JACKSON – Two students from Catholic schools in the Diocese of Jackson have been named finalists in the 71st Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Jack Williams, of St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison, and Elizabeth Bednar of St. Aloysius/Vicksburg Catholic School received the prestigious academic honor, which recognizes high-achieving students nationwide. The National Merit Scholarship Program, established in 1955, is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships. About half of the finalists will earn National Merit Scholarships and the title of Merit Scholar.JACKSON – St. Richard School students Thomas Morisani, Max Nasif, Anthony Morisani, Jay Leblanc and Ethan Orsborn receive ashes from Father Andrew Bowden during Ash Wednesday Mass at the Father Brian Kaskie Chapel as students and families mark the beginning of Lent. Father Andrew served alongside his father, Deacon Mark Bowden. (Photo by Celeste Saucier)MERIDIAN – First-grader Myles Oswalt watches as St. Patrick School principal Rob Calcote tastes “green eggs and ham” during a classroom activity inspired by the Dr. Seuss classic. (Photo by Helen Reynolds)JACKSON – (Right) Students at Sister Thea Bowman School perform a mime dance during the school’s annual Black History program on Feb. 27. (Photo by Deacon Denzil Lobo)MADISON – Members of the St. Joseph School dance team pose at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, during the National UDA Dance Competition in January. Front row, from left, are coach Leslie Ann Harkins, Addyson Russell, a sophomore; Talia Ramos, a senior; Katie Venable, a junior; Cate Anderson, a junior; and Lilli Venable, a freshman. Back row, from left, are Gypsy Macias, a senior; Ollie Cook, a junior; Zaniah Purvis, a senior and captain; M&M Williams, a senior and captain; and Emma Williams, a freshman. The competition marked the squad’s first appearance at the national event. (Photo courtesy of school)GREENVILLE – St. Joseph students Fletcher McGaugh, left, and Julius McCullum work through a geometry problem on congruent triangles. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)NATCHEZ – Cathedral School third-graders Annie Lofton, Oli Trotter, Savanna Mitchell, James Cooper and Caroline Roberts dress as historical figures while presenting the school’s Presidents Day program Feb. 13. (Photo by Brandi Boles)MADISON – Charles Dukes, a student at St. Anthony School, completes a portrait of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA following a fourth-grade field trip to the Mass of Thanksgiving and the closing of the diocesan phase of her cause for canonization. (Photo by Kati Loyacono)COLUMBUS – Annunciation Catholic School students in the Kindergarten Krewe toss beads during a Mardi Gras-style parade. Pictured are Sydney Graham, Avynn Clapper, Kensi Beth Paine and Juliana Dimino. (Photo by Jacque Hince)SOUTHAVEN – Fourth-graders at Sacred Heart School participate in the “Sacred Heart School Medical Center,” a hands-on activity for their human body systems unit. Students rotate through stations exploring topics such as cells, bones and other body systems. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)
FLOWOOD – Students at St. Paul Early Learning Center listen to award-winning author Cindy Allison Bell, a Madison resident with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Bell, a mother of three grown sons and grandmother to twin boys, draws on her Christian background to write about celebrating unconditional love and the people God places in our lives. (Photo by Wendi Murray)
