Texas were attending a liturgy conference at St. Mary Church, Greenville.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Basketball Team has been a hard team to beat at home this year with a current record of 8-1. Taking their game on the road this past weekend, the Knights traveled to Cardinal Newman to jump-start the Catholic Schools Week festivities.
Both teams were ready for the match-up, and many SJCS fans made the trip to Columbia for the Friday night game. In the first quarter, point guard Kelly Assinesi came on strong, scoring eleven of the Knights thirteen points to lead 13-9 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, both teams played tough defense, especially St. Joseph's Michael Kopscik and Craig Scholz, enabling the Knights to hold onto a 23-17 lead at the end of the half.
The fans for both teams became quite loud in the third quarter, with strong defense on both ends of the court. St. Joe's Ian Okinaga made several big steals and senior Roger Clinkscales scored seven points to help the Knights close the quarter leading 37-29.
Both teams saved their best offense for the last quarter, as Cardinal Newman came out hitting three’s, but even that couldn't stop St. Joseph's Assinesi, as he scored sixteen of his thirty-two points in the final quarter, leading the Knights to a 57-53 victory. The Knights are now 7-0 in conference play and 16-5 overall.
"We have a big week coming up," concluded Coach Paul Assinesi. "We play two conference games (Augusta Christian at home on Tuesday and Heathwood Hall in Columbia on Friday) and we play Christ Church (at home on Wednesday). We need everyone to come out and support us as much as they can this week. Our fans oftentimes make the difference."
Click below to read a related story:
Knights on verge of first region title
The Greenville News 02-02-10
Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated the week of January 31-February 6 in Catholic schools around the country. Students from Our Lady of the Rosary, Prince of Peace, St. Anthony's, St. Mary's, and St. Joseph's Catholic School recently recorded Public Service Announcements at Clear Channel Studio in downtown Greenville to help promote Catholic Schools Week. St. Joseph's PSA was recorded by senior Denise Azores-Gococo. Click here.
In addition to the radio PSA's, the Diocese of Charleston has launched a billboard campaign in three markets, including the Upstate. The Upstate billboard is located in Greenville on I-85 near Pelham Road. Each board depicts the slogan: Good grades are just the beginning. Click here.
Bishop Robert Guglielmone recently wrote a letter to parents on Catholic schools. Click here.
This year's theme, Catholic Schools...Dividends for Life, attests to the benefits of a Catholic education long after graduation. Read a related story from the January 28th issue of The Catholic Miscellany titled "Life after Catholic school: The gift of a Christian education." Click here.
High school students in Kenneth Covington's European Literature Classes recently visited the library to conduct research for their term paper. The students accessed the internet and the JSTOR database to gather needed information. Topics for the paper included: symbolism in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Christian themes in the Lord of the Rings, the portrayal of women in Grimm's Fairy Tales, paganism in Beowulf, and the structure of hell in the Inferno.
JSTOR is an online database of over five million full text scholarly articles from academic journals, some dating back to the 1800's. Articles can be found from over fifty varied disciplines, and new content is constantly being added. Currently, this database is offered in only six secondary schools in the state, as the primary subscribers to JSTOR are colleges and universities. JSTOR enables SJCS students the opportunity to develop and refine their research skills before they enter college, and St. Joseph's students also have the capability to utilize JSTOR off-campus.
Eighth grade boys in Deborah Henderson's third period art class recently decorated pre-made masks or, with the help of a friend, cast their own hand. The boys were encouraged to "think outside the box." Masks included a variety of colorful designs, including original super heroes and movie characters. The casting hand projects included a spray painted hand holding a can of spray paint and a "hang loose" hand decorated with a Hawaiian theme. This fun art project is always a big hit with the eighth grade students and greatly anticipated by the younger middle school students.
The school's St. Cecilia Mass Choir was invited to sing at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Confirmation on Wednesday, January 27th. Under the leadership of Choir Director Jennifer Gurn and accompanied by SJCS senior pianist Adam Mosley, high school students Denise Azores-Gococo, Josh Bathon, Allison Espada, Allison Gurn, Mary Lewis, Michael McCall, Tara McGarry, Ian Miller, Katie Mobley, Alex Panuccio, Nikki Scarlett, and Cindy Stanley sang several sacred hymns, including Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, Spirit of the Living God, and Agnus Dei Canon.
Congratulations to the following SJCS eighth grade students and OLR parishioners who were confirmed by Bishop Robert Guglielmone on Wednesday evening: Elizabeth Bannio, Ben Dunphy, Mary Esposito, Patrick Hudak, Gene Langan, Nick Leonard, Alex Luzzatti, Alex Malsch, Melissa Mohr, Gigi Nally, Sydney Newsome, and David Reed.
The St. Joseph's Lady Knights Varsity Girls Basketball Team has shown improvement with each game this season under Coach Grace Franklin. Their hard work and close losses paid off on Friday evening, January 22nd with St. Joseph's defeating conference rival Hammond School (Columbia) 34-18 to begin the second round of league play.
The Lady Knights came out determined to get their first conference win of the season by playing extremely good defense, taking the lead at the end of the first quarter 9-2. In the second quarter, senior Amanda Koshis played outstanding offense and scored all nine points for the Lady Knights, while the strong defense of juniors Stephanie Saunders and Caroline Sparr held the Hammond Sky Hawks to three points, allowing St. Joe's to pull away to an 18-5 lead at half-time. At the start of the second half, St. Joseph's made some mistakes on offense, allowing Hammond a chance to get back into the game, but once again, the Lady Knights' strong defense, led by junior Jeanne Morrison and senior Laura Twomey, denied the Sky Hawks the opportunity to forge ahead. At the end of the third quarter, the Lady Knights held the lead 24-12.
"Before leaving the bench at the start of the fourth quarter, I reminded the girls that they can win this game if they will stay focused on defense and confident on offense," stated Coach Franklin. "The girls came out ready to finish what they started and they were able to balance play throughout the fourth quarter to secure the victory. I am very proud of their efforts."
"This is exactly what our team needed right now," stated Saunders at the end of the game. "This win will help us do much better in the second round of conference play."
The JV and Varsity Girls and Boys basketball teams play at Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Columbia on Friday evening to kick off the Catholic Schools Week Celebration.
SJCS Chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker led a group of over one-hundred students on the annual March for Life trip to Washington, DC January 21-23. Two busloads traveled from Greenville and arrived in Washington in time to celebrate the pro-life Mass with thousands of other supporters on Thursday evening. Fr. Dwight joined hundreds of other priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals in the celebration of this Mass held in the nation's mother church, The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Early Friday morning, the students attended the Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center, an inspiring and energizing event with over 25,000 teens from around the country. After Mass, the St. Joseph’s group joined another 200,000 people on Washington's Mall for rousing speeches and a march up Constitution Hill to the Supreme Court"the site of the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision. Saturday was spent site-seeing before the trip back home on Saturday evening.
"The March for Life manifests the reality of the pro-life movement," concluded Father Longenecker. "It is young, it is joyful, and it is peaceful. It is pro-life in every way."
Click here to view more photos.
Click below to read a related story:
Chaplin Encourages Students Toward Lives of Faith, Adventure
The Greenville News, 01-20-10
Congratulations to SJCS sixth grader Blake Edwards, who placed second in the Clarity Spelling Bee held on Saturday, January 23rd in Simpsonville. This event is the Upstate's largest and most comprehensive spelling bee for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in the region. One hundred students participated in this annual academic event.
Congratulations to the High School Math Team, which placed first in the State Math Meet held on Wednesday, January 20th in Orangeburg, SC. The St. Joseph's Team, consisting of Amy Hase, Mitchell Jones, Jeremy Mehl, Taylor Murphy, and Peter Schatteman, placed first out of 35 teams representing 21 schools and 175 students. In addition, Jeremy Mehl had the second highest individual score, and Peter Schatteman had the sixth highest individual score. The event, sponsored by the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA), included the following schools: Ashley Hall, Dillon Christian, Dorchester Academy, First Baptist Church School, Hammond School, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Heritage Academy, Hilton Head Preparatory School, Northwood Academy, Oakbrook Preparatory School, Orangeburg Preparatory School, Pee Dee Academy, Pinewood Preparatory School, Porter Gaud, Richard Winn, St. Andrew’s School, Thomas Sumter Academy, Trinity Collegiate School, Williamsburg Academy, and Wilson Hall. SJCS Mathematics Faculty Member and Math Team Moderator George Gábor accompanied the students to Orangeburg.
Congratulations to junior Alex Burnikel, who was recently named to the US Youth Soccer ODP (Olympic Development Program) Boys All-Star Team, the only South Carolina soccer play selected as an All-Star from the Winter Interregional Tournament held at Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. Dec. 27-30, 2009. Players to the All-Star Teams were selected based on their outstanding performance during this annual interregional event. The event brings together the four US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Regional Teams in the Under-15 and Under-16 age groups for competition and player development. The event also creates an excellent opportunity for the nation's top colleges to preview the future of their respective programs. Games were held in conjunction with the Disney Soccer Showcase, also held at Disney Wide World of Sports.
The Advancement Office and Alumni Board hosted their annual Christmas gathering at City Range Grill in late December. More than fifty alumni enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and drinks with classmates from the following years: 1998 and 2001 through 2008. SJCS Director of Advancement Charlie Bathon and Matt Foster ('04) helped organize this year's event. Stephen Heard ('05) won a City Range gift certificate and Sally Cade Holmes ('06) won a "Helping Hands" portrait door prize. The school's alumni network continues to stay connected through the official SJCS alumni Facebook page, newsletters, Homecoming, and other alumni sponsored events. For more information, visit the alumni page of the school's website.
Sixth grade students in Sharon Ruble's Ancient History Class recently hosted a Greek banquet for Anne Gragtmans’ sixth grade class by dressing in the Greek tradition of long robes and providing authentic Greek cuisine. One student acted as the oracle and shared prophecies for classmates. Another student, representing the Spartans, shared her Olympic medals and physical strength. The group even had a surprise visit from Zeus, the ruler of Mount Olympus. The celebration concluded with expressions of thanks in the Greek language.
SJCS Basketball Coach Kevin Stanton and the Boys Middle School Basketball Team traveled to Furman University on Saturday, January 16th to watch the Furman Men's Basketball Team defeat Georgia Southern. After the game, the Furman players signed autographs for the boys and senior guard Daryl Evans, a Spartanburg native, greeted each of the SJCS players and posed for a team photo.
Seventh grade students in Joanna McLucas's science classes recently used a model of a volcano to create a topographic map. The model was covered with progressively higher layers of water and the contour for each interval was traced. This map was then labeled and students observed the differences between steep slopes and areas where the elevation change was gradual.
Burgess and Davis score big victories
The St. Joseph's Knights Wrestling Team recently had back-to-back matches with the #1 and #2 ranked schools in the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA), Cardinal Newman and Hammond Schools, respectively. Although the Knights eventually fell in both matches, the team proved that they are ready to compete for higher league rankings, even winning four of the nine head-to-head matches against Hammond.
"As a team, we showed that we are much improved, and that we have the ability to win every match," stated Head Wrestling Coach Jason Smith. "Several of the guys lost some really close matches. Hopefully, by the time the state championships come around, they won’t make the same little mistakes again."
The Knights picked up big victories from not only their team captains, but some younger contributors as well. Junior Co-Captains Clark Burgess and Will Dameron both earned hard-fought pins.
"Both Hammond and Cardinal Newman have good wrestlers on their teams," stated Dameron. "We had to be more disciplined, stay in position, and keep moving. Against quality teams, you just can't afford to make a mistake."
Also earning big team points were two of the Knights younger wrestlers, freshmen Connor Bolick and Noah Davis. "Noah’s 15-4 victory over his Hammond opponent was one of his best matches ever," added Coach Smith. "He wrestled tough and smart for six full minutes, earning him our Most Outstanding Wrestler award for the evening. Connor, while improving daily, picked up a well-deserved pin that changed the momentum of the match."
St. Joseph's next event is the annual Greenville County Tournament at Greenville High School, where the Knights will take on thirteen other county schools in a tournament that is considered one of the toughest in South Carolina. The team will then travel to Columbia to take on Ben Lippen School on January 21st. Ben Lippen, currently ranked #5 in SCISA, lost to the Knights in the SCISA State Dual Tournament last season, and will be looking for revenge, while the Knights will look to retain their #4 ranking.
St. Joseph's Catholic School has officially been accepted into the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) for the 2010-2011 school year. The third and final vote for St. Joseph's admission was taken on Wednesday, January 13th at the High School League Executive Committee Meeting. St. Joseph's will now compete in the SCHSL Region II - 1A level, which includes the following schools: Blacksburg, Christ Church Episcopal School, Greenville Tech Charter, Greer Middle College Charter, Landrum, South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, Southside Christian, and Whitmire. St. Joseph's has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) in athletics, and will continue to compete in SCISA for Academic and Fine Arts related events.
Dr. Eric Hansen, a noted Catholic theologian and speaker, addressed several classes of middle school and high school students earlier this week on campus. His presentations included topics on the theology of St. Augustine, devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the need for evangelization and conversion in the modern world. He also outlined the mission of the Papal Foundation, both in terms of its vision and in terms of its practical work, such as reducing infant mortality in several African nations through teaching and material assistance.
Dr. Hansen received his M.A. and Ph.D. in European religious, cultural, and intellectual history, has taught at various Catholic educational institutions, and is the author of several books. As a Resident Fellow of the Magis Institute, an organization dedicated to “healing the culture through Catholic spirituality,” Dr. Hansen conducts seminars and retreats, and also speaks at venues throughout the United Sates on topics as diverse as C.S. Lewis, Baroque religious art, and the life and theology of Saint Paul. At the same time, he serves as historical consultant for the California Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. Dr. Hansen lives in San Juan Capistrano, California.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Basketball Team squared off against their Catholic school rival from
It was a high energy game from the start, with both teams playing aggressive defense. Cardinal Newman led at the end of the first quarter 13-12. The sell-out crowd began to help the Knights, as their energy became the team’s sixth man with senior Roger Clinkscale's 3rd three-pointer of the half. As the half was coming to an end, senior Michael Swoyer made a great play under the basket to put the Knights in the lead 24-23 at the buzzer.
St. Joseph's came out strong in the third quarter defensively with junior Craig Scholz leading the way, along with juniors Kelly Assinesi and Alex Winebarger putting up big numbers on the offensive end. The Knights outscored the Cardinals 19-11 in the third quarter to lead 43-34.
"In the huddle before the start of the fourth quarter, I told the boys that this is our game if we can continue to play hard, play smart, and play together," said Coach Paul Assinesi. "You could see it in each and every one of my players…they wanted to be part of the first St. Joe's varsity boys basketball team to defeat Cardinal Newman."
The Knights kept pushing the right buttons, extending their lead to fourteen into the fourth quarter, and the crowd was helping. Then, with four minutes remaining on the clock,
"I told them that this was our game and that we were still in control," stated Coach Assinesi. "I wanted them to get focused on defense, to take care of the ball, and get high percentage shots."
In the final remaining minutes, the Knights' defense stepped up to made several key stops, and Assinesi and Swoyer added the finishing touches on the offensive end to secure the win 56-46.
"This was fun," exclaimed Swoyer. "Being able to play in front of a crowd like this and win is pretty exciting."
Coach Assinesi concluded, "I was happy for the boys. They trusted me on working so hard in the pre-season, and now they're finally seeing their hard work pay off."
Click here to view more photos from the JV/Varsity Teams vs. Cardinal Newman.
Congratulations to SJCS eighth graders Alec Biscopink and Wil Magaha, who competed against the top string players in the state and won positions in the first violin section of the 2010 All-State Orchestra. The competition, held on January 9th at The University of South Carolina School of Music in Columbia, was open to violinists from across the state who qualified for the competition by winning a seat in a Regional Orchestra. Eighty-two violinists competed for thirty six seats. Alec won second chair (Assistant Concert Master) with the second highest score in the competition and Wil won thirteenth chair. The group will perform a concert at Furman University the last weekend in February.
Headmaster Keith Kiser will host Strategic Planning Meetings on Tuesday and Thursday, January 12 and 14, in the chapel beginning at 7:00 P.M. for all SJCS parents. At these meetings, the school's priorities for the next five years will be revealed, as well as how the school intends to address the facility needs during those years while maintaining appropriate resource allocation for school programs and debt service. After the presentation there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
At least one parent from each SJCS family should plan to attend either meeting.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Wrestling Team hosted their first home match of the season on January 5th against powerhouse Hammond School from Columbia. The Knights will face Cardinal Newman Catholic School, the 2009 SCISA State Champions, at home on Tuesday, January 12th at 6:00 P.M. Come out and support the team!
St. Joseph's requires its high school students to complete a specified number of community service hours each year. A total of sixty-five hours is required for graduation. More information can be found in the School Handbook. A current listing of Community Service opportunities, available through the school, is posted and updated frequently on the school website under Mission & Ministry.
The St. Joseph's Lego Robotics Team recently competed in the First Lego League Competition held in Clover, SC in December. Sixth graders Deeb Armaly, Blake Edwards, Mary Kramer, Ethan McAvoy, Josiah Tennent and seventh graders Benjamin Haertel, Andrew Schatteman, Jake Stavrakas, and Charles Vandross competed under the team name "The Force," along with teams from 29 other area schools. SJCS students enjoyed their first competition as a team and learned quite a bit about the different methods of completing the same challenges and about the competition itself. This event was a regional qualifier for the state competition. Middle school faculty member Sarah Wicker serves as the team advisor and sophomore Peter Schatteman assisted as the team coach.
The 2009-2010 History Honor Society Officers are: Katie Sanders, President; Tara Vales, Vice-President; and Carrie Weber, Secretary/Treasurer. Faculty moderator is Meby Carr.
In the first game on December 28, the Knights faced Johnsonville and pulled off an upset. With some early three-pointers from St. Joseph's Roger Clinkscales and Craig Scholz, the Knights were able to build a twelve-point lead. Johnsonville battled back to cut the lead to one by the end of the third quarter. Having played too many close road games early in the season, the Knights were able to hold their composure down the stretch to secure the win 48-45. "It was nice to finally win a close game on the road," stated Scholz.
The Knights played two tournament games on December 29th.
The evening game pitted
"They just wore us down, playing five guys, then another five guys, and they all played the same," stated Michael Kopscik. Coach Paul Assinesi added, "I knew that playing two tournament games back-to-back would be a great test of our condition. However, I thought our boys played extremely well considering that this was our second game of the day."
The winner of the final game on December 30th would play in the tournament championship.
"I was extremely pleased with how the boys played in this tournament, as they battled bigger more physical teams," stated Coach Assinesi. Sophomore J. D. Brookbank added, "This tournament was a great building block for our team as we head into some strong January conference play."
SJCS Chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker will appear on EWTN's Journeys Home program with host Marcus Grodi on Monday, January 4th and again on Monday, January 11th at 8:00 P.M. EST. Father Longenecker will be on the show to discuss Anglicanorum Coetibus--the Holy Father's recent initiative welcoming Anglicans into full communion with the Catholic Church. As a former Anglican priest, Fr. Longenecker has unique insights on the situation in England as well as in the United States. Appearing with him will be Father Eric Bergman, a former Episcopal priest who is now the pastor of a new Anglican Use Catholic congregation in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The 2009-2010 Dance Honor Society Officers are: President, Blythe Snead; Vice President, Shelly Mamo; Secretary, Christina Novotny; Treasurer, Ericka Reyes. The faculty moderator is Tami Kiser.
The SJCS College Guidance Office had previously reported that St. Joseph's students scored an 80% pass rate on Advanced Placement (AP) exams taken last spring. The local, state, and national pass rates have now been released: Greenville County (57%), State (57%), and National (59%).
Of the 133 AP exams taken, SJCS students scored a "3" or better on 107 of them. A score of "4" was earned on 26 of the exams, while a score of "5" was earned on 50 exams. Students took the AP exams in May 2009 after completing college-level courses at St. Joseph's. All St. Joseph's students enrolled in an AP class are required to take the AP exam. Students must score between "3" and "5" on a five-point scale to earn college credit, and most of the nation's colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on these exams.
The 2009-2010 National Art Honor Society Officers are: President, Claire DeMars and Vice-President, Elizabeth Reynolds. Faculty moderator is Deborah Henderson.
Sixth grade students in Sharon Ruble's science classes recently dissected a crayfish. As they concluded a study of freshwater on the planet and began a study of ocean habitats, the students completed their first dissection, learning proper dissection techniques as they examined the crayfish's anatomy.
Burgess, McCall, Schosky lead Knights
The Knights Wrestling Team recently won their first SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) match of the season, defeating Augusta Christian School, 42-36. In the victory, the Knights picked up key pins from junior Clark Burgess (160 lb.), sophomore Gabe McCall (171 lb.), and eighth-grader Joey Schosky (103 lb.).
"It was our first match in almost three weeks," stated Schosky. "So I was ready to get out there and win." The victory brings Schosky's season record to an impressive 6-0.
Also earning victories for the Knights against Augusta Christian were freshman Connor Bolick (135 lb.), sophomore Perry Bolick (119 lb.), freshman Noah Davis (125 lb.), and junior Daniel McCullough (130 lb.).
"I've thrown these guys into the fire," stated Head Wrestling Coach Jason Smith. "Over the last few weeks, we've wrestled thirteen duals against some of the strongest competition in South Carolina, including two duals against number one ranked Abbeville High School. Our wrestlers don’t have any choice but to get better."
Going into the mid-way point of the season, McCall leads the Knights with a 10-3 record, including a team-leading eight pins. "I just try and get better every day," McCall stated. "When Coach throws me around the mat every day, I just try and learn as much as I can."
Also putting up some good numbers for the Knights so far this season is Clark Burgess with an 8-5 record (including seven pins), winning four out of his last five matches going into the Christmas break.
"I've been working hard since the end of last season…weightlifting, conditioning, and practicing," said Burgess. "I know the team relies on me to pick up big wins, so that's my goal."
After the Christmas break, the Knights will face some tough SCISA opponents. St. Joseph's will welcome SCISA powerhouse Hammond School to campus on January 5th for the school’s first home match of the season. Defending SCISA State Champion, Cardinal Newman School, will come to campus on January 12th.
"We've used the first half of the season for practice and preparation," concluded Coach Smith. "Now it's time to step up and show the league what we can do. These first two matches after the break will set the tone for the rest of the season, and the state championships."
St. Joseph's students and staff helped serve others in a variety of ways during the Advent season:
Click here to view photos from Christmas Caroling and Coffeehouse Performances.
Sixth grade students in Jay Tierney's Literature classes recently completed a unit on Greek Mythology. Students were asked to illustrate one of the many scenes that they had read about or discussed in class. The projects could be paintings or drawings, or they could be models, dioramas, or other three-dimensional table-top displays. Students were graded on creativity, accuracy, and relevancy of the scene, attractiveness and organization, use of proper materials, and on their oral presentation. According to Tierney, "Some of this year's projects showed true Herculean effort."
A full house was on hand for St. Joseph's annual Christmas Concert, "Oh Holy Knight," on December 10th. Under the direction of David Saliny, the String Orchestra and String Ensemble performed several Christmas classics to begin the festivities. The Mens Ensemble, Advanced Chorus, and Knights Chorus, under the direction of Jennifer Gurn, performed many sacred Christmas songs as well as familiar holiday classics. SJCS sophomore Taylor Murphy and school organist Dr. Kevin Clarke served as the accompanists for the choral performance. The program concluded with a reception hosted by the school's Jubilate Guild. Patrons brought in over 300 canned goods to help re-stock St. Anthony's Parish Pantry.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Basketball Team traveled to nearby rival Christ Church School last week to find out how much they had improved from last year.
"We both came out playing sloppy in the first quarter, with our boys leading 11-10," stated Head Coach Paul Assinesi. "But by the middle of the second quarter, the crowd had settled in and the game took on a play-off type atmosphere."
With the help of Michael Kopscik's strong defense and rebounding and Kelly Assinesi's sharp shooting, the Knights came back strong to close the half leading 29-28. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Knights were clinging to a three-point lead, with Craig Scholz hitting a three-pointer when it mattered most. Christ Church battled back to get to within three points with 20 seconds on the clock. They set up for a last shot three-pointer to tie the game, and were fouled in the act of shooting. The Cavaliers stepped up to the line, putting in all three baskets to send the game into overtime. When the dust settled, the Knights lost the game 63-55.
"I thought we played great, but we need to learn how to win those close ones on the road," stated co-captain Kelly Assinesi.
The Knights then played host to Oak Hill, a Catholic School from Sydney, Australia. The afternoon began with the celebration of Mass for both teams, followed by a dinner on campus. SJCS won the game easily (79-44), but the score was hardly the focus of the evening.
"What made this a beautiful event was watching the sportsmanship after the game from both teams and fans," stated Coach Assinesi, who was instrumental in arranging the meeting of these two teams. "As a coach, it made me proud to see how my players and the St. Joseph's student body treated our guests."
The two teams exchanged gifts, the SJCS cheerleaders took pictures with the Aussie's, and with music playing in the gym, all the students and players enjoyed some time together. Team Captain and Student Body President Roger Clinkscales best summed up the night by saying, "This is how all sporting events should be."
With a season-to-date record of 3-2 and 2-0 at home, the Knights then hosted cross-town rival Shannon Forest at home on December 8th. St. Joseph's took care of business from the start, with their full court pressure forcing Shannon Forest to turn the ball over with regularity. The Knights were up 24 at the half, thanks to the defensive play of Craig Scholz, Michael Swoyer, and Alex Winebarger. The Knights rolled to a 61-20 victory.
"This win allows us to stay undefeated at home, and gives us time to get ready for two tough Christmas tournaments," concluded Coach Assinesi. On December 19th, the Knights will play in town in the Southside Christian Tournament. They will then travel to Sumter, SC December 28-30th for the District 9 Basketball Tournament.
Click here to view more photos from the Oak Hill Catholic School game.
Nearly 400 parents, faculty, staff, friends, and benefactors of St. Joseph's Catholic School found the school's gymnasium magically transformed into a New York style hotel lobby at Christmas on December 5th during the 2009 Knight Before Christmas Gala. Major event sponsors joined faculty and staff for a special auction preview and reception, sampling exotic hors d'oeuvres prepared by Soby's Table 301, while enjoying exquisite violin selections by eighth grade student Alec Biscopink. St. Joseph's Barbershop Quartet entertained arriving guests with numerous Christmas selections, as guests perused over 100 silent and super-silent auction items, many prepared by with special care by student households, clubs, and academic or staff departments.
As dinner was served, the "Fan-Cave" was a favorite venue for many to enjoy live action of the ACC football championship on a 46-inch HDTV, which was later auctioned to the highest bidder. While attendees took home many beautiful and valuable items in the silent and live auctions, the highlight of the evening was centered on the "Fund the Need" scholarship auction. As Headmaster Keith Kiser introduced sophomore Amy Hase, a hush fell over the crowd as this young lady articulated blessings received through her St. Joseph's education. The crowd responded with a record amount of money raised for tuition assistance. This money and all proceeds from the Gala will go to benefit over 40% of current and future students who receive tuition assistance.
Father Patrick Tuttle, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, and popular disc jockey, provided a lively selection of dance music until the clock struck midnight. SJCS Director of Advancement Charlie Bathon, Advancement Office Assistant Linda McCormick, and SJCS Parent and Gala Event Chair Jeanie Gilmer, along with scores of volunteers, worked tirelessly for over a year to make the evening a Knight to Believe in students, faculty, family, friends, the SJCS mission, and Christ among us.
Click here to view more photos.
Anderson Independent Mail features SJCS Varsity Swim Coach Jill Holliday.
Students in Jennette Pelicano's chemistry classes recently received hands-on practice calculating the percent yield for a chemical reaction. Students used the mass of the reactants to solve for the theoretical yield, and the mass of the product to calculate the percent yield for a single replacement reaction. This lab is part of a unit on stoichiometry, the mathematics of chemical reactions. Sophomores in Paul Barra's chemistry classes are studying organic chemistry and during a recent lab, they made esters, carbon compounds that smell like banana and wintergreen, among other synthetic odors. They also produced slime, a cross-linked polymer. These tenth graders are being introduced to all the general chemistry concepts they will encounter in more depth in college.
Seventh grade students in Joanna McLucas's science classes recently studied the behavior of isopods during their ecology unit using a choice chamber. They recorded which solutions the isopods would walk on and which they would avoid. The students then analyzed the results to determine if they were correct in their predictions.
Congratulations to the students cast in the school's spring musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Pictured from left to right are SJCS student-actresses Denise Azores-Gococo (Ruth), Cindy Stanley (Millie), and Katie Sanders (Lucille). Performance dates are April 23-25, 2010.
St. Joseph's seniors Josh Benore and Emily Coggins were recently named South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Runners of the Year. Junior Jared Kauffman and freshman Victoria DeMaria were named SCISA Swimmers of the Year.
Benore, a three-year varsity team member and three-year MVP, as well as current team co-captain, was also named the 2009 SCISA State Champion. Coggins, a four-year varsity team member, two-year team captain, two-year MVP, and two-year SCISA State Runner-Up, was also named the 2009 SCISA State Champion. Kauffman, a five-year team member, two-year MVP, and current team co-captain, was also named the 2008 SCISA Co-Swimmer of the Year, an honor he shared with his brother Graham. Kauffman broke two state swim records in both 2008 and 2009. DeMaria, a first-year team member, was named this year's MVP.
In addition, SJCS coaches George Carr, Marie Kernell, and Jill Holliday were all named SCISA Coaches of the Year. Carr, the school's Math Department Chair, has served as the Boys Cross-Country Coach for eight years and was named 2008 SCISA Coach of the Year. Kernell, the school's St. Thomas Aquinas Program Assistant, has coached the Girls Cross-Country Team for three years and was named 2008 SCISA Coach of the Year. Holliday, a graduate from the Class of 2006, has served as the school's Boys and Girls Varsity Swim Coach for four years and was also named 2008 SCISA Coach of the Year.
In addition, the following SJCS student-athletes who were named to the 2009 SCISA All-State Teams in their respective sport:
The 2009-2010 officers for the National Science Honor Society are: President, Jeremy Mehl; Vice President Anna Mercer; Secretary/Treasurer, Shelly Mamo. Faculty moderators are Joanna McLucas and Jennette Pelicano.
During the Advent Season, St. Joseph's is preparing for Christmas in a variety of ways:
Students in Charlotte Dabbene's French I class recently presented a project to the class on a topic of their choice. Projects included French architecture, fashion, food, and more. Students were required to speak and write in French and used supporting media such as posters, power point presentations, and movie clips.
SJCS Chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker's article "The Risk of Education" was recently re-published online at www.insidecatholic.com.
The 2009-2010 officers for the SJCS International Thespian Honor Society Troupe #6388 are: President, Alex Panuccio; Vice President, Chelsea Lawyer; Secretary, Denise Azores-Gococo; Treasurer, Tara McGarry; Clerk, Jessica Marohn; Public Relations, David Rogozenski. Faculty moderator is Teresa McGrath.
Eighth grade students in Ryan Koon's middle school science classes recently completed a unit on animal diversity. As part of their survey of animal phyla, students studied the mammalian eye and completed a dissection of sheep eyeballs. Students were able to locate all the major parts of the eye, including the cornea, retina, iris, sclera, pupil, and lens.
Burgess, McCall, Schosky lead Knights
Although young in age and in experience, the Knights Wrestling Team has exceeded expectations during the last month of action.
"I've been challenging these guys since day one," stated Head Wrestling Coach Jason Smith. "We have a young team this year, but they have shown me that we can be a force this season. We don't fill all of the weight classes, so it's hard to win a dual meet. We are giving up a 36 point deficit from the start, so when we win, it means that much more. Our combined individual record is 25-14, which means we are winning over 60% of our weight classes."
Leading the Knights so far this season are junior Clark Burgess (4-1, 152 lb.), sophomore Gabe McCall (4-1, 171 lb.), and eighth grader Joey Schosky (5-0, 103 lb.).
"These guys have been involved in our conditioning program, along with football, since the beginning of the school year, and it shows," stated Assistant Coach and SJCS faculty member Joseph Nort. "Burgess has four of the team's eleven total pins so far." After giving up the most takedowns on the team last year, McCall now leads the entire team with six takedowns. "Gabe has become a beast," added Coach Smith. "I cannot believe how much better he gets each and every day. He's going to have a great season."
Also putting points on the board for the Knights are freshman Connor Bolick (2-1, 125 lb.), sophomore Perry Bolick (2-1, 119 lb.), junior Will Dameron (1-3, 189 lb), freshman Noah Davis (1-1, 125 lb.), freshman Justin Finigan (1-1, 112 lb.), junior Daniel McCullough (2-3, 125 lb.), and sophomore Daniel Sokol (3-0, 112 lb.).
"We have several quality wrestlers in the same weight class this year," added Coach Smith, "and that's not a bad problem to have. These guys are fighting everyday to earn a spot in the starting line-up, which allows our practices to be more productive than ever."
Coming off last week's victory over Ravenscroft, the Knights next step on the mat against an array of high schools at this year's Woodmont Wildcat Duals held at Woodmont High School on December 5th.
"Our guys will have the opportunity to wrestle up to seven times in one day at this event," concluded Coach Smith. "It will be a good test of character, endurance, and both physical and mental strength. I have a feeling Coach Nort's conditioning plan is going to get us through the day with some big wins."
The 2009-2010 officers for the St. Joseph's Chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society are: President, Mary Lewis; Vice President, Cindy Stanley; Secretary, Denise Azores-Gococo; Treasurer, Josh Bathon; Historians, Laura Twomey and Carly Hudson. Faculty moderator is Jennifer Gurn.
Thirty-eight SJCS high school students and eight middle school students attended the YMCA's annual Youth in Government (YIG) Conference held at the State House in Columbia November 18-21. The conference comprised over 1100 high school students and 180 middle school students from across the state. SJCS history faculty members Peter Adair, Meby Carr, John Devanny, and Anne Gragtmans accompanied the students to Columbia.
Several high school boys from the Covington and Orbon Households participated in a "Little Hands Are Thankful Too" project with St. Anthony of Padua Elementary School recently. Ben Caron, Daniel Escobar, Bradley Kauffman, Alex Kickham, Tyler Lagnese, Ben Longenecker, Ian Miller, David Rogozinski, Craig Scholz, and Charly Van Norden spent Wednesday afternoon, November 18th helping four and five year old children make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a local soup kitchen. The St. Joseph's boys guided the children in the fine art of "PB&J" and were able to fill 75 bags with sandwiches, apples, chips, and prayer notes for the Project Host Soup Kitchen. Special thanks to the household families who helped furnish supplies and food and to Cheryl Caron, June Kickham, Margaret Lagnese, Kathy Rogozinski, and Donna Van Norden who accompanied the students to St. Anthony's.
Ten SJCS students, representing French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish languages, competed in the 37th annual Clemson Declamation Contest held on November 14th at Clemson University. St. Joseph's competed with hundreds of students from over thirty schools throughout South Carolina and Georgia. Sophomore Taylor Murphy captured First Place in Latin IV and sophomore Amy Hase took Second Place in Latin III. Sophomore Bernadette Wersinger captured First Place in French III B and sophomore Matthew Dix took third place in French III A. Freshman Caroline Cooney captured First Place in French II B. Senior Emiko Kakimoto took Third Place in Japanese in the Native Speaker category. The students were prepped by SJCS faculty members Charlotte Dabbene (French), Lavinia Plumblee (Latin), and Luz Fernandez (Spanish).
The St. Joseph's Varsity Boys Basketball Team began their season last week with a nail-biting loss to Rabun Gap (Georgia) 75-73 in overtime. "I thought the boys played a great game for their first outing," stated Head Basketball Coach Paul Assinesi.
Returning players J.D. Brookbank, Roger Clinkscales, Ian Okinaga, Craig Scholz, Michael Swoyer, Chris Schrank, and Alex Winebarger all displayed a pre-game nervousness about matching up against Rabun Gap. "They had beaten us pretty bad last year," stated Winebarger. "Before we left the locker room, Coach Paul told us that if we played as hard as we've been practicing and worked as a team and didn't give up"no matter what the score was"we'd do better than last year."
The game was a barn-burner from the start. The Knights surprised their opponents by being the aggressor and pressing them full court, causing Rabun Gap to turn the ball over fourteen times in the game. "I thought it was great game," added Coach Assinesi. "The crowd was loud and both teams played at such a high intensity for this early in the season. After seeing that game, I'm excited for what the rest of the season holds for us."
The boys came back in less than twelve hours to play their second game against a much bigger Hiawassee High School (North Carolina). St. Joseph's played strong throughout, and posted a winning score of 75-59.
"Hiwassee's coach told me that St. Joseph's won the game because we were just mentally tougher than his kids," concluded Assinesi. "I was elated with the boys overall performance for the weekend. If they keep up the hard work, this could be a very fun season."
The school's Fine Arts Department presents their fall play "J.B." this weekend in three performances: Friday, November 20th at 7:00 P.M., Saturday, November 21st at 7:00 P.M., and Sunday, November 22nd at 3:00 P.M.
In a modern day tale inspired by the Old Testament Book of Job, J.B. has a picturesque life as a successful businessman with a loving wife and five children... until his faith is put to the ultimate test by two circus vendors taking on the roles of God and Satan. As tragedy continues to strike his family, J.B. must search for an answer as to the existence of suffering. "J.B." forces audiences to confront one of man's most difficult questions: In the face of great suffering, do we remain faithful, or do we forsake God?
Tickets are available at the door: $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for students and senior citizens. For more information, call the Box Office at (864) 234-9009, ext. 386.
High school students in Deborah Henderson's Mixed Media Art Class recently completed an upholstery project that began by drawing a still life from several different angles and then adding color to the drawing. Once this was completed, students chose an area from their drawing to replicate six to nine times in order to form a pattern. The students then tried various color combinations before choosing the colors to compliment their design. The next step was to reproduce that design on three 18" x 24" pieces of blank newsprint. Once it was dry, students fit the pieces onto a chair that they had chosen, bringing new life to an old chair. The chairs are now on display in the High School Commons.
The St. Joseph's High School Academic Team captured First Place at the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Regional Quiz Bowl Tournament hosted by SJCS on Wednesday, November 11th. This year's location for the regional competition, held at Immedion in the Global Business Park adjacent to the school, was provided to the teams courtesy of SJCS parent Frank Mobley. After three rounds of play, St. Joseph's defeated both Oakbrook Preparatory and Richard Winn Academy, who finished second and third, respectively. Coached by SJCS Math Department Chair and Team Moderator George Carr and led by Team Captain Jeremy Mehl, team members include Elizabeth Moore, Taylor Murphy, Michael Newton, Jessica Peck, Peter Schatteman, and Mark Schott. These students successfully answered questions on topics in art, current events, geography, grammar, history, literature, math, music, religion, and science. "For a team made up almost entirely of sophomores with one junior, they did extremely well," stated Carr. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what they will accomplish at state next week." St. Joseph's has received a bid to compete in the SCISA State Quiz Bowl Championship in Orangeburg on Tuesday, November 24th.
School chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker has participated in an increasing number of media opportunities as a result of Pope Benedict's recent Apostolic Constitution welcoming Anglicans into full communion with the Catholic Church. As a former Anglican priest, Father Dwight has brought his insights and opinions into discussions with popular radio hosts Steve Wood and Al Kresta. He's appeared on Relevant Radio's Drew Mariani Show, Catholic Answers LIVE, and The Son Rise Morning Show. Father has also participated in the local Catholic radio-thon with SJCS seniors Michael Baliker and Nikki Scarlett. Along with his radio appearances, Father Dwight has written on the Anglican situation for The National Catholic Register, This Rock Magazine, The Times of London, Inside Catholic, Catholic Online, The Catholic Answer, and New Advent websites. In 2010, Father will be a guest on EWTN's television show, Living His Life Abundantly, and he will take part in a roundtable discussion on the developments within Anglicanism with Marcus Grodi. To read more about Father Dwight and his work, visit his blog, Standing on my Head.
High school students in Judy Novotny's yearbook class recently hosted John Olson, Greenville News multimedia producer, who spoke to the class about digital photography equipment, digital video, and the challenges facing print journalists and news publications as the trend towards online news and web-based technology increases. The students were also able to see and test some of his cameras and other equipment.
Congratulations to seventh grader Benjamin Haertel, who placed third in the South Carolina Radon Poster Contest sponsored by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. All seventh grade students in Joanna McLucas's science classes recently learned about radon during their unit on the atmosphere and drew rough draft posters. Students were then encouraged to make finished copies, and about 45 entries were judged at County Square. Benjamin's poster will now be entered in the National Radon Poster Contest for a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.
The school recently held its annual Scholastic Book Fair on campus November 10-12th. Students, staff, and parents purchased books for gifts as well as for leisure. The school library and media center benefitted from the proceeds of this year's event by adding over $700 worth of books to the youth literature and non-fiction sections. While this fair mainly catered to the reading interests of our middle school students, a holiday book fair, featuring the talents of our high school music and drama departments, will be held at Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Haywood Road December 4-6th.
St. Joseph's search for the right leader for their boys basketball program went all the way to California with the discovery of an experienced and highly regarded basketball strategist and coach. Paul Assinesi was recently introduced as the school's new Head Boys Basketball Coach and Athletic Department Program Assistant.
In addition to developing players, Assinesi's teams have proven to be winners in every aspect of the game and in life. He most recently worked as Freshmen Head Basketball Coach at both Pasadena High School and LaSalle Catholic High School in southern California. San Antonio Spurs Assistant Coach Chip Engelland, a friend and former teammate of Assinesi, described him as an old-schooler who teaches the fundamentals of the game and consequently develops players.
"In addition to surpassing the 500 win mark, my goal has always been to teach young men to be prepared for life, both on and off the court," stated Assinesi. "I do not tolerate foul language or foul play. My players know my rules and respect them. I strongly believe that, even in high school, having fun is still the most important aspectwinning will follow. My programs have been successful for years, and I look forward to bringing my winning attitude to St. Joseph's."
A self-described loud Italian, Coach Paul's colleagues speak of him as a great motivator who is always respectful of his players while getting the most out of them athletically and personally. In addition to coaching and assisting with teams at all levels his entire adult life, Assinesi is the founder of Kids 2 the Hoop, an AAU non-profit basketball foundation with the mission of serving the needs of economically and ethnically diverse student basketball players.
"Coach Paul is the kind of complete coach we look to hire at St. Joseph's," stated Headmaster Kiser. "He's an excellent coach who knows the game thoroughly and has twenty years experience teaching young people how to play the game to their fullest potential. I can already tell from watching him with the boys and their parents that he's a great communicator and motivator who is engaged in every aspect of the game. Most importantly, as a life-long supporter of Catholic education, Coach Paul is 100% behind the academic and spiritual mission of the school. I think he's a great fit for St. Joseph's, and I expect our boys basketball program will flourish under his leadership."
The SJCS Science Department hosted their annual "St. Albert the Great" Middle School Science Day on Wednesday, November 11th in celebration of St. Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church and Patron of Scientists. Eighth grade students presented their science fair projects and sixth and seventh grade students presented projects demonstrating scientific concepts. The afternoon was open for family viewing.
In the Eighth Grade Science Fair Category:
In the Seventh Grade Invention Category, parents voted for their favorite inventions.
In the Teacher's Choice Category:
The high school National Science Honor Society students also voted for their top boy and top girl invention and the winners were Benjamin Haertel and Charlotte Ruble. All seventh grade students listed above are encouraged to participate in the Bi-Lo Invention Convention later this school year.
Twenty-seven high school juniors participated in the school's first Kairos Retreat held off campus October 25-27. Kairos, a word meaning "God's time," is a three-day student-led experience totally devoted to God. Kairos asks that students step away from their busy schedules and give up clocks, watches, TVs, cell phones, i-pods and schoolbooks; anything that would distract them from the purpose of the retreat. Under the leadership of faculty member Julie Schroeder, SJCS students Faris Armaly, Josh Bathon, Mary Grace Carey, Alex Davidson, Theresa Krupka, Cindy Stanley, and Arianna Wise worked towards the planning of this retreat for almost a year and served as the retreat leaders.
"What I liked about Kairos is that it strengthened my relationship with God and my classmates in ways I never thought possible," stated junior Caitlin Rusnak. "It was a unique experience and I'm very grateful I had the opportunity to go."
Several members of the school's Campus Ministry Team had attended a Kairos Retreat last year hosted by Cardinal Newman School, with the intent of gathering the skills needed to lead this year's junior class on a similar retreat. Kairos Retreats are held at Catholic high schools around the country.
"Kairos was an amazing experience," concluded junior Stephanie Saunders. "Everyone approached it openly and we all got so much out of it. Because we shared the experience with each other, we have become closer as a class."
The SJCS College Guidance Office recently reported that St. Joseph's students scored an 80% pass rate on Advanced Placement (AP) exams taken last spring. Of the 133 AP exams taken, SJCS students scored a "3" or better on 107 of them. A score of "4" was earned on 26 of the exams, while a score of "5" was earned on 50 exams. Students took the AP exams in May 2009 after completing college-level courses at St. Joseph's. All St. Joseph's students enrolled in an AP class are required to take the AP exam. Students must score between "3" and "5" on a five-point scale to earn college credit, and most of the nation's colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on these exams.
The National AP pass rate was 59% for 2009. South Carolina and Greenville County 2009 AP pass rates have not yet been announced.
The following students were elected to serve on the Middle School Council for the 2009-2010 school year: President, Nadir Dbouk; First Vice President, Lauren Snead; Second Vice President, Benjamin Haertel; Secretary/Treasurer, Sean Rusnak.
Household Representatives include Christian Baliker, Caroline Buchanan, Jimmy Fountain, Sierra Hyer, Yanni Koutsioukis, Wil Magaha, David Marable, Sydney McNulty, Gigi Nally, Charlotte Ruble, Elizabeth Shaffer, and Kamden Williams. Faculty moderator is Ryan Koon.
Congratulations to the Joel Brandon and Meby Carr Households, both winners again in the "Box Tops For Education" Household Contest. The Brandon Household won first place in the Middle School with 814 box tops and the Carr Household captured first place in the High School with 983 box tops. The winners will be treated to a breakfast at school.
Congratulations to senior Katie Winebarger, who was named a 2009 School Winner for the prestigious Wendy's High School Heisman (WHSH) Award. To be eligible for this award, students must display academic aptitude, athletic talent, and community leadership. The Wendy's High School Heisman program, awarded in conjunction with the collegiate Heisman, celebrates the achievements of the nation's top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom. Just as the collegiate Heisman is known for being the top award in college football, the WHSH award is known for being the most prestigious award at the high school level. The award encourages future leadership by recognizing well-balanced lifestyles at an early age.
St. Joseph's boys and girls Households enjoyed Team Day competitions on Friday, October 30th in celebration of the Feast of All Saints.
St. Joseph's inaugural Middle School Mock Trial Team competed in the South Carolina Bar's Piedmont Regional on October 31st at the Greenville County Courthouse. As one of six regional competitors, the eleven-member team participated in two rounds, representing both the plaintiff and the defendant sides, in the fictitious case of Gardener vs. James. The team, comprised of eighth graders Cameron Beach, Ben Dunphy, Madeline Fric, Gil Gonzales, Michelle Lee, Wil Magaha, Anabel Masaschi, Campbell Plumblee, Noah Schammel, and Elizabeth Shafer, and seventh grader Matthew Jennings, acted as attorneys and witnesses in the mock civil trial presided over by actual judges and attorneys. Team members Shafer and Jennings were recognized as Outstanding Advocate (attorney) and Outstanding Witness, respectively, for their performances in each round. Faculty member Joel Brandon serves as the team's advisor, and the team was coached by local attorney and SJCS parent Lee Plumblee.
Nearly 200 grandparents and friends of the school visited St. Joseph's on October 28th for the fourth annual Grandparents Day Celebration, sponsored by the St. Anne's Society and the SJCS Advancement Office. St. Joseph's Chaplain Fr. Dwight Longenecker celebrated Mass for grandparents and their grandchildren, assisted by Deacon Jim McGarry, grandfather of senior Tara McGarry. Immediately following Mass, Mack Pazdan, grandmother of ninth grader Martin Pazdan, and St. Anne's Society Board Member, presented the Grandparent of the Year Award to Robert Kordus, grandfather of seventh grade student Katrina Konopka. Katrina read her winning essay from the podium to a surprised Mr. Kordus, who traveled all the way from Wisconsin to attend the festivities. The St. Anne's Society and Parents Guild volunteers treated visitors and students to a reception in the gym, where the high school chorus performed for the crowd. A number of grandparents also participated in a tour of the school and the library. Membership in the St. Anne's society is open to grandparents, parents, and friends of the school, and its primary role has been to inspire learning by supporting the continued growth of the Mary Lou Foody Memorial Library and Media Center.
Based on her interest in history and government, senior Katie Sanders was recently selected to attend the South Carolina Statehouse's National Constitution Day Celebration held in Columbia. The program, sponsored by the SC Chapter of American Board of Trial Lawyers, included the James Otis Lecture Series, with a talk given by prominent South Carolina historian Dr. Walter Edgar. Each student received a copy of his book: South Carolina, A History, attended the lecture series held in the House of Representatives chamber, and received a certificate recognizing him or her as a James Otis Scholar.
Senior Victoria Dew was also selected to represent the YMCA's Youth-in Government Program at the Upstate Young Republicans U.S. Constitution Celebration held recently at the Simpsonville Senior Center. The celebration included a full reading of the Constitution, speeches on "What the Constitution Means to Me," as well as Constitutional games. Victoria read a segment from the Constitution and gave a short speech on what the Constitution means to her.
The St. Joseph's Boys and Girls Cross-Country Teams captured both state titles, as well as the two top individual titles, at the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) 3A State Meet held at Heathwood Hall School Campus in Columbia on Saturday, October 31.
The boys won their third straight state title with a score of 33, beating out second place finisher Porter Gaud by eight points. Out of eighty-one runners representing twelve SCISA AAA schools,
"I was about to give up at about the second mile, even though I was leading," stated Benore. "I didn't think I could get away from Brent Demarest (Porter Gaud), but when I passed our fans and the girls team cheering for me, I fought for every inch until the finish line."
Two other runners receiving the distinction of making the SCISA All-State Team by finishing in the Top Ten were junior Ben Longenecker placing third with a personal best time of 17:21 and senior captain Brad Benore placing sixth with a season best time of 17:46. Senior captain Jimmy Williams (18:13) and sophomore William Lewis (18:20) finished eleventh and twelfth respectively, which was crucial to the Knight's win. Eighth grader Nick Leonard finished eighteenth overall with a personal best time of 18:50 and sophomore Andrew Anderson rounded out the SJCS top seven runners with a time of 20:47.
"I've been telling my boys for the last week that they are, quite simply, the best cross-country team St. Joseph's has ever fielded," stated Boys Coach George Carr. "This is exactly what they needed to be to defeat an opponent of the caliber of Porter Gaud. Watching and counting our boys as they came around that final turn was the most exciting race I have ever watched. They were magnificent."
For the second consecutive year, the girls brought home the state crown with a score of 19 points, with Ashley Hall placing a distant second at 64 points. In a field of eighty-one runners, SJCS senior Emily Coggins led her team to victory coming in first overall with a time of 19:58 and claiming her first SCISA Individual Champion Title after placing second overall last year.
"For some reason, I got extremely nervous before this race," stated Coggins. "As we got into position at the starting line, with everyone frantically placing their feet and getting in one last stretch, I started to choke up realizing this experience was almost over. But when the gun went off, and I was immediately surrounded by all those blue (SJCS) jerseys, everything seemed alright again. I knew I had to focus on my breathing and I couldn't let my emotions get in the way.and least not yet. The heartbreaking part for me came after the race was over, when we said our closing team prayer for the last time that I truly realized I had reached the end of this amazing feat and amazing season."
Claiming Top Ten awards were sophomore Dani Inglesby in second place with a time of 20:06, junior Katie Lynam placed fourth (20:17), senior Katie Sanders placed fifth (20:20), and eighth grader Kayli Henk placed eighth (20:37). Eighth grader Jennifer Coggins placed sixteenth among all the runners with a personal best time of 21:19, shaving twenty-two seconds off her previous best time. Junior Ashley McCarthy placed eighteenth with a time of 21:44.
"What a great way to end a phenomenal season," exclaimed Girls Coach Marie Kernell. "It was a bittersweet day as I watched Emily and Katie run for the last time in their Knights jerseys, but at the same time, it was an absolute joy to see them run through the trees headed for the finish line in first and fifth place."
Senior Katie Sanders concluded, "Racing to defend our state title one last time was an unforgettable experience. During the race, I was so excited, but with each step, I also didn't want this amazing season to end. I will remember this experience always and how blessed I felt to have been a part of this team."
Click here to view more photos from the SCISA 3A State Meet.
The "Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat" Food Drive netted over 600 pounds of canned food and boxed dry goods for St. Anthony's Catholic Church Food Bank. This annual contest, sponsored by St. Joseph's International Thespian Honor Society and Student Council, ran throughout the month of October. Congratulations to the Plumblee Household and the Tierney Household winners, who will each receive an ice-cream party.
The Middle School Council sponsored a Fall Fest on campus on Friday, October 23rd. The annual family event included a Mexican dinner, bonfire, cakewalk, raffles, face painting, guessing jars, pumpkin bowling, and more.
The Orbon Household, in renewing their commitment to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School, made their first trip of the 2009-2010 school year to visit St. Anthony's students on Wednesday, October 21st. Returning high school students Pete Bynarowicz, Tyler Lagnese, Taylor LeBlanc, David Rogozenski, and Craig Scholz were joined by freshmen Ben Caron, Alex Kickham, and Charly Van Norden. Rogozenski, dressed in a brown Franciscan robe, read a story about St. Francis to the children. In addition, the students filled bird feeders and planted pansies in flower boxes outside the classroom windows for the children to watch grow all winter long. When the work was finished, everyone enjoyed a snack of animal crackers and juice. The household plans a return trip prior to Thanksgiving to help decorate gift bags and make sandwiches for the soup kitchen.
Congratulations to all three SJCS Girls Volleyball Teams on being crowned Conference Champions. The Middle School Team finished their season undefeated in conference play and was also named Conference Tournament Runner-Up. The following players were named All-Conference: Caitlin Moon, Carolyn McCullough and Kelly Olin. The JV Girls Volleyball Team went undefeated with a perfect record of 18-0. The Varsity Girls Volleyball Team, having earned a berth to the state playoffs by placing first in their conference, competed in the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) 3A State Tournament the weekend of October 23-24 and made it to the semifinal round of the tournament. Three varsity players were named SCISA All Conference: seniors Carly Hudson and Amanda Morel and freshman Allison Suhrer.
Congratulations to the Middle School Chess Team, who placed second in the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) State Chess Tournament held on October 22nd in Orangeburg, SC. Competing in the team's SCISA debut performance were Christian Baliker, Gil Gonzales, Benjamin Haertel, J.P. Kiser, Luke Lepak, Austin Mattison, Andrew Schatteman, Charles Vandross, Ethan Veideman, Kalib Williams, and Kamden Williams. Congratulations also to the four high scorers: Christian Baliker, Gil Gonzales, Luke Lepak, and Austin Mattison, with Luke Lepak placing second overall in the individual rankings.
One week away from the SCISA State Championships, the St. Joseph's Varsity Girls Cross-Country Team claimed the Greenville County Cross-Country Title at Heritage Park on Saturday, October 24th. The girls team finished with 56 points, beating out three-time defending champion Mauldin High School with 72 points, followed by Riverside High's 83 points. Eleven teams competed in this year's county tournament for a total of 101 runners.
"It's very exciting to be a part of St. Joseph's athletic history, winning the school's first Greenville County title," exclaimed Coach Marie Kernell. "This win is especially satisfying to the team because we competed in our hometown against some very strong competition."
The Top Ten runners are named to the All-County Team, and St. Joseph's claimed four spots amongst the Top Fifteen girls who were recognized: All-County senior Emily Coggins finished in fourth place with a time of 19:41, followed closely by sixth place All-County finisher senior Katie Sanders (19:43), in ninth place was All-County junior Katie Lynam (19:46), placing eleventh was sophomore Dani Inglesby (19:59), and eighth grader Kayli Henk (20:52) rounded out the top five for St. Joseph's, finishing 26th overall.
"Winning the county title was an affirmation of just how hard we have worked to get to this point and how talented our team really is," stated Co-Captain Katie Sanders. "It was fun to see how well our team does measure up to the larger public schools."
Also running in Saturday's County Meet were eighth grader Jennifer Coggins (21:41), junior Ashley McCarthy (22:08), eighth grader Aimee Coggins (23:07), and eighth grader Sierra Hyer (28:39). "Even though their finishes didn't allow them to contribute to the scoring, that doesn't diminish the important role these girls play on our team," emphasized Coach Kernell.
The girls team was also crowned SCISA 3A Region Two Champions on October 21st at Hammond School in Columbia with 18 points, placing ahead of Hammond School in second place with 64 points, followed by Heathwood Hall (84), Ben Lippen (103), Augusta Christian (122), and Cardinal Newman (132). Emily Coggins led the team to victory with a first place finish (19:35), Katie Lynam placed second (19:35), Dani Inglesby placed third (19:38), Katie Sanders placed fourth (19:49), and Kayli Henk placed eighth (20:44).
"Emily, Katie Lynam, Dani, and Katie Sanders posted their best times of the season to date at regionals, which means they are peaking at just the right time," added Coach Kernell.
Senior Co-Captain Emily Coggins went on to state, "We did a great job of pack running at the Regional Meet, which is a good way to show that cross-country is a team sport. It's also a great way to keep each other motivated."
The girls will defend their SCISA State Title on Saturday, October 31st on the campus of Heathwood Hall School in Columbia.
"The county title gave my girls the momentum needed to carry them through this last week of practice for the final competition of an undefeated season," concluded Coach Kernell.
Boys Cross-Country Poised to Finish Best Season Ever
Following a near-perfect season, the St. Joseph's Boys Cross-Country team is cautiously optimistic about repeating as SCISA 3A State Champions for the third year in a row. The seven boys representing the school at Saturday's state finals will be seniors Brad Benore, Josh Benore, and Jimmy Williams, junior Ben Longenecker, sophomores Andrew Anderson and William Lewis and eighth grader Nick Leonard. The team will be closely watching their biggest competitor, Porter-Gaud School, who is ranked just two places behind St. Joseph's in the South Carolina cross-country polls.
The boys team was also crowned SCISA 3A Region Champions in Columbia on October 21st with a team score of 25, defeating rivals Heathwood Hall (51) Ben Lippen (64), Hammond (99), Cardinal Newman (115), and Augusta Christian (NS). In addition, five of the boys were named to the 2009 All-Region Team by finishing in the Top Ten: Brad Benore, Josh Benore, William Lewis, Ben Longenecker, and Jimmy Williams. Josh Benore finished first overall with a time of 17:06 and was awarded the title of Region Two 3A Champion.
Posting their best finish ever at the Greenville County Meet on Saturday, the St. Joseph's Varsity Boys finished fifth out of the fourteen teams.
"At the County Awards Ceremony, they read out the finishing places in reverse order, and when they reached the Top Ten, for a brief moment, I wondered if they had missed our team scores," stated Coach George Carr. "You could have knocked me over when I heard we were in fifth place."
Senior Josh Benore was named to the 2009 Greenville All-County Team by finishing fifth overall with a new personal record of 16:53.
"Breaking 17:00 meant a lot to me personally, and doing it at a race with this level of competition was everything," added Josh Benore. "That had to be one of my proudest moments."
Click here to view the SJCS Greenville County Cross-Country Gallery.
Click here to view the The Greenville News Greenville County Cross-Country Gallery.
Click here to view Coach Marie Kernell's interview with The Greenville News.
Congratulations to eighth graders Tyler Grant and Joey Schosky, who were recently named Grand Prize Winners in the middle school category of the Tobacco-Free SWAT Video Contest. Tyler and Joey wrote and recorded a thirty-second rap video commercial on the harmful effects of tobacco use entitled "Be Tobacco Free." SWAT is the Florida Department of Health's statewide youth organization to empower young people to work towards a tobacco free future. The department is considering having this video professionally reshot for use in public awareness campaigns.
SJCS theatre students attended the South Carolina Theatre Association One-Act Festival hosted by USC-Upstate (Spartanburg) on Saturday, October 17th. Students had the opportunity to attend one-act plays produced and performed by other high school throughout the state. Senior Chelsea Lawyer directed St. Joseph's one-act festival entry, Snow Angel, which included the following cast members: Shelly Mamo (Eva), Theresa Krupka (Frida Jensen), Tara McGarry (Jill), Alex Panuccio (Tina-Louise), Blythe Snead (Helen Spitzer), Mary Grace Carey (Ethel), Ericka Reyes (Betty), Christina Novotny (Fran), Klyn Carr (Dan), Sean Harkins (Clifford), Alan Thomas (Crank), Seth Kiser (Benny), Jacob Hanna (Gus), Will Dameron (Doofus), Noah Davis (Vincent), and Ian Miller (Arlo). The play was stage managed by Allison Gurn. Four SJCS actors were recognized as being All-Star Cast Members: Theresa Krupka, Shelly Mamo, Blythe Snead, and Seth Kiser.
In addition, four SJCS students also participated in the audition process for South Carolina colleges and universities.
As part of the pro-life emphasis this month, St. Joseph's students recently enjoyed a visit from Dan Lynch, a nationally known pro-life speaker and organizer of a charity which takes the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe around the country. The missionary image is a life-sized digitally reproduced facsimile of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Lynch told the story of Juan Diego's vision and the answers to prayer associated with the image. Afterwards hundreds of SJCS students stayed behind to spend a few moments in prayer before the image.
Seventh grade students in Sarah Wicker's middle school math classes recently competed in a Metric Olympics to practice estimating and measuring in metric units. In the Standing Long Step, students estimated how long their step was in centimeters. Students also estimated weight in grams during the Weight Lifting Marble Grab and time in seconds for Gymnastics. In addition, students estimated how many centimeters their 'mouse' flew in the Metric Mouse Marathon. The three students with the most accurate estimates were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Girls Volleyball Team completed conference play last week with a 3-0 victory over Heathwood Hall School (Columbia), placing the Lady Knights in a three-way tie for first place with conference rivals Cardinal Newman and Hammond School and securing a spot in the state tournament.
"All three teams will be crowned Conference Champions; however, the challenge now is how to break a three-way tie for seeding for the SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) State Tournament," stated Coach Jan Carino. "We're not sure where we will be placed in the tournament bracket, but quite honestly, it doesn't really matter. My girls have set a goal of winning the school's first volleyball state championship. They believe that they can do it and I believe that they can do it."
For a team that has accomplished many "firsts" this season, including defeating several 4A public schools, including 2008 4A State Champions Byrnes High School and Mauldin High School, among others, this goal seems to be within reach.
"We are finally putting St. Joseph's on the radar with our volleyball program. For a young school with high school enrollment of just over 300 students, to be able to compete with much larger 4A public schools, is quite an accomplishment in itself," added Coach Carino. "The girls have been working extremely hard since early this summer and their hard work is paying off."
The Lady Knights will travel to Sumter, SC for the SCISA 3A State Tournament on October 22-24. "There is definitely a 'buzz' in the air about the volleyball team at St. Joseph's," stated Team Captain Carly Hudson. "Bringing home a state championship will be tough, but we are up to the challenge and have the confidence that we can do this."
SJCS Class of 2006 graduate Lauren Hawkins interned for South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint in Washington, D.C. this past summer. Lauren will graduate with Honors from the University of South Carolina in December 2010 with a degree in Criminal Justice/Spanish. She plans to attend law school in the fall.
Congratulations to eighth graders Alec Biscopink and Wil Magaha, who auditioned for and were accepted into the 2009 Western Region Orchestra. Alec Biscopink had the highest score of the day, earning him the concertmaster position (first chair). Wil Magaha was also accepted into the violin section of the orchestra.
Students and parents, both past and present, came out to witness history in the making on Saturday, October 12, 2009 as the Knights JV Football Team defeated the Carolina Titans (35-12) in what was St. Joseph's first football homecoming in the school's seventeen-year history. The Knights, now 6-1 on the season, played their hearts out the entire game, to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd.
"Football is new for St. Joe's," stated Head Football Coach Joe Hyland. "To have the school community, and the students in particular, rally around what we're doing by coming and supporting us the way that they did on Saturday was inspiring to our players."
The crowd seemed as eager as the players to place their mark upon this inaugural football homecoming, as some sang and danced in support of the team. The music, pre-game festivities, and spirit-filled atmosphere were an appropriate setting to host the schools first official homecoming football game.
"The kids enjoyed the whole experience and I think it helped them to see what waits as we move ahead with the building of this program," added Coach Hyland. "Friday night football, and all the excitement that that brings, will be a reality for us next year."
The game itself was controlled by the Knights throughout, as the offense moved the ball for four first-half touchdowns. St. Joseph's took a commanding 28-0 lead into halftime due, in large part, to the play of Cody Davidson, Miguel Larrain, Aaron Lesiak, and Ben Quattrone, allowing for all of the JV squad to play, as well as a number of the middle school boys.
"I give Carolina credit, as they competed well and have certainly improved throughout the seasonbut we have too," added Coach Hyland. "For the most part, our guys did a terrific job of managing the game like we talked about and doing some of the things we had hoped to do."
The JV program has been on roll of late, posting four consecutive victories while splitting time on the road and at home. The team has shown marked signs of improvement since the loss to Calhoun Falls in week three of the season.
"I am thrilled for these boys because they've put in the time and are starting to see the change going on within themselves that we've talked about since day one," concluded Hyland. "Even though we're a long way off, we're not where we were either. God willing, we're on our way."
Click onto the links below to view all the Homecoming Photo Galleries.
Homecoming Game and Festivities
The St. Joseph's Fine Arts Department presented a Fall Choral Performance on Sunday October 11th as part of the annual city-wide Fall for Greenville Festival held in downtown Greenville. Under the direction of SJCS Choral Director Jennifer Gurn, the fifty-member high school girls and boys chorus, dressed in performance attire, performed a mixture of blues, jazz, Broadway, and contemporary pieces, including "Blue Skies" (featuring soloists Josh Bathon and Nikki Scarlett) and "Hallelujah" (featuring soloist Michael McCall accompanied by Taylor Murphy). A crowd of over 200 people enjoyed the performance on one of the festival's side stages off Main Street.
Seventeen SJCS students earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the 2009 Advanced Placement (AP) Exams.
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.
Congratulations to the following students elected to serve on the Senior Senate for the 2009-2010 school year: Josh Bathon, Josh Benore, Taylor LeBlanc, Shelly Mamo, Michael D'Onofrio, Jessica Rex, Cindy Stanley, and Anna Wong. Faculty moderators are George Carr and Meby Carr.
Students celebrated Spirit Week October 5-9 in the days leading up to Homecoming 2009. All families are invited and encouraged to come out and join in the Homecoming celebrations scheduled on Saturday, October 10th. A complete schedule of events is posted on the home page.
Click onto the links below to view photo galleries from the weeklong celebration:
Down On The Farm Day
Crazy Character Day
Nerd Day
Battle of the Decades Day
SJCS Pride Day
Pep Rally
Sixth grade girls in Anne Gragtmans' math classes recently enjoyed a different twist on long division and the complicated steps it often entails. The tedious task of calculating a quotient using long division was made a little more enjoyable on a recent sunny day using sidewalk chalk. The students, working in groups of two or three, showed their work on the sidewalk outside of the St. Joseph's administrative building. Kinesthetic learning, combined with sun, chalk, and giggles, made this class fun for the students and teacher alike.
SJCS ninth graders Christopher Olin and John Griffin Hawkins are surrounded by classmates and staff members who shaved their heads in support of the two boys as they undergo cancer treatment.
Click here to read a related story in the 10-07-09 issue of The Greenville News City People.
Click here to read a related story in the 10-01-09 issue of The Catholic Miscellany.
St. Joseph's students and staff are participating in a range of activities during this Respect Life month of October. On Sunday, October 4th, approximately 100 students, parents, staff, and supporters stood as witness for the unborn in the annual nationwide Life Chain along Woodruff Road. In school, students and faculty are joining in the Rosaries for Life Campaign, which aims to pray tens of thousands of rosaries for the defense of the unborn. Teachers are encouraged to weave pro-life issues into lessons where appropriate, and during the Household Program this month, students will follow a pro life theme with various activities designed to raise awareness on this issue. In addition, on Wednesday, October 15th, the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will visit the school and the students will hear from nationally known pro life speaker Dan Lynch. The Chaplaincy Team is also gearing up for the annual March for Life. During the month of October, students will be encouraged to sign up for the March for Life trip to Washington, D.C. in January 2010.
The Knight's Varsity Girls and Boys Swim Teams were successful at defending their state titles, in addition to setting five new state records, at the SCISA (South Carolina Independent Schools Association) 3A State Meet held at the Augusta Aquatics Center in Augusta, GA on Saturday, October 3rd. Led by fourth year coach and
"We knew bringing two more state titles home would be possible," said Coach Holliday. "This meet was our focus all season and my swimmers were well prepared."
The Girls Team, led by captains Devon Bugner and Carrie Weber, won the meet with 334 points.
"Winning a state title my senior year caps off not only a great season for our team, but a great finish for me personally," added senior co-captain and long-time team member Devon Bugner.
Other Top Ten finishes for the SJCS girls included eighth grader Cameron Beach (4th in 100 Freestyle and 8th in 200 Freestyle), Devon Bugner (7th in 50 Freestyle and 9th in 100 Freestyle), freshman Victoria DeMaria (1st in 500 Freestyle and 3rd in 100 Breaststroke), 8th grader Caroline Kelly (5th in 200 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke), freshman Kate Kelly (1st in 50 Freestyle and 2nd in 500 Freestyle), 7th grader Katrina Konopka (1st in 100 Freestyle and 2nd in 50 Freestyle), freshman Olivia Leftwich (4th in 100 Backstroke and 6th in 100 Freestyle), Amanda McNulty (1st in 200 Individual Medley and 2nd in 100 Butterfly), Kelly McNulty (1st in 100 Backstroke and 2nd in 100 Breaststroke), Sydney McNulty (5th in 100 Backstroke and 6th in 100 Butterfly), sophomore Aya Nance (1st in 100 Breaststroke and 4th in 200 Individual Medley), sophomore Cory Satterfield (1st in 200 Freestyle and 6th in 100 Backstroke), senior co-captain Carrie Weber (3rd in 100 Butterfly and 5th in 200 Individual Medley). Other girls that competed in the meet were sophomore Allison Espada, 7th grader Sarah Gibson, freshman Caitlan Lovett, 8th grader Gigi Nally, sophomore Cassandra Reinholtz, freshman Margaret Stanton, and junior Hannah Wickert.
The Boys Team, led by captains Jared Kauffman and Jeremy Mehl, placed first with 229.5 points, beating out
"Our meet was a real nail biter with Porter-Gaud towards the end," stated junior co-captain Jared Kauffman. "I was extremely proud of every member of the team for coming together when we needed it most."
The Boys 200 Medley Relay Team (Josh Schammel, Jared Kauffman, Jeremy Mehl and Michael D'Onofrio) broke the state record with a time of 1:46.21 and the Boys 400 Freestyle Relay Team (Justin Mehl, Ian Okinaga, Josh Schammel and Jared Kauffman) also broke the state record with a time of 3:30.10. The Boys 200 Freestyle Relay Team (Michael D'Onofrio, Justin Mehl, Jeremy Mehl, and Ian Okinaga) also captured first place.
Jared Kauffman broke two individual event records in both the Boys 100 Butterfly (with a time of 54.13) and Boys 200 Freestyle (with a time of 1:46.72).
Other Top Ten finishes for the SJCS boys included senior Michael D'Onofrio (3rd in 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke), sophomore Michael Gibson (6th in 100 Breaststroke), 6th grader John Kelly (8th in 500 Freestyle), junior Jeremy Mehl (4th in 200 Freestyle and 7th in 100 Butterfly), freshman Justin Mehl (1st in 200 Individual Medley and 6th in 100 Freestyle), senior Ian Okinaga (4th in 50 Freestyle and 5th in 100 Freestyle), 7th grader Neal Satterfield (10th in 200 Freestyle), sophomore Josh Schammel (1st in 100 Backstroke and 2nd in 100 Freestyle), and 8th grader Noah Schammel (6th in 200 Individual Medley and 6th in 500 Freestyle). Other boys that competed in the meet were 8th grader Cole Buchanan, 6th grader Yanni Koutsioukis, freshman Matthew Morel, freshman Sam Swift, and 7th grader Sam Wickert.
"Each and every team member really stepped up at state," concluded Holliday. "They pushed one another to get the job done and I could not have asked for more. This weekend's accomplishments make five cumulative SCISA State Swim Titles in my tenure as coach. That is beyond my wildest dreams."
Click here to view more photos. from the state meet.
Click here to read a related article in the 10-06-09 Greenville News.
High School students in Megan Koon's American Literature classes recently completed their study of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Students traced the development of various symbols in the novel and presented their findings to the class. Class presentations explored the meaning behind each symbol, how the symbol related to Hawthorne's characters, and the relationship of the symbol to a thematic examination of the novel. In addition, students were encouraged to create a visual aid that illustrated their symbol's importance in Hawthorne's work.
National Honor Society members Mary Lewis, Tara McGarry, and Katie Lynam load school supplies into their cars to take to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School. Special thanks to the many SJCS students and families who donated supplies for this annual NHS drive, which takes place each September at St. Joseph's.
At the end of each unit, Christine Wiethop's Algebra II students participate in a review activity. In this activity, high school students work in pairs to draw a math problem from a box, work it out, and take it to the teacher to have it checked. Students receive points for correct answers and try to complete as many problems correctly as possible in an allotted time-frame. A certain number of points must be earned for class work, and then the remaining points can be used as extra credit.
SJCS junior Craig Scholz recently won the Holly Tree Country Club Junior Golf Championship, which then qualified him to play in the Men's Club Championship. In the Men's tournament, Craig scored a one over par for the weekend, firing a one over par 73 on Saturday and an even par 72 on Sunday, giving him a total of 7 over par for three rounds. With this strong weekend performance, Craig finished in third place out of 27 in the Championship flight, three shots behind the winner. The field included past and present Greenville County amateur winners and the Club's top player.
The National Merit Scholarship Competition recognized six St. Joseph's Catholic School students out of a class of sixty-three seniors. Claire DeMars and Stella Watson were named National Merit Semifinalists, ranking them in the top one percent of the nation's high school students. These seniors will be notified in February 2010 of their standing as Finalists. Four other seniors, Denise Azores-Gococo, Meghan Hudak, Taylor LeBlanc, and Lauren Visin, were named Commended Students, ranking them among the top five percent of the nation's high school students. The National Merit Scholarship Program, a privately financed academic competition for recognition and scholarships, bases its awards on high school student results on the PSAT.
Half-way through the season, the St. Joseph's Varsity Girls Volleyball Team appears to be on the road to finishing the season strong, coming off of two big victories last week over SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) conference rivals Ben Lippen and Hammond Schools from Columbia.
The Lady Knights defeated Ben Lippen on the road decisively with game scores of 25-14, 25-10, and 25-6. "Playing in Ben Lippen's gym has always been tough for us," stated Head Coach Jan Carino. "This year, however, the girls were determined to come away from there with a win and they did just that." Senior Carly Hudson had 3 kills and 1 ace, junior Ashli Lagaly had 4 kills and 5 aces, senior Amanda Morel had 5 kills and 5 aces, and freshman Nicholle Stein had 3 aces and 5 digs.
A day after traveling to Ben Lippen, the Lady Knights hosted an even bigger conference rivalHammond School. The Lady Knights had lost a tough five-set match to Hammond earlier in the season.
"We knew that this match would be a battle but we were well prepared for the fight," stated Coach Carino. "Hammond has a 6'5" middle hitter and when we played them the first time, we did not have an answer for how to get the ball around her at the net. After watching game film, I was able to give the girls some tips on how to play around the big girl at the net and it worked."
The SJCS squad lost the first game 25 -18, but then realized they could get the ball around the big block, and won the next three games handily with scores of 25-17, 25-19, and 25-14.
"I told the team after the first game that we could not be intimidated by their big hitter," stated Captain Carly Hudson. "We had to do what we had talked about and to play aggressively. That, coupled with the large fan base of support, enabled us to make the comeback and win the match."
Key contributors in the match were Hudson with 16 kills, freshman Kelsey McCormick with 7 kills and 3 blocks, junior Mary Kate McClintock with 5 kills and 2 blocks, junior Liz Reynolds with 2 kills, and freshman setter Allison Suhrer with 1 kill, 3 aces, and 44 set assists.
The win over Hammond places the Lady Knights in second place in their SCISA 3A Conference with a conference record of 5-2, trailing behind undefeated Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Columbia.
"We play Cardinal Newman at home on October 1st and it should be a great match," concluded Carino. "Our team has the capability to beat any team that they are up against as long as they play with confidence. We don't have one stand-out superstar; we have twelve superstars."
The Lady Knights are currently 10-4. Their next home game is Tuesday, September 29th against Augusta Christian at 6:00 P.M.
Congratulations to the cast of the school's Fall Play J.B.: Denise Azores-Gococo (Nickles), Josh Bathon (J.B.), Sarah Bathon (1st Civil Defense Officer), Emily Blake (Mary/2nd Reporter), Aly Cajka (Ruth/2nd Civil Defense Office), Kevin Carey (Jonathan/1st Reporter/Boy), Abby Clark (Mrs. Adams), Noah Davis (1st Soldier/Zophar), Amy Hase (Bildad), Theresa Krupka (Mrs. Lesure), Mary Lewis (Sarah), Miggy Maceda (Mr. Zuss), Mairin McLeer (The Girl/Jolly Adams), Ian Miller (David/2nd Soldier/1st Police Officer), Jena Mohr (Eliphaz), Alex Panuccio (Mrs. Boticelli), Clare Ruble (Rebecca/2nd Police Officer), Katie Sanders (Mrs. Murphy), and Cindy Stanley (Miss Mabel).
In a modern day tale inspired by the Old Testament Book of Job, J.B. has a picturesque life as a successful businessman with a loving wife and five children... until his faith is put to the ultimate test by two circus vendors taking on the roles of God and Satan. As tragedy continues to strike his family, J.B. must search for an answer as to the existence of suffering. J.B. forces audiences to confront one of man's most difficult questions: In the face of great suffering, do we remain faithful, or do we forsake God?
Performances will be November 21-23.
The Fine Arts Department recently presented their first Coffee House of the 2009-2010 school year. Hosted by members of the International Thespian Society, high school students were invited to perform songs, skits, and a variety of other performances for those in attendance. Additionally, iced mochas were served for the first time for the audience to enjoy. Money raised will go to support the Fine Arts programs at St. Joseph's.
Eighth grade students recently enjoyed an overnight retreat at Look Up Lodge Camp near Travelers Rest. Father Dwight Longenecker, along with members of the high school's Campus Ministry Team, presented a retreat based on 'The Four 'Rs' of Respect, Responsibility, Reverence, and Relationships. Sessions featured learning activities, Bible studies, talks, and group discussions. There were also opportunities for swimming, boating, a water slide, a zip line, and the famous Look Up Lodge giant three-man swing. The overnight retreat serves as a good preparation for the important eighth grade year.
Sixth grade students recently attended attend their annual off-campus daylong retreat at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Simpsonville. The retreat, also planned by Father Dwight and members of the SJCS Campus Ministry Team, centered around the theme of 'All God's Children.' With ice breaker games, Mass, quiet time, and creative group activities, this proved to be an enjoyable and inspiring day to help sixth graders bond as a group, feel more welcome at St Joseph's, and to learn to hear and respond to God's call in their lives.
The seventh grade retreat will be held later this school year.
Now in its fifth week of the season, the school's inaugural JV Football Team is currently 3-1. Despite the loss of some key players to injury, the Knights have put together a promising start to the season and the second year of football at St. Joseph's.
"I am proud of the way our guys are working and I think that their overall effort is showing on the field," stated Head Coach Joe Hyland. "The most important element to getting this program off the ground is hard work--the bottom line is we need to out-work our opponents. Consequently, we are demanding a lot of our players and, to their credit, they are responding to the challenge. I think this is evident by the way they are learning to compete."
The Knights won their second game of the season against a young team from Anderson County, the Carolina Titans. The Titans, much like the Knights, have only been competing as a team for two years. The two teams compete again in a few weeks in a game that holds much promise, as it is the first St. Joseph's Homecoming football game.
To date, the only loss for the school's JV squad came in week three against varsity opponent Calhoun Falls. St. Joseph's lost the game 36-25 after pulling within five under five minutes to play. The Knights couldn't stop the Blue Flashes on two crucial plays just past mid-field. Calhoun Falls later converted a touchdown on the drive to all but end the game.
"I think it was important for our guys to experience the speed and intensity of a real high school football game," added Coach Hyland. "To experience that, along with the success that they've had so far this season, has helped lend credibility to what we're trying to teach them--accept the challenge and trust that they have what it takes, that this is possible, and that when we work hard and play as a team, good things happen."
The JV squad came back in week four to win against an enthusiastic and physical Dixie team in a "closer than the score indicated" contest. This week's opponent, Woodmont High School, is a talented and experienced group that should provide excitement and much needed experience for the young Knights. Kickoff is set for 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, September 24th at home.
Middle School Team
The middle school football season is entering its fifth game of the season holding a 2-2 record. After a tough loss in week one to Cardinal Newman, the Knights responded with a 32-0 home win against Rabun Gap.
"The Rabun Gap game was an important one for our players," said Coach Jim Coen. "It proved to them that hard work does have its rewards. I felt that our guys came to this game focused and more prepared than their first game."
First year player Andrew Grant added, "I was not comfortable in game one with what to expect, but now I feel much more confident with how to play the game."
In week three, the Knights faced a familiar team, Riverside Middle School (Anderson, SC), as the Knights suffered a loss to this team in the first game of their inaugural season. This year, Riverside found a more prepared team when they traveled to St. Joseph's. The Knights scored first, but were unable to hold that lead going into the half as the Knights trailed 8-7. The Knights gave up two more touchdowns and did not find the offense in return, dropping their second loss 24-7.
Last week, the Middle School squad took their first road trip to Arden, North Carolina to face Christ School. The Knights extended a half time lead of 7-0 to end the game 20-0, and recorded their second shutout of the season.
The Middle School Team travels to Liberty Middle School in Piedmont on Thursday, September 24th. The Liberty Eagles defeated the Knights last season at home on a last second touchdown run as time expired.
"The players who played in that game last season remember that defeat and hope to earn one back," added Coach Coen. "Thursday�s game will be a true test to the players, as every coach wants to have the opportunity to take revenge on a last season loss. I believe that this team has worked hard to get that chance."
Click here to view more photos from the SJCS Middle School Team vs. Rabun Gap game.
Eighth grade boys in Joel Brandon and Jay Tierney's Literature classes recently researched Gothic literature using both web and print resources. The students are conducting research on the Gothic attributes of A.C. Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, which they are currently reading. Their research will culminate in the composition of essays on both the novel and topic of Gothic fiction. The essays required citation of at least two internet and two print resources. The students used the school's media center to access the web as well as DISCUS, JSTOR and ETV's United Streaming to find supporting materials
Sixth grade students in Susie Benkert's theology classes recently learned about the Mass. The girls assembled and decorated Mass booklets to aid in their study of the Mass, and they can take them to the school Masses on Friday to facilitate their worship. To help them remember the items that Father Dwight Longenecker uses in the Mass, the girls created Mass "vessels" out of clay. The girls also used colored construction paper to make paper vestments for priest paper dolls to help them remember the names and colors for vestments used by priests and servers at Mass.
With the end of the season approaching, the St. Joseph's Varsity Girls and Boys Swim Teams are right where they want to be--undefeated in their SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) division. The teams have competed against large public schools as well as SCISA division schools, with each meet providing great competition and moving them closer to another state title.
"Heading into the home stretch, we are in a great position," stated Head Coach and SJCS graduate Jill Holliday. "Our team is undefeated against SCISA schools at this point in the season, so another state title looks very promising. Our swimmers are upholding the high standards that have been set before them and I am very proud of each and every swimmer."
On September 8th, the teams headed to Columbia to compete in a tri-meet with Cardinal Newman and Hammond Hall schools. Both teams walked away with first place finishes and many top three finishers, including Victoria DeMaria (first in 200 Freestyle), Michael D'Onofrio (first in 50 Freestyle and second in 100 Freestyle), Justin Mehl (first in 200 Freestyle and second in 100 Butterfly), Jeremy Mehl (first in 200 Individual Medley and third in 100 Butterfly), Aya Nance (first in 200 Individual Medley and 100 Breaststroke), Josh Schammel (first in 100 Freestyle), Noah Schammel (first in 100 Backstroke), Cameron Beach (second in 100 Freestyle), Carrie Weber (second in 100 Butterfly), Kate Kelly (third in 200 Individual Medley and 100 Freestyle), Katrina Konopka (third in 200 Freestyle and 50 Freestyle), Ian Okinaga (third in 50 and 100 Freestyle), Cory Satterfield (third in 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle), and Hannah Wickert (third in 100 Breaststroke). Relay teams placing first in this meet included the Girls 200 Medley Relay (Devon Bugner, Victoria DeMaria, Kate Kelly, Carrie Weber), Girls 200 Freestyle Relay (Devon Bugner, Kate Kelly, Katrina Konopka, Cory Satterfield), and Girls 400 Freestyle Relay (Victoria DeMaria, Aya Nance, Cory Satterfield, Carrie Weber). The Boys 200 Medley Relay (Jeremy Mehl, Ian Okinaga, Josh Schammel, Sam Wickert), and Boys 400 Freestyle Relay (Michael D'Onofrio, Michael Gibson, John Kelly, Justin Mehl) also placed first.
The teams continued their success at the Daniel High Invitational on September 12th. The boys placed second, tying with Mauldin High School and the girls placed third behind JL Mann and Mauldin. Other public schools competing in this meet included Daniel, Easley, TL Hanna, Wade Hampton, Westside, and Woodmont High Schools. Top three finishers for SJCS included swimmers Jared Kauffman (first in 200 Individual Medley and 100 Freestyle), Josh Schammel (first in 100 Backstroke), Kate Kelly (second in 50 Freestyle), Michael D'Onofrio (third in 50 Freestyle), Katrina Konopka (third in 50 Free), Aya Nance (third in 100 Breaststroke), and Noah Schammel (third in 500 Freestyle). The Boys 200 Medley Relay Team (Michael D'Onofrio, Jared Kauffman, Jeremy Mehl, Josh Schammel) and the Boys 400 Freestyle Relay Team (Jared Kauffman, Justin Mehl, Ian Okinaga, Josh Schammel) both took first place honors.
On September 14th the Knights hosted Oakbrook Prep and Newberry Academy at Westside Aquatic Center. Both the Girls and Boys Teams captured first place and had a great showing. Top three finishers included Devon Bugner (first in 100 Freestyle), Michael D'Onofrio (first in 100 Backstroke and second in 50 Freestyle), ), Jared Kauffman (first in 100 Breaststroke and 50 Freestyle), Kate Kelly (first in 100 Butterfly and 50 Freestyle), Olivia Leftwich (first in 200 Freestyle), Aya Nance (first in 100 Breaststroke and 200 Individual Medley), Ian Okinaga (first in 100 Freestyle and third in 50 Freestyle), Cory Satterfield (first in 100 Backstroke), Josh Schammel (first in 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly), Cameron Beach (second in 50 Freestyle and third in 100 Breaststroke), Allison Espada (second in 100 Backstroke), Caroline Kelly (second in 100 Breaststroke), Yanni Koutsioukis (second in 200 Individual Medley), Jeremy Mehl (second in 100 Breaststroke and 200 Freestyle), Justin Mehl (second in 100 Freestyle and third in 100 Butterfly), Cassandra Reinholtz (second in 100 Freestyle), Carrie Weber (second in 100 Butterfly and 200 Individual Medley), Michael Gibson (third in 100 Freestyle), Caitlan Lovett (third in 100 Freestyle), Noah Schammel (third in 100 Breaststroke), and Margaret Stanton (third in 200 Freestyle). First place relay teams consisted of: Girls 200 Medley Relay (Kate Kelly, Olivia Leftwich, Aya Nance, Carrie Weber), Girls 200 Freestyle Relay (Cameron Beach, Devon Bugner, Caroline Kelly, Cory Satterfield), Girls 400 Freestyle Relay (Kate Kelly, Aya Nance, Cory Satterfield, Carrie Weber), Boys 200 Medley Relay (Michael D'Onofrio, Jared Kauffman, Jeremy Mehl, Josh Schammel), Boys 200 Freestyle Relay (John Kelly, Jeremy Mehl, Ian Okinaga, Josh Schammel), and Boys 400 Freestyle Relay (Michael D'Onofrio, Jared Kauffman, Justin Mehl, Ian Okinaga).
On September 19th, St. Joseph's traveled to Mount Pleasant to compete in the Pinewood Prep Meet. The teams once again took first place finishes with a total of 113 points for the girls and 92 points for the boys, placing ahead of second place team Porter Gaud with 49 and 62 points respectively. Top three finishes went to Jared Kauffman (first in both 200 Individual Medley and 100 Freestyle), Kelly McNulty (first in 100 Backstroke and second in 100 Breaststroke), Aya Nance (first in 100 Breast and second in 200 Freestyle), Josh Schammel (first in 100 Backstroke and second in 100 Butterfly), Amanda McNulty (second in 200 Individual Medley and 100 Butterfly), Ian Okinaga (second in 50 Freestyle), Devon Bugner (third in 50 Freestyle), Cory Satterfield (third in 200 Freestyle), and Carrie Weber (third in 100 Butterfly). The Knights captured the gold in five relays and silver in one relay. The Girls 200 Medley Relay (Devon Bugner, Amanda McNulty, Kelly McNulty, Cory Satterfield) and 200 Freestyle Relay (Devon Bugner, Amanda McNulty, Aya Nance, Cory Satterfield) both captured first place, while the Girls 400 Freestyle Relay (Amanda McNulty, Kelly McNulty, Aya Nance, Carrie Weber) took second. The Boys 200 Medley Relay (Michael D'Onofrio, Jared Kauffman, Jeremy Mehl, Josh Schammel), Boys 200 Freestyle Relay (Michael D'Onofrio, Jeremy Mehl, Justin Mehl, Ian Okinaga), and Boys 400 Freestyle Relay (Jared Kauffman, Justin Mehl, Ian Okinaga, Josh Schammel) all captured first place finishes.
"It's been great to see everyone come together as a team and compete at such a high level of success," stated team captain Jared Kauffman. "Everyone is getting excited as we look towards the state meet." Captain Devon Bugner added, "Based on how our team has performed in the last few meets, I'm excited to see how we perform at state, hopefully bringing back another state title."
The Knights will compete in one final regular season meet on Thursday, September 24th in Anderson against TL Hanna and Westside High Schools. The state championships will be held on Saturday, October 3rd in Augusta, GA.
High school students in Meby Carr's AP Government and AP US History classes listened to a presentation on Friday, September 18th from Chris Carino, Class of 2004. Chris is employed as a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Jim DeMint in Washington and he shared with the students his experiences in working for the Senator, a position he has held for the past two years after completing a summer internship while still in college. Chris credited the opportunities he had at St. Joseph's in Student Government and Youth in Government as first stimulating his interest in government and politics. A question and answer session was held in each class, allowing the students to ask about DeMint's positions on some policy issues, current events, and Chris's future plans.
Freshmen in John Devanny's Honors Ancient and Medieval History Class recently practiced the maneuvers and tactics of the Greek Phalanx. Each student armed themselves with an eight to ten foot PVC pipe for use as a spear, and made a three foot diameter shield from cardboard, mimicking some of the weaponry of the Greek hoplites of the ancient world. With their "weapons" in tow, the students simulated charges and received charges, similar to the maneuvers used by the Ancient Greeks two thousand and five hundred years ago.
Congratulations to the fifty SJCS seventh graders, representing 60% of their class, who qualified for participation in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP): Abigail Anderson, Hayn Arrington, Caroline Baer, Haley Berryman, Michele Bottari, Caty Brown, Andrew Burnikel, Ryan Cerino, Luke Coffey, Cameron Cummings, Evan Dameron, Brett Daw, Conner De Angelis, David Durham, Catherine Eberly, Thomas Fawcett, Jessica Forry, James Fountain, Andrew Friedholm, Zoey Gerstner, Keyes Gilmer, Benjamin Haertel, Ellen Harris, Lizy Hernandez, Julian Hodge, Matthew Jennings, Gunnar Johanning, Katrina Konopka, Sarah LeBlanc, Katherine Linhares, Ryan Litzinger, Theo Longenecker, Lindsey Loparo, Kevin Lorenzen, Brandon Mayer, Morgan Rose Mazur, Sean McDermott, Patrick McLear, Jacob Milam, Andrew Pelicano, Brooks Quartararo, Sam Reidt, Carley Reinholtz, Hayley Schmitt, William Tierney, Charles Vandross, Sarah Warren, Emma Wetenhall, Samuel Wickert, and Evan Willoughby. These seventh graders became eligible for this honor by their achievement on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) that they took in sixth grade, having scored in the top five percentile in one of the qualifying verbal, math, science, or social studies sections. They are now invited to take the SAT or ACT in December, January, or February for academic recognition.
Scoring a perfect fifteen at the season's first home meet, the St. Joseph's Girls Cross Country Team is well on their way to fulfilling their goal of winning another state title. Crossing the finish line first at the home opener September 8th was senior Emily Coggins, followed in order by sophomore Dani Inglesby, junior Katie Lynam, senior Katie Sanders, and eighth grader Kayli Henk.
"The girls are stronger and faster this year and have an unwavering will to win," stated Coach Kernell.
In addition, the most recent Greenville News Cross Country Polls have ranked the St. Joseph's Girls Team third in the state from among all (1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A) high schools in South Carolina.
Prior to the first home meet, the team traveled to Columbia for the Skyhawk Invitational on September 1st. In a field of eight teams, the St. Joseph's girls placed first with a score of 16 points. "Although we won this event last year as well, it was great to get a near perfect score this year," stated Sanders. Taking first place honors was Inglesby (19:49), followed by Coggins (19:54), Sanders (20:01), Lynam (20:09), and Henk placing sixth (20:34).
On September 5th, the team took part in the 26th Annual Eye Opener at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg. "We won the Championship Division last year, so our girls ran in the International Division (top level event) this year," stated Kernell. The girls team took home fourth place honors against a field of nineteen teams from SC, NC, GA, and TN. Inglesby led the St. Joseph's team placing 15th amongst a field of 149 girls.
The Boys Cross Country Team has also had a great start to the season on their road to a third SCISA State Championship. At the first home meet, senior Josh Benore placed first in front of a large crowd with eight different area schools represented. He was closely followed by junior Ben Longenecker in second, sophomore William Lewis placed sixth, and senior captains Jimmy Williams and Alex Davidson finished seventh and tenth respectively.
"When your five scoring runners finish in the Top 10, you know you're in good shape," stated Coach George Carr.
The boys also won the Skyhawk Invitational in Columbia amongst 14 SCISA teams with Josh Benore winning the overall individual race (17:23), followed closely by Ben Longenecker (18:27), Brad Benore (18:29), William Lewis (19:07), and Jimmy Williams (19:28).
"We did OK individually, but great as a team," stated Williams. "We�re pretty critical of our times, but I guess that's why we do so well overall.
The boys also decided to run in the International Division at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg on Sept. 5th. "We felt the higher level of competition is what we needed if we're going to get a state championship three-peat," stated Josh Benore. The boys finished thirteenth out of 22 teams at one of the premier events in the entire southeast region. "I was proud of the fact that the boys opted for the tougher race against some very tough competition," concluded Coach Carr.
Both the Varsity and Junior Varsity Boys and Girls Teams will travel to Southside Christian School for a meet on September 15th. The Varsity Team will compete on September 17th at the Spartanburg Christian Invitational.
Congratulations to junior Alex Burnikel, who has been named to the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Olympic Development Program (ODP) Team. South Region III, one of four region teams in the U.S., is comprised of soccer players who have made their respective ODP State Team from a twelve-state region and then qualified for a larger region pool after ODP camp. Eighteen players are then selected from this pool for inter-regional events. Alex will play with the '93 Boys Region III ODP Team in Orlando, FL December 26-30.
High school students in Julie Schroeder's physics classes recently completed a projectile lab. Students used projectile launchers to launch a metal ball at different angles. One class's assignment was to determine the angle of launch that allows for the greatest horizontal distance. Students in another class had to devise an experiment using the provided materials to graph the horizontal displacement vs. the vertical displacement and to calculate the initial velocity of the launched projectile.
Congratulations to the following students elected to serve as officers on the High School Student Council for the 2009-2010 school year: President, Roger Clinkscales; Vice President, Mary Kate McClintock; Secretary, Emily Coggins; Treasurer, Jena Mohr; and Historian, Michael Baliker.
Household Representatives include Faris Armaly, Denise Azores-Gococo, Brad Benore, J.D. Brookbank, Devon Bugner, Klyn Carr, Mike Devon, Katie Fountain, Carly Hudson, L.J. Kleger, Jeremy Mehl, Anna Mercer, Jeanne Morrison, Brittany Newsome, Alex Panuccio, Craig Scholz, Michael Swoyer, and Katie Winebarger.
Appointed Positions include Cole Buchanan (Sergeant-At-Arms), Katie McLellan (Publicity), Amanda Morel (Parliamentarian), Ellie Larson (Photography), and Katie Sanders (Athletic Department Liaison).
Faculty moderators are Katy McClintock and Karl Orbon.
The St. Joseph's Varsity Girls Volleyball Team has been hard at work preparing for the 2009 season. The Lady Knights recently participated in the Low Country Friendship Pre-Season Tournament in Charleston, SC. At the completion of pool play, St. Joseph's was in first place and went on to defeat the fourth place team in the semifinal match. The Lady Knights then defeated Robert E. Lee in the championship game and traveled back to Greenville with the first place trophy. In a preseason jamboree hosted by St. Joseph's in August, the Lady Knights defeated Shannon Forest and Hammond, two teams that always provide tough competition for the team. In addition, the squad attended a team camp at the University of North Carolina in July and hosted a week-long camp in August.
"The volleyball program at St. Joseph's is developing into a strong one," stated Head Coach Jan Carino. "Over forty girls (grades 6-12) tried out for three teams: middle school, junior varsity, and varsity. Not only that, but the majority of the girls in our program continue post-season play by participating on club teams, which in turn greatly enhances our overall program."
Senior Carly Hudson, a four-year varsity player and this year's team captain, leads the varsity squad. "Carly is exactly the type of leader that we need for this team," stated Coach Carino. "She pushes her teammates to strive for excellence and the girls respond to her leadership." Returning to the varsity team this year along with Hudson are seniors Amanda Morel and Brittany Newsome, juniors Ashli Lagaly, Mary Kate McClintock and Liz Reynolds, and freshmen Alexa Lagaly, Allison Suhrer and Nicholle Stein. New members to the team this year include junior Ashley Wells and freshmen Alli Griffin and Kelsey McCormick.
"This is a very talented group of girls," added Carino. "If our preseason play is any indication of how the team will do this year, we should be very competitive. I have purposely scheduled teams that I know will challenge this group of young ladies to push themselves to their full potential. We had preseason scrimmages against two 2008 state championship teams: we split with Ashley Hall (2008 SCISA AAA State Champ) and then we traveled to Byrnes High School (SCHSL AAAA State Champ) and defeated them in five games. There is definitely a 'buzz' in the air about the St. Joseph's team and their potential to bring home a state championship this year."
The next home game is Monday, September 14th against conference rival Ben Lippen.
JV Volleyball
The JV Volleyball Team is off to a great start, as the team remains undefeated after seven matches, defeating all opponents in two games. The Lady Knights began the season defeating Byrnes High School JV Team 25-21 and 25-20.
"That match was our best competition of the season so far," stated Debbie Lagaly, former SJCS Middle School Volleyball Coach and this year's JV Volleyball Coach. "I was nervous going into this game, but quickly settled down as I watched our girls work together on the court, winning this match in two games. I was very proud of our players."
The JV volleyball team consists of thirteen athletes, including two sophomores and eleven freshmen. The captains are sophomores Carlin Friedlholm, Mary Bathon and freshman Katie McCormick. Returning to the JV squad are Elizabeth Coffey, Megan Galloway, and Sarah Bathon. New members this year include Aly Cajka, Katie Gagne, Kayla Dixon, Hannah Lorenzen, Katherine Reynolds, Ana Taylor, and Ellen Willis. The team is managed by sophomore Nicole Butler.
"This is a talented team and it's going to be a great season," concluded Coach Lagaly. "Not only do we have lots of height, but a great eagerness to learn, along with the ability to have lots of fun. This is the future of our program, and these girls are something to watch."
The team's next home game is Monday, September 14th.
Seventh grade students in Joanna McLucas's science classes recently completed a lab from the South Carolina Maps Curriculum, comparing the depths of the atmospheric layers to the distances between cities in South Carolina. Suellen Pometto, a Clemson University MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) intern, provided the maps for the students to use.
Congratulations to the following students elected to serve on the National Honor Society for the 2009-2010 school year: President, Tara McGarry; Vice President, Josh Bathon; Co-Secretaries, Theresa Krupka and Meghan Hudak; Treasurer, Amanda Morel; and Parliamentarian, Katie Fountain. Faculty moderators are Michele Houmis and Viri Lashley.
SJCS junior Emily Cinquemani has been elected Secretary of the American Red Cross Youth Council, Greenville Chapter for 2009-2010. Emily has been part of the Red Cross Youth Council for over a year, where she has participated in service projects and leadership development. Some of the service projects have included volunteering for the Special Olympics, visiting a local nursing home, and helping at a local children's shelter and shelter store. The youth council also participates in fundraising and First Aid/CPR training.
High school students in Deborah Henderson's Mixed Medium Art Class recently completed an assignment which involved making a 3-D sculpture using only a bale of hay and twine. At first, the task seemed impossible, but once the students overcame their shock, they began to have fun. Each team discovered that art involves perseverance, problem solving, and sometimes even starting over. The sculptures are currently on display in the High School Commons.
High school students in Jennette Pelicano's AP Biology class recently explored the levels of protein structure through building molecular models. By simulating various types of chemical bonding, they learned why a protein takes a particular shape and about the forces that keep it folded. This activity was part of a unit focusing on how the function of a molecule is the direct result of its structure.
During this week's Omega Activity Period, St. Joseph's students were presented with information about the various clubs and organizations on campus. In turn, students were invited and encouraged to join one or more of these organizations, depending on their time, talents, and interests. "Studies show that the most successful students are those who get involved," SJCS Chaplain Father Longenecker told the assembly. "I made a conscious effort to get involved when I was in high school and discovered talents that I didn't know I had. And that made all the difference. I made new friends and had a great experience. My high school years were some of the best and happiest years of my life."
Click here for a complete listing of SJCS co-curricular activities.
On Friday, August 28th, St. Joseph's welcomed Bishop Robert Guglielmone to campus for the celebration of the Opening School Mass. Prior to Mass, all new students processed through the Red Door and into the Chapel, as Headmaster Keith Kiser welcomed them with these words:
Sixteen years ago, in the autumn of 1993, St Joseph's Catholic School opened its doors. On the morning of August 26, 1993, the first thirteen students entered through this same red door, which served as the entrance to a little house next to a Lutheran Church. Since then, by God's providence, the generosity of many friends and the hard work of countless people, St Joseph's has become a beacon for fine Catholic education in the Upstate.
Every door is a symbol of a new beginning. As you enter St. Joseph's Catholic School, we invite you to enter a new world-a world of adventure, friendship, true education, and discovery. Christ calls Himself the door and the way to eternal life, and He invites us to step out of our normal expectations and follow Him. To quote Pope John Paul II, 'Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ!'
Students of the Class of 2016, those who have joined us in other grades from other schools and from other parts of our country: you have passed through the red door and so become part of St Joseph's Catholic School.
We pray that you will soon feel at home as part of our community. We welcome you!
Click here to view more photos.
St. Joseph's second football season promises to be exciting, as evidenced by the fact that the school now supports 60 players and two teams: a Middle School Team comprised of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders as well as a Junior Varsity Team comprised of 10th and 11th graders.
"We expect to continue teaching the fundamentals of the game and demanding that our kids hustle, work hard, and continue to give their best effort in all we're doing," stated second year Head Coach Joe Hyland. "Our goal is to get better overall, and that happens when we start emphasizing the little things at practice and breaking the game down into smaller, more manageable pieces."
The JV Team, led again by captains JD Brookbank, David Estes, Aaron Lesiak, David Rogozenski, and Mark Schott, also includes team members Ashton Ardoin, Perry Bolick, Clark Burgess, Pete Bynarowicz, Noah Coish, Cody Davidson, Erik Holsen, Michael Kiser, Michael Kopscik, Miguel Larrain, Gabe McCall, Collin McMillen, John Pereira, Brace Plumblee, Ben Quattrone, Chris Quinones, Jay Rex, Ethan Schaefer, Ricky Schosky, Chris Schrank, Andre Stoddard, and Tyler Visin. Each player can expect to see significant playing time in one area of the game or another during this season.
The squad has already competed in two jamborees prior to winning their season opener on the road against a varsity squad from Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. During that game, the offense gained 325 yards and scored four touchdowns, while the defense held the opponent to 134 yards of total offense before ending the game with a touchdown on an interception return from Cody Davidson.
Gearing up for a challenging ten-game schedule before moving up to the varsity level next fall, the JV Team will play three varsity teams this season, while the remainder of their games will be against junior varsity teams from around the area. "Every competitive situation is additional preparation for next year when our program will take the field as a Varsity and Junior Varsity program," concluded Coach Hyland. "We're grateful for the opportunity to have a full schedule to help us get our players in situations that require them to use the tools we're giving them; to make decisions and to make plays at full speed because they'll need to do those things next season."
Middle School Team
In May of this year, approximately thirty young men, comprised of student athletes from grades 7, 8 and 9, made a commitment to be a part of something greater than themselves; a Middle School Football Team. Meeting throughout the summer, these young men readied themselves to represent the school on the football field this fall.
The 2009 Middle School roster includes Stan Bikulege, Scott Burnley, Ryan Cerino, Ben Dunphy, Grant Espada, Tucker Genal, Andrew Grant, Patrick Grant, Tyler Grant, Gunner Johanning, Philip Key, Stephen Krupka, Alex Malsch, David Marable, Austin Mattison, Ben McCormick, Will McLellan, Jacob Milam, Tyler Neves, Alexander Powell, Jake Reinstein, Sean Rusnak, Joey Schosky, Ryan Stamler, Andrew Stein, Austin VanHouten, Danny Waldsmith, Kalib Williams, and Evan Willoughby. "We work hard, we play hard, and we will continue to grow as a team," added ninth grader Tucker Genal.
The Knights kicked off the 2009 SJCS football season playing host to Cardinal Newman Catholic School on August 27th. For most of the players, this was their first experience putting on pads for a game. The Cardinals struck first in the first quarter with a 30 yard touchdown run. On the pursuing kickoff, the Cardinals recovered an onside kick to start their second drive in Knight's territory. After several runs, the Cardinals extended their lead to 14 and carried that lead into halftime. "I remember thinking if we can just get the ball in our hands, we will score," stated ninth grader Scott Burnley. The Knights received the ball to start the second half and moved down the field with great success. Team Captain Austin Mattison ran the ball in for the Knight's first score of the season and cut the lead in half. After a great team effort, the scoreboard belonged to the Cardinals, but the night belonged to the St. Joseph's Knights.
"The game was a great learning experience for our players and I was very proud of our guys," stated Middle School Coach Jim Coen. "The boys got down early, but they never lost focus or heart. Our goal this year is to develop and prepare these athletes for the next level, but St. Joseph's football is about much more than that. We want to develop young respectable athletes, who are responsible, deep in their faith, and overall great students in and outside the classroom."
Click here to view more photos from the Middle School Team vs. Cardinal Newman Game.
The St. Joseph's Middle School Boys Soccer Team won the Mitchell Road Christian Academy (MRCA) Jamboree this past weekend. The boys played four 30-minute matches Friday afternoon with wins over Hampton Park (3-0), MRCA (5-0), Shannon Forest (5-0), and Ashville Christian (5-0). Saturday's games included victories over Covenant Day (2-0) and Spartanburg Day (4-0).
"Our squad played impressively, with every member making a contribution," stated Coach Jervey Inglesby. "With this being the team's first outing, the boys are quite optimistic about possibly winning their third consecutive CMSC (Carolina Middle School Conference) Championship."
Michele Bottari began the scoring with a powerful side volley from 30 yards out, and finished the tournament with thirteen goals. Tournament MVP Brennan Koslow controlled the midfield with the help of David Durham, Joe Satterfield, and All- Tournament Team Member John Paul Kiser. "Kiser has become so strong on the field with his hard tackling, strong work ethic, and leadership," stated Coach Inglesby. "I am amazed by his growth and improvement."
The defense did not allow one goal to be scored during the tournament and quickly pushed the field forward to the offensive side. "Kevin Lorenzen, at the stopper position, seemed to be everywhere, and he was instrumental in our quick change of side in attack," added Inglesby.
The final tournament Championship Game was a close game and remained scoreless with two minutes left in play. Towards the end of the game, Koslow attempted to score three times, making it through on the final try, and then was fouled. Sean McDermott proceeded to push the ball into the corner for the winning goal.
The team was also awarded "The Christ Pre-eminent Award" for displaying the most Christ-like sportsmanship. "We're very proud to have been voted for this award, even after being so dominant on the field," concluded Coach Inglesby. "To beat teams so conclusively and at the same time, to be seen as Christ-like, is very uncommon. I could not be more pleased with our boys' performance."
The team's first home game is Tuesday, September 1 at 4:00 P.M. against Oakbrook Christian Academy.
The Varsity Girls Tennis Team is led this season by new SJCS faculty member David Foster. Coach Foster is originally from Raleigh, NC where he started playing tennis at the age of five. Throughout his middle and high school years, he played tennis on his school team and went on to play intramurals during his tenure at Furman University.
This year's team members are senior Tara Vales, juniors Chandler Consonery, Katelyn Forry, and Hannah Grim, sophomore Carly Campbell, freshmen Amy Asbury, Shannon Beck, Jensen Grim, and Surya Veerabagu, and eighth grader Olivia Baumgarten.
Coach Foster hopes to bring the important aspect of fitness to the varsity squad this season. "So much can be gained on the tennis court by being physically fit," said Coach Foster. "Your footwork improves, which allows you to create and hit better shots. Furthermore, a player with better fitness, often times, can win a close match if it goes into a third set."
"I thought my senior year would allow me to take it a little easier," added senior team captain Tara Vales, "but our new coach puts us right to work. We ran more in one practice than we did in all the practices combined last year."
The team opened their season in a two-day tournament with seven other area private and public schools August 22nd and 23rd at Furman University. St. Joseph's finished seventh in the tournament, one point behind Riverside High School and two points behind Eastside High School. During the tournament, players continued to play in cancellation brackets, even if they lost a match or two, allowing for match experience for all players at all levels.
The team's first conference match was played on August 25th at Hammond School in Columbia. The match was close and could have gone either way; but in the end, Hammond managed to win six matches to St. Joseph's three.
Coach Foster also hopes to bring a higher sense of teamwork and camaraderie to the team. "Unless you play sports at the collegiate level, there is no other time in your life where you will work and play sports with people of such a similar age," added Foster. "There is such an opportunity on the high school level to build a team, a team that is close and can help one another."
Coach Foster concluded with two other goals for the team to meet by the end of the season: to have a winning record and be able to explain how they have improved in one aspect of their game.
The 2009 SJCS Middle School Boys Soccer Team, the Carolina Middle School Conference (CMSC) Champions for two consecutive years, returns seven starters from last season: eighth graders Christopher Heijjer, Patrick Hudak, John Paul Kiser, and Brennan Koslow and seventh graders Michele Bottari, David Durham, and Kevin Lorenzen. Also returning from last year's squad is Theo Longenecker, Patrick McLear, and William Tierney. New to the team are eight graders Kurt Arevalo, Gene Langan, Alex Luzzatti, seventh graders Andrew Burnikel and Sean McDermott, and sixth graders Greg Arevalo, Kenny Rado, Joe Satterfield, Walker Seman, and Will Waldenmaier. Also assisting the team this year will be player/managers Thomas Fawcett and Luke Coffey.
"With all the strong new talent, I expect that the boys will be very competitive," stated returning Head Coach Jervey Inglesby. "The big push at this point in the season will be to gel that talent into a cohesive team. This year's squad is eager to improve themselves and push each other in a positive direction."
This year's starting goalie is sixth grader Will Waldenmaier, who, in spite of his youth, has proved to be strong enough to handle the pressures of that position. Last year's goalie, David Durham, will be needed this year to make major contributions at mid-field. Michele Bottari and Christopher Heijjer will both play front positions, proving to be great finishers in last year's come-from-behind championship game victory. Brennan Koslow, last year's MVP, will be the cornerstone of the team and help cement mid-field.
The St. Joseph's defense should prove strong as well, with Alex Luzzatti at sweeper and John Paul Kiser and Gene Langan on the outside positions. Kevin Lorenzen, in the stopper position, has the ability to disrupt play anywhere on the field.
The Knights will begin their season with the Mitchell Road Christian Academy (MRCA) Tournament Friday and Saturday, August 28th and 29th. Friday game times are as follows: SJCS vs. Hampton Park (1:05 P.M.), SJCS vs. Shannon Forest (2:50 P.M.), SJCS vs. MRCA (4:35 P.M.) and SJCS vs. Ashville Christian (8:05 P.M.). Saturday game times are as follows: SJCS vs. Covenant Day (9:40 A.M.) and SJCS vs. Spartanburg Day (12 Noon).
"I fully expect this team to improve on last year's second place finish in this tournament," concluded Coach Inglesby. "I strongly encourage all St. Joseph's fans to come out and support the soccer team this weekend."
Following last year's state championship victory, the Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams began their 2009 season with a big win at the Ben Lippen Invitational in Columbia on Tuesday, August 25th. In a field of six teams, both St. Joseph's teams garnered first place honors.
"This meet was instrumental in getting a preliminary picture that a third SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) State Championship in as many years is in the cards," stated eighth year Head Coach George Carr. "Our boys team has two seniors amongst the top five SCISA runners from last year, so our goal of getting another trophy this year is going to depend on how hard the boys worked in the off-season. Teams like Wilson Hall and Porter Gaud will have worked just as hard this season to try once again to spoil our party."
Time trials on campus in mid-August determined the Top Ten varsity spots on the boys team amongst eighteen runners. The top four runners and veteran senior captains Brad Benore, Josh Benore, Alex Davidson, and Jimmy Williams are joined by juniors Ben Longenecker, Michael McCall, and Tristan Sexton, sophomore William Lewis and first-time runners junior Klyn Carr, and freshman Sean Connelly to complete the varsity squad. With an opportunity to work up the varsity level, the junior varsity squad members are senior Taylor LeBlanc, juniors Malcolm Soniat and J.P Wilmeth, sophomores Andrew Anderson and Matthew Dix, freshman Jim Warren, and eighth graders Nick Leonard and Luke Lepak.
The boys team left no doubt that they intend to repeat as SCISA State Champions by handily defeating rivals Ben Lippen, Cardinal Newman, Heathwood Hall, and Orangeburg Prep on Tuesday at the Ben Lippen Invitational. All five of St. Joseph's top five scoring runners finished in the Top Ten, resulting in the next closest team score falling 30 points behind. St. Joseph's Josh Benore placed first with a time of 18:02.
The varsity girls are not resting on their laurels of winning last year's SCISA 3A State Championship either. "All my varsity runners from last year returned," stated third year Coach Marie Kernell. "Not only that, but the entire team came back in great shape, proving to me that every girl is ready to give 110% this fall."
The team consists of 31 varsity and junior varsity girls from grades 6-12. Of the 31 girls, 22 are returning members. Kernell went with a "team" approach in choosing three captains this year. Senior Emily Coggins, the #3 runner for the team, is a four-year varsity runner who will provide invaluable leadership. Senior Katie Sanders, a two-year varsity runner and the # 2 runner on the team, leads by example. Junior Katie Lynam, who is a fifth year varsity runner and the #4 runner on the squad, serves as an inspiration to her fellow teammates. Rounding out the varsity team are sophomore Dani Inglesby, who will lead the team this year in the #1 spot, followed by senior Jena Mohr, freshman Nikki Williams, and eighth graders Aimee Coggins, Jennifer Coggins, Kayli Henk, and Sierra Hyer. Members of the Girls Junior Varsity Team are: Kerry Cleys, Kaitlyn Dunphy, Lindsey Foley, Gabrielle Genal, Madison Genal, Meghan Hudak, Amanda Koshis, Mary Lewis, Maddy Longenecker, Sara Catherine Masaschi, Ashley McCarthy, Madeleine McMillan, Cara Mohr, Melissa Mohr, Grace O'Connor, Natalie Olson, Kaitlyn Posa, Julia Sexton, Kayla Twomey, Julia Unterzaucher, and LaSamrae Vandross.
The girls team ran away with first place honors scoring 16 points on Tuesday at the Ben Lippen Meet. The next closest scoring team was Ben Lippen in second place (67), third place honors went to Heathwood Hall (84), Cardinal Newman in fourth place (93), and Augusta Christian (122) and Orangeburg Prep (191) fell at fifth and sixth places respectively. Katie Sanders captured first place honors for SJCS with a time of 20:49. Dani Inglesby placed second (21:12), followed by Katie Lynam in third (21:18), Emily Coggins in fourth place (21:22), and Kayli Henk in sixth place (21:55).
"The girls trained hard all summer and it shows.they returned strong and determined," concluded Coach Kernell. "I'm extremely optimistic about winning another state championship again this year."
Led by fourth year returning coach and SJCS alumnus Jill Holliday, the St. Joseph's Swim Team is off to a strong start after claiming first place finishes for both the girls and boys teams at the Northwood Invitational held on Saturday, August 22nd. The meet consisted of eleven SCISA (South Carolina Independent School Association) teams from across the state, including Cardinal Newman, Pinewood Prep, Hammond, and others.
This year's team boasts a total of thirty-five swimmers, twenty of whom are returning from last year's state championship team. Members include Cameron Beach, Cole Buchanan, Devon Bugner, Victoria DeMaria, Michael D'Onofrio, Allison Espada, Michael Gibson, Sarah Gibson, Jared Kauffman, Caroline Kelly, John Kelly, Kate Kelly, Katrina Konopka, Yanni Koutsioukis, Olivia Leftwich, Caitlan Lovett, Amanda McNulty, Kelly McNulty, Sydney McNulty, Jeremy Mehl, Justin Mehl, Matthew Morel, Gigi Nally, Aya Nance, Ian Okinaga, Cassandra Reinholtz, Cory Satterfield, Neil Satterfield, Joshua Schammel, Noah Schammel, Margaret Stanton, Sam Swift, Carrie Weber, Hannah Wickert, and Sam Wickert.
Following on the heels of last season's accomplishments, the goals are set high for the 2009 season. "As the coach, my goal is to help these swimmers grow individually, both in and out of the water," stated Coach Holliday. "What matters to me most is that each swimmer improves individually and as part of the team."
At the Northwood Academy Invitational held in Goose Creek, SC this past Saturday, the girls team placed first out of eleven teams with 138 total points, followed by the second place finishing girls team with 42 points. Garnering first place honors for SJCS was Victoria DeMaria (1st in 100 Breaststroke and 200 Individual Medley), Kate Kelly (1st in 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle), Amanda McNulty (1st in 100 Butterfly), and Kelly McNulty (1st in 100 Backstroke). Victoria DeMaria and Kate Kelly were named high point swimmers for the meet, after placing first in both of their individual events.
Also finishing strong for the girls team was Katrina Konopka (2nd in 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle), Cory Satterfield (3rd in 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke), Team Co-Captain Devon Bugner (4th in 100 Freestyle), Aya Nance (3rd in 200 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke), Team Co-Captain Carrie Weber (2nd in 100 Butterfly and 4th in 200 Freestyle), Caroline Kelly (6th in 200 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke), Olivia Leftwich (5th in 100 Backstroke), Amanda McNulty (2nd in 200 Individual Medley), Kelly McNulty (2nd in 100 Breaststroke), and Sydney McNulty (3rd in 100 Butterfly). All three girls relay teams placed first.
The boys team also placed first with total of 89 points, defeating Porter-Gaud by 14 points. First place finishes for the boys team included: Josh Schammel (1st in 100 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke) and Team Co-Captain Jared Kauffman (1st in 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly). Josh and Jared were both named high point swimmers for the meet, also placing first in both of their individual events.
Other top finishers for the boys team included Ian Okinaga (2nd in 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle), Justin Mehl (4th in 50 Freestyle and 2nd in 100 Backstroke), Noah Schammel (3rd in 500 Freestyle), and Team Co-Captain Jeremy Mehl (4th in 100 Butterfly and 5th in 200 Individual Medley). Two out of the three boys relay teams also placed first.
"What a great first meet we had," exclaimed Coach Holliday. "This meet has always been a very competitive meet for us and I was extremely pleased with how each and every member swam. This will also show us where we need to improve to better ourselves as an even stronger team. I look for more great things in the near future as we start the road to the state finals."
Click here to view more photos from the Northwood Invitational Meet.
Students in Carol Dunn's freshmen Biology classes are studying the nature of science and how scientists work to figure out things that they cannot directly see. Students are working as scientists, observing, inferring, gathering data, and hypothesizing. They had fun recently trying to figure out how the configuration of the "mystery strings" inside of a tube works. The challenge was to figure out which string will move as a result of pulling one or more strings.
Pearlie Harris lives and serves in hope for her Church. Posted with permission from The Catholic Miscellany.
The St. Joseph's Fine Arts Department proudly presents their summerstock production of Brigadoon Friday and Saturday, August 21st and 22nd at 7:00 P.M. and Sunday, August 23rd at 3:00 P.M. in the school theatre.
Two New Yorkers, lost in the Scottish highlands, wander into a lovely village in the midst of a wedding festival. The men cannot believe their good fortune, and become enchanted by the magic of the place and its inhabitants. But this is Brigadoon, a town and townspeople which appear for a single day every 100 years, a place of love and danger where there is always more than meets the eye...or the heart. Lerner & Loewe's masterpiece of fantasy and romance, Brigadoon explores the expanse of human emotion through immortal tunes like "Come to Me, Bend to Me," and "Almost Like Being in Love," showing generations of theatergoers that true love can conquer all, even time and space.
Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and senior citizens. For more information, call the Box Office at (864) 234-9009, ext. 386.
SJCS Class of 2007 graduate Ben Coffey recently passed the General Securities Representative Examination and has begun trading with ATD/Citigroup in Charleston. The exam, commonly known as the Series 7, is administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and is required of anyone wishing to participate in stock trading.
Ben's accomplishment while still in college is rare. "Having been a Wealth Manager for twenty years, Ben is the first person I know of to pass the Series7 while still in college," stated Anthony Panuccio, Managing Director, Morgan Keegan Inc. "The pass rate on this challenging eight-hour exam is just over 60%, and that is with trainees already in the security industry. The St. Joseph's family can be very proud of Ben's achievement at such a young age."
A rising junior at the College of Charleston and a current economics major with a minor in finance, Ben is the son of Bill and Eileen Coffey of Greenville.
The St. Joseph's Advancement Office, in conjunction with the school's Parents Guild, hosted a New Family Social on Friday evening, August 14th for families new to St. Joseph's and families who are new to the high school. After viewing a short video presentation about life at St. Joseph's, families enjoyed a late summer cookout with all the trimmings, compliments of the New Parent Committee and the Parents Guild. SJCS Director of Advancement Charlie Bathon led the St. Joseph's students and parents in a unique icebreaker game, complete with prizes, while the SJCS Fine Arts students took a break from Brigadoon rehearsal to provide theatre games for preschool and elementary age students. Over 200 people enjoyed a "taste" of life at St. Joseph's!
St. Joseph's Chaplain Father Dwight Longenecker will be on hand to sign his two newly published books, The Gargoyle Code and A Sudden Certainty, on Sunday, August 16th at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville.
The Gargoyle Code is a book in the tradition of C. S. Lewis' classic Screwtape Letters. A senior demon, while having to watch his own back, writes letters of instruction to his protg, showing him how to tempt his confused young Christian 'patient'. A well-suited book for Lenten reading and reflection, The Gargoyle Code's diabolical correspondence begins on Shrove Tuesday and leads the reader on an entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring journey towards Easter Sunday.
A Sudden Certainty-Priest Poems is Father Longenecker's first book of verse. Having written poetry as a thirty-year hobby, Father's poems conform to classic poetic form, but offer a contemporary flair. The poems reflect on the life of a priest and how God's graces flow through life's ordinary and everyday experiences.
Father Longenecker will be available after all the Sunday August 16th Masses in the McCulka Dining Room on the church's campus. There will also be a collection of Father's other published works for sale. A percentage of profits from the book sales will help support the charitable works of the Knights of Columbus.
The SJCS Athletic Department sponsored ten summer sports camps on campus this summer. Approximately 200 students, ages 8-16, attended a wide variety of camps, including baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. SJCS varsity coaches, alumni, high school students, and friends of the school helped to provide instruction for this group of young athletes. Summer sports camps have become an annual tradition in late July and early August on the St. Joseph's campus.
SJCS students, pictured from left to right, Katie McCormick, Alexa Lagaly, Kelsey McCormick, and Allison Suhrer, attended the National Women's Volleyball Pan Am Tournament held in Miami, Florida recently. The girls watched professional players perform at their best and were able to meet a few of the players after the game. In addition, Alexa, Kelsey, and Allison participated in the National Junior Olympic Volleyball Tournament in Miami. Their team, Club South Brittney 14-1, had qualified for the national tournament, and competed against teams from around the country.
The SJCS Theatre Director's office received a surprise summer make-over, thanks to the efforts of SJCS Music Director Jennifer Gurn, Project Manager Tara McGarry and SJCS students Josh Bathon, Sarah Bathon, Mary Grace Carey, Will Dameron, Luca Gioia, Allison Gurn, Amy Hase, Chelsea Lawyer, Maddy Longenecker, Shelly Mamo, Ian Miller, Katie Mobley, Alex Panuccio, David Rogozenski, Eric Spears, and Alex Van Haasteren. A new wall was built, the floor was painted, new furnishings were purchased, and items were cleaned and organized - resulting in a fresh, brightly colored dcor when Fine Arts Chair Teresa McGrath returned from summer break. Additionally, posters from SJCS shows that McGrath has directed, along with photo collages of the most memorable on-stage moments, were hung on the walls. Special thanks also goes to the school's Jubilate Guild and anonymous donors for their generous donations.
Rising eighth grader Kira Sawyers was recently invited to attend a summer arts program entitled "IGNITE!" This week-long camp, sponsored by the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in partnership with the Greenville YMCA, immersed students in collaborative team projects exploring various art areas with a focus on creativity.
Rising senior Meghan Hudak recently attended the Presidential Classroom Scholars Program in Washington, D.C. This program helps prepare young leaders for responsible citizenship and provides outstanding high school students the chance to explore the political process firsthand. Students are provided with the opportunity to view federal government at work, discuss key issues with Washington policymakers, and to discover the importance of responsible citizenship. It is the program's goal for students in attendance to put lessons learned at Presidential Classroom into action.
Rising juniors Emily Cinquemani, Theresa Krupka, and Mary Kate McClintock were recently selected to be part of a group of forty-two Upstate high school students chosen to participate in Youth Leadership Greenville for 2009-2010. The Greenville Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Greenville County School District, launched Youth Leadership Greenville with the mission of engaging Greenville County youth in a series of classroom and practical learning experiences devoted to developing, cultivating, and nurturing students' leadership potential and involving them in Greenville's future. These students will have many opportunities during this eight month leadership program to discover all that Greenville has to offer, examine more closely the careers they may be considering, and to find ways they can make a difference during their senior year in high school.
Rising senior Michael D'Onofrio is spotlighted in the July/August 2009 issue of Faith & Family. A national Catholic living magazine, Faith and Family was voted the best general-interest magazine six years in a row by the Catholic Press Association.
Rising senior Katie Winebarger was recently honored with the Vanderbilt University Book Award 2009. Presented by the Chair of the Piedmont Chapter of the Vanderbilt Alumni Club, this honor is awarded each year to a rising senior who has distinguished himself/herself through his/her academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and leadership ability. SJCS Director of College Counseling Virginia Cotter recently presented the award to Katie.
Erika Lopez-Finn, Class of 2005, is currently interning in Senator Jim DeMint's Washington, D.C. office. Erika's interest in politics began during her high school years at St. Joseph's. Click here to read more.
Rising junior Arianna Wise was selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in Chicago July 19th-28th. This program affords high-achieving high school students an opportunity to discover, practice, and sharpen their leadership skills as they explore careers in the field of medicine and examine important medical issues.
Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Girls/Boys Soccer, Boys Wrestling, and Girls Softball Summer Camps were held recently on campus.
Rising junior Alex Winebarger and his AAU Basketball Team (U16 Southeastern Athletes) are currently competing in the National Tournament at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Alex's U16 team finished third in the Super Regional competition held in mid-May and is the only Upstate AAU team participating in a Division One bracket. The U16 Southeastern Athletes are sponsored by Southeastern Products of Greenville.
Rising SJCS eighth grader Elizabeth Bannio and her Mauldin All Star Softball Team won the State Tournament in their age group (12U ponytails) on Wednesday evening, July 22nd by a score of 3-1 over Lancaster. They will go on to play in the Dixie World Series July 31st through Aug 5th in Sumter, SC.
Three SJCS swimmers broke records at the SAIL (Swim Association Invitational League) Classic Meet held at Westside Aquatic Center on Sunday, July 19th. Rising junior Jared Kauffman broke one individual record, set by his brother Graham last year, in the 50 Breaststroke competition. Both Jared and Graham Kauffman (Class of 2009) swam on the record-breaking relay teams in the boys 15-18 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle events. Rising eighth grader Amanda McNulty also set a record in the girls 11-12 100 Individual Medley, and was one of nine swimmers to earn high point honors for the meet with 27 points. Top qualifiers from divisional meets across the Upstate competed in this annual season-ending event.
Rising senior Anna Wilkes and rising junior Craig Scholz are participating in the Advanced DNA and Biology Program at the Clemson University Summer Science, Engineering, and Architecture Encampment July 19th 25th. The classes are taught by Clemson University faculty and are designed to broaden academic skills, creative abilities, and give students the opportunity to delve deeply into specialized topics.
Eleven St. Joseph's students, along with History Department Chair Meby Carr, traveled to England and Ireland for a school sponsored trip June 29th through July 8th. Graduate Pat Lang, rising seniors Meghan Hudak, Amanda Morel, Christina Novotny, Carrie Weber, rising juniors Ted Bell, Klyn Carr, Jeanne Morrison, Caitlin Rusnak, and rising sophomores Johnston Burdick and John Dutch toured London, Dublin, and Wales during their ten-day stay. Highlights included Blarney Castle, the Tower of London, the Ring of Kerry, Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford, and Stonehenge.
Rising junior Emily Cinquemani was accepted into the Furman University Summer Scholars Program-Leadership Quest taking place this week on Furman's campus. The program focuses on leadership development, group behavior and problem solving, and includes participation in the adventure challenge ropes course.
Emily was also accepted into the Converse College Young Writer's Workshop, which was held June 14th through 19th. Students in the workshop were offered daily critique sessions with professional writers, as well as participated in writing seminars, discussions, and readings. Admission was based on Emily's application, writing samples, and teacher recommendations.
Rising seniors Devon Bugner and Tara McGarry were selected to participate in the South Carolina Business Week Encampment at Presbyterian College July 12th - 17th. This program, designed to educate high school students on entrepreneurship and the American free enterprise system, is fully funded by scholarships from the business community.
Congratulations to rising junior Theresa Krupka, winner of the National Spanish Exam (NSE) Global Citizen Scholarship. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition for a two-week Spanish immersion program July 6-18 through Concordia Language Villages. NSE, a division of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, recognizes student achievement and promotes language proficiency in the study of Spanish.
Rising senior Tara Vales was accepted into the Georgetown University Summer Journalism Workshop. This one-week workshop, held July 5-12, focused on The Presidency and the Press. Students read articles by top political journalists and met them in person to quiz them about their craft. Students found out what it's like to interview the President, and the special challenges facing journalists when reporting from the corridors of power. Students also learned how to cover presidential news conferences and speeches and how to turn a White House press release into a reported news story. The workshop culminated in students taping stories using a teleprompter in the state-of-the-art broadcast booth at the National Press Club.
St. Joseph's will offer several sports camps on campus for any student in the community beginning the week of July 20th. More information and registration forms can be found on the home page of this website.
July 20-24
Boys Basketball Camp
Girls/Boys Soccer Camp
Girls Softball Camp
Boys Wrestling Camp
July 27-31
Girls Cheerleading Camp
Girls/Boys Cross Country Camp
Boys Football Camp
Girls/Boys Tennis Camp
August 3-7
Boys Baseball Camp
Girls Volleyball Camp
Congratulations to rising junior Alex Burnikel and his CESA 92 Premier Soccer Club teammates on winning the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Championships held recently in Dallas, Texas. In the U-16 Championship Game, CESA defeated the Dallas Texans 2-0, advancing to the USYS National Championships scheduled for July in Lancaster, MA. This marks the first time any CESA team has advanced to the national level. In addition, CESA 94 Premier teammates and rising freshmen Pietro Bottari, Austen Burnikel, Patrick Jones, and Nick Poupore also competed in the region championships in Dallas, with their team advancing to the quarterfinals in a very respectable first showing.
