Category Archives: Youth

Texas Catholic high school community cheers swimmer to Olympic bronze

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By Joan Kurkowski-Gillen
FORT WORTH, Texas (CNS) – Matthew Coffer, a 2007 Nolan Catholic High School graduate, said it best in a comment posted to the school’s alumni page: “It was a great night to be a Viking!”
He was referring to the pride and excitement when Nolan alumna Katie Meili won the bronze medal in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Colleyville native, who graduated from Nolan Catholic in 2009, posted a time of 1:05.69. Another American, Lilly King, beat out a Russian competitor to win the gold.
Meili is the first Olympic athlete in the school’s 55-year history.
“I’m just so happy,” a beaming Meili told reporters moments after her race.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but I’ve had so much support along the way,” Meili said. “This medal belongs to so many more people than just me, and I’m really proud of them.”
The 25-year-old’s former swim teammates at Nolan Catholic gathered for a watch party in the school’s auditorium Aug. 8. They were joined by current students, faculty members, and friends of the Meili family, who had watched the athlete’s swimming prowess blossom, first at Columbia University, where she clinched a 2013 Division I NCAA bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke, and later at the invitation-only SwimMAC elite team in Charlotte, N.C.
Sports analysts said Meili was a long shot for an Olympic medal, but that’s not how the Nolan community felt. Current and former Nolan students wore blue T-shirts inscribed with the words, “All Viking for Meili” as they watched the 2016 Olympian compete.
“Everybody at the watch party knew it was going to happen,” said Nolan Catholic President Erin Vader. “If there is power in prayer and positive thinking, the people here got her through it.”
During the race, no one sat down.
“The sound was deafening. People were laughing and crying,” Vader said, describing the moment when TV graphics announced Meili’s bronze-medal finish. “It was thrilling.”
Stephen Montes, a Nolan classmate and friend of Meili, remembered her as “super supportive” of teammates when she swam the breaststroke and 200-meter individual medley in high school.
“Her practices were always intense,” he recalled. “She was a great teammate — humble and down to earth. Regardless of how tonight turned out, we would be proud of Katie.”
Nolan teammate Becky Russell has kept up with Meili’s competitive swimming through social media forums.
“She would give regular updates when she was swimming at Columbia and MAC Elite,” Russell said. “I’ve watched her progress to international meets and get faster and faster. It’s wonderful that she captured the swimming world’s attention.”
Russell applauded Meili’s decision to keep swimming after graduating from Columbia.
“She was never an Olympic shoo-in but at the same time, it was a very real dream,” she said.
“Katie winning this medal makes our other athletes feel like the Olympics are possible and that’s amazing,” Vader says. “It gives them a new goal.”
(Kurkowski-Gillen is a reporter for North Texas Catholic, online newsmagazine of the Diocese of Fort Worth.)

YOUTH BRIEFS

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MADISON  – St. Joseph School journalism students hit the airwaves Friday, Aug. 12, when Jackson’s Catholic radio station began carrying their live, weekly coverage of Bruin football. The award-winning Bruin Sports Radio, staffed and managed by high school journalism students, will broadcast all home-and-away varsity football games live Friday nights on WJXC-LP FM 107.9. Bruin Sports Radio also will be available online through TuneIn Radio.
“Students call every game, offer expert analysis and do an entertaining job in the only program of its kind in the Jackson area,” principal Douglas Jones said. “The live broadcasts are a great way to showcase the talented students in our award-winning journalism program.”
Airtime for all football games on Bruin Sports Radio is 6:45 p.m. every Friday with the coach’s pre-game show; kick off follows 15 minutes later. Each broadcast includes a live halftime show and a post-game analysis show.
Bruin Sports Radio is part of the school’s journalism program. Besides Bruin Sports Radio, high school journalists also publish a newspaper, The Bear Facts; publish a school yearbook, The Shield; and produce a weekly newscast available on YouTube, Bruin News Now.
The Mississippi Scholastic Press Association named Bruin Sports Radio in April 2016 the state’s top student-produced streaming program. The MSPA named the coach’s pre-game show the state’s best student-produced pod cast.
The radio broadcast team includes junior Michael Corkern III, junior Nick Zouboukos, and freshman John Baladi, who will share responsibilities for play-by-play and on-air expert analysis. Others on the broadcast team are senior Matthew Hendley and freshman Will Turner, who will produce and host the coach’s pre-game show and live halftime show.
“Our students do an amazing job every week,” Jones said. “By producing a live, weekly radio show, they gain valuable, real-world experience they could not receive anywhere else and they develop skills and talent that will help them throughout the rest of their lives.”

Christ the King senior wins regional competition

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Parris Watts was selected as the first place Region V Winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Essay Competition, sponsored by the National Bar Association and Met Life. On July 21, she competed in the national competition in St. Louis, during the association’s convention. Watts, a senior, is a member of Jackson Christ the King Parish and vice Grand Lady for the Junior Daughters of the Knights of Peter Claver court 199.
The competition is “designed to motivate high school students to excel in education. The competition encourages students to express their views on a preselected topic and focuses on the ability of the students to communicate orally and in writing. The contest is also designed to give young people experience in public speaking and reviewing legal documents,” according to the bar association website.
For the essay, Watts had to address this issue: “The Black Lives Matter movement was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman. Zimmerman was acquitted. Many have criticized the Black Lives Matter movement for focusing on specific injustices done to African Americans stating there should be an All Lives Matter movement. If Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive, would he argue that Blacks should focus on the All Lives Matter movement to focus more globally and generally on all lives or would he support the Black Lives Matter movement to focus more on black lives?”
Students were given some basic background materials, but also encouraged to do their own research.
“I argued that he would chose all lives matter because he was fighting for equality for everyone no matter what their race, class, color or situation,” said Watts. Her faith played a role in her arguments. “I was researching how Dr. King based his ideas on the idea of the beloved community. My faith has taught me that Jesus loves everyone equally,” she explained.
While she did not win first at the national level, she was recognized as the top entrant from the region comprised of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Watts hopes to become an attorney herself. She is active in softball, soccer, beta club and student council.
The National Bar Association was founded in 1925 and is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges.

Theology of the Body for Teens

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070816tob

Locus Benedictus
Greenwood, MS
Friday, Aug 5, 6:00pm-
Saturday, Aug 6, 9:00pm

Theology of the Body for Teens is an exciting and dynamic program based on St John Paul II’s revolutionary Theology of the Body being offered to High School teens at Locus Benedictus in Greenwood, MS. This program will give teens the answers and the tools they need to successfully and safely navigate through life..
Contact Tara Trost at 662.515.9126 for more information.
Deadline to register is July 24.

YOUTH BRIEFS

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GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph Parish, high school prayer group meets on Wednesdays from 5 – 6 p.m.
– Youth bake sale, Sunday, July 17, after all Masses.  All Youth going on the summer trip are required to help.
– Next youth Mass will be Sunday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m.
GREENVILLE The St. Joseph School Cheerleaders attended UCA camp at MS State University June 22-24, winning third place in Xtreme Routine and Gameday Cheer, second in Overall Gameday Performance and first in Sideline Cheer. Senior Asia Harden was named UCA All-American and was pinned for UCA’s outstanding cheerleader Pin it Forward Program. The squad has been invited to perform at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in 2016.
GREENWOOD  St. Francis and Immaculate Heart of Mary parishes, youth are invited to go to the Geyser Falls outing on Friday, July 29, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Cost is $30.
– Trip to the Memphis Redbirds game, Friday, Aug. 5. Tickets are $25.
MADISON St. Joseph School, summer cheer camp, July 18-22 from 9 a.m. – noon.  Cost is $100. Details: Emily Toulomelis, ebechtold@stjoebruins.com.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi Parish, canoe trip, Wednesday, July 27, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration and fees due to the parish office by Friday, July 15.

Family ties bind Bruin baseball family at St. Joe

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By Lauri Collins
MADISON – The St. Joseph High School webpage for the baseball team reads, “Family.”  Twenty guys and their families who are at the ballpark together for four months, day-in and day-out, weekends included. Parents run the concession stands, plan team snacks; the boys practice, play, practice, then play again. Everyone cheers.

Russell Paterson, who just graduated, transferred in as a junior from Texas. He played second base.

Russell Paterson, who just graduated, transferred in as a junior from Texas. He played second base.

The family atmosphere at DM Howie Field was stronger than ever this spring because of a parliament of Rooks who practically lived at the field. Not blackbirds, but the descendants of Jack and Bettie Rooks, whose children attended St. Joe in the 1980s. St. Joe Senior Will Butts, son of Helen Rooks Butts (1983); Russell Patterson, son of Frances Rooks Patterson (1985); and Charlie Rooks, son of Joe Rooks (1980), all played together on the baseball team. The chemistry among the three was as fun to watch as the adult family members in the stands.
Russell, who just graduated, transferred in as a junior from Texas, and played second base. He was quick and agile, tall and lean. His cousin Charlie who will be a senior this fall, pitches and plays shortstop and is new to St. Joe this year.  He reads the ball well and knows Russell’s style. You can watch the mutual respect between them.
Will Butts, who almost passed on playing his senior year, stuck with it because of his cousins. “I didn’t want to miss out being on the team with both of them. We all get along really well off the field, so I knew it would be special on the team with them,” he said. Will has pitched, played in the outfield, and done some pinch running.  “Will has more heart than most athletes. He is happy to be on the team and participate in whatever way he can help,” Coach Gerrard McCall said.

Charlie Rooks, who was new to St. Joe this year and will be a senior this fall, pitches and plays shortstop.

Charlie Rooks, who was new to St. Joe this year and will be a senior this fall, pitches and plays shortstop.

McCall noticed the family ties among the boys. “Their small family of three on the team helped our baseball team as a whole to understand what family should look like.  They were united, strong and there for each other all the time,” he explained.
The family force is not just on the field and in the dugout. Will’s dad, Larry, is the voice of the Bruins at home games. He has been in the press box calling games since 2009 when their older son Jack played. Their mom Helen was the team mom, doing the work of three volunteers. Helen stocked the concession stand, scheduled the workers, organized meals, cleaned the bathrooms; and, much like her son Will, did anything the team needs her to do.
Helen was quick to recruit sister Frances and her husband Greg when they moved back to Mississippi two years ago. Frances helped with concessions, and the former Bruin cheerleader could be heard cheering for the entire team. Greg and Joe joined the cooking squad and help flip burgers and fry fish before home games.

Will Butts said he didn’t want to miss out being on the team with his cousins.

Will Butts said he didn’t want to miss out being on the team with his cousins.

Joe and his wife Lisa say the atmosphere at St. Joe is just what Charlie needed, and having so much family around is even better. Joe played football and baseball during his time at St. Joe.
And there are more Rooks family members to cheer for the three on the baseball team. Tim Rooks, the youngest of the family, and his wife Kim have three boys at St. Joe. Though not on the field for the Bruins this year, Sam, Max and Luke are there to cheer on the cousins.
Since Russell and Will both graduated last month, this year was the only one that the three had together. Special to them, their families and to the team. The Bruin team had a stellar year, finishing 27-7 for the season, leaving a feeling of family for those left to carry on the Bruin tradition.
(Lauri Collins is director of advancement at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison.)

New basketball coach

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MADISON  – Tyler O’Hara, who has coached the St. Joseph middle school basketball team for eight years, has been named head varsity basketball coach for St. Joseph High School. O’Hara, 31, who currently teaches 12th grade English and handles discipline at the school, will take over a team that went 24-4 this year – winning the district tournament and making it all the way to the third round of the state playoffs.
“I’m honored that principal Doug Jones and athletic director Todd Lott have entrusted me with the future of our basketball team,” O’Hara said. “We have a great group of athletes at our school, and I look forward to building on the success we have had with our basketball program.”
O’Hara will take over from former basketball Coach Nick Stamps, who resigned at the end of the 2015-2016 season. O’Hara will continue to teach English classes while also taking care of his basketball coaching responsibilities.
O’Hara, a New Orleans native, has a bachelor’s degree in English from Millsaps College. Lott said   O’Hara brings a lot of valuable experience to the coaching position – including his familiarity with the school’s student athletes and a strong, passionate love for the game of basketball.
Jones said he also has been impressed with O’Hara and what he brings to the table. Jones said that O’Hara’s knowledge of basketball and his desire to help students become better players and student athletes will keep a strong basketball program headed in the right direction.
“This is a great move for our school, our athletes and Coach O’Hara,” Jones said. “Tyler’s dedication to his players, to our students and to our school will make an already great athletic department and academic institution that much stronger.”

Virden earns scholarship

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GREENVILLE – Virginia Virden, a senior and member of the National Honor Society (NHS) at St. Joseph   School has been named one of 300 national semifinalists in the National Honor Society Scholarship program. Virden was chosen from more than 25,000 applicants and will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
“Virginia has been a vital part of the St. Joseph family since she began in her seventh grade and we are sorry to see her go, but definitely wish her the best,” said Missi Blackstock, NHS advisor
High school seniors who are members in good standing of an active NHS chapter are able to apply for an NHS scholarship. Finalists are selected on the basis of their leadership skills; participation in service organizations, clubs, and other student groups at school and in the community; and their academic record.
While at St. Joseph, Virden has been president of the National Honor Society, class vice-president, Wendy’s Heisman school winner, Secretary of Mu Alpha Theta, Mississippi Scholar, Guaranty Bank’s Guaranteed Achiever, on the Mayor’s Youth Council, St. Joseph STAR student, along with being captain of the cheer squad and won awards in tennis and soccer. This fall she plans to attend Southern Methodist University to study political science.

Stock market winners

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VICKSBURG – Most people consult their financial advisors for investing tips and strategies. Now we might just start asking our students. St. Aloysius School seniors Cass Hudson, Lofton Varner and Lyndsey Cowart were named second-place winners in the spring senior division of the Mississippi Stock Market Game.
“I am so excited that we did so well,” Hudson said. “We were fortunate to have a good group that took the time to research stocks at low prices that had signs and the potential of rising quickly. We gambled choosing these risky stocks, and it paid off in the end.”
The simulation is a learning tool about the free enterprise system for students in grades four through 12th. The program enables students to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in the stock market over a 15-week period. Winners are determined on the percentage return above or below S&P 500 growth. St. Al school outperformed the S&P by 18.2 percent and grew their portfolio to $128,712 during the 15-week session.
Varner and Cowart both said the competition was a fun experience. “It took some time to research which company was the best to invest in,” Varner said. “We learned many things about the stock market, and we got lucky that our investments turned out the way we hoped they would.”
Cowart said she’s looking forward to putting her newfound knowledge to use in the future. “Although the competition was fun, it was also a bit challenging figuring out what stocks were the best ones to buy,” she said. “It really helped me learn how the stock market works and some things to look out for if I ever want to invest my own money into the stock market.”

St. Joseph School summer camps
MADISON St. Joseph School offers the following camps:
Soccer:  May 31-June 3, from     8 a.m. – noon, for Pre K4-6th graders. Cost is $125.
Baseball: June 6-9, from 9 a.m. – noon. Cost is $125.
Football: June 13-16, from 8:30 a.m. – noon, for second-eighth graders. Cost is $135.
Dance: June 20-23, from 9 a.m. – noon, for first-sixth graders. Cost is $100.
Cheer: July 18-21, from 9 a.m. – noon, for first-sixth graders. Cost is $100.

Paper seeks honorees

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Mississippi Catholic is planning a graduation issue for early June. If your parish is honoring graduates at a liturgy or reception, or if your child has been honored by his or her school, please submit your stories and photos to editor@mississippicatholic.com by Tuesday, May 31.
The paper is also still seeking First Communion and Confirmation group photos from 2016.
The paper is unable to print photos taken with cell phones or tablets. Please send high-resolution photos from a camera.