St. Joseph Catholic Schools united

Bishop Joseph Kopacz spoke at the April 9 plan unveiling at Greenville St. Joseph School about uniting the two campuses.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz spoke at the April 9 plan unveiling at Greenville St. Joseph School about uniting the two campuses.

GREENVILLE – Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school will soon relocate from East Reed Road to 1501 V.F.W. Road, creating a unified

campus for St. Joseph Catholic School System.
The move is scheduled for the 2015-2016 school year, with construction slated to begin later this spring, according to an April 9 unveiling of plans for the unified campus. Bishop Joseph Kopacz was on hand for the celebration and said he thinks this merger will be good for both school communities.
“It’s time to upgrade our elementary school facilities. Our students at Our Lady of Lourdes deserve the very best, and this new school will provide them with a Catholic education in state-of-the-art facilities,” said Michelle Gardiner, Our Lady of Lourdes Principal.
The school will add classrooms to the south side of the existing St. Joseph structure. Four classrooms will be added to the high school wing to accommodate middle school students alongside their high school counterparts. In addition, a two-classroom addition for Pre-K and kindergarten will complete the new elementary school wing. Additional restrooms, a resource room, an elementary library and a new playground for elementary students are also included in the construction plans.

Students and supporters look at plans to add classrooms to St. Joseph to accommodate Our Lady of Lourdes students.

Students and supporters look at plans to add classrooms to St. Joseph to accommodate Our Lady of Lourdes students.

Tuition rates will not increase as a result, according to Gardiner. The move is being funded by the St. Joseph Catholic Schools Capital Campaign and donations are welcome.
For more information and sponsorship opportunities, contact St. Joseph Development Director Doreen Muzzi at 662-402-8137 or by email at fundraising@stjoeirish.org.

Masters champion, product of Dallas Jesuit prep school, remains humble

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U.S. golfer Jordan Spieth hugs his father, Shawn, as his mother, Chris, looks on April 12 after the 21-year-old won the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia. Spieth attended St. Monica’s Catholic School in Dallas and graduated in 2011 from Jesuit College Prep in Dallas. (CNS photo/Mark Blinch, Reuters)

 

By Seth Gonzales
DALLAS (CNS) – Even after becoming the toast of the sports world, golfer Jordan Spieth, a 21-year-old Dallas Jesuit graduate, remained humble and down-to-earth as he worked the crowds at Augusta, handled the media, and bantered with morning and late night talk show hosts after his historic win.
That’s no surprise to those who know the new Masters champion, who set course records at Augusta, Georgia, from April 9-12 on his way to the coveted prize and the iconic green blazer. They say he has kept family first, especially his younger sister, Ellie, who is autistic.
“He is just very genuine,” said Steve Koch, athletic director at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, which claims Spieth as a graduate of its class of 2011. “He says what he believes. He believes in supporting others, taking care of others before he takes care of himself.”
Michael Earsing, the president of the Jesuit school, said that the foundation of family, balance and caring for others has no doubt created a different perspective for Spieth, one that will serve him well after winning the Masters.
“We talk about Ignatian balance in everything we do and I think Jordan and his family are a really good example of that balance,” Earsing told The Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Dallas. “When we talk about balance, we talk about love. We talk about how much he loves his sister, someone he loves and who has kept him grounded. We talk about how important life is to all of us as Catholics. What a wonderful thing.”050115golf01
At the Masters, Spieth became the second-youngest player to win and was the first to reach 19 under par in the tournament. His 28 birdies in the four rounds at the Masters is a tournament record. He also logged the best scores after 36 and 54 holes. And if that were not enough, he is only the fifth player in tournament history to lead from start to finish. He finished 18-under par, 270.
Spieth is now ranked as the second-best golfer in the world behind Rory McIlroy, and is watching his already rising status accelerate significantly. Spieth’s win at the Masters has inspired the Dallas Jesuit community, but perhaps none more so than the school’s golf team, which was preparing for a regional tournament during the Masters tournament.
Jesuit golfer Cameron Suhy said the team members were constantly checking their phones to get the latest on Spieth, who only four years ago was in their shoes playing golf for Jesuit. “It was pretty nerve-wracking the whole week just watching him having to sit on the lead but when he finally pulled it out, it definitely gave our team a lot of confidence,” Suhy said. “We saw that a kid from Jesuit could win on golf’s biggest stage.” During his time at Jesuit, Spieth led the team to three Class 5A state titles in the University Interscholastic League.
Jesuit golf coach Cathy Marino, herself a 10-year veteran of the LPGA, said while Spieth definitely stood out on the golf course, he was just a normal teenager.
“When he was on the team, he was one of the guys,” Marino said. “He was a regular high school kid a lot of the time and I was glad to see that. I think that’s important especially once you turn pro and it becomes a business.”
For Spieth, the Masters win brought him a paycheck of $1.8 million. He already has an endorsement deal with Under Armour and there is talk that other lucrative endorsement deals are in the works.
He was on various morning shows and late night shows April 13 and April 14. Unlike other Masters champions who take the week off following the tournament, Spieth said that he would play the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina, April 16-19 because he wanted to give back to the tournament that was good to him when he turned pro.
That loyalty is not surprising for those who see Spieth on the national stage. They say he is the same young man with the same value system that he had embraced at Dallas Catholic schools, including his elementary school, St. Monica Catholic School.
“Jordan was always respectful to staff and students alike,” said Colette Corbin of the school’s Student Services Department. “He was one of those kids that would just stay and help clean up in the cafeteria if he saw that I was short on students helping. He was considerate of others’ feelings and tried to include other students that might otherwise not be part of a group.”
And Jesuit’s Earsing said Spieth will be an inspiration for students, parents and teachers in Dallas Catholic schools.
“I think it’s a hope of everybody who works in Catholic education that you see somebody who is achieving at such a high level, who is also a wonderful model for our students,” Earsing said. “Jordan is just the common man who achieves greatness through the blessings and talent God has given him to the maximum.”
(Copyright © 2014 Catholic News Service/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news services may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to, such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method in whole or in part, without prior written authority of Catholic News Service.)
(Gonzales is a staffer writer for The Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Dallas. Texas Catholic staff writer Cathy Harasta contributed to this report.)

STAR student, teacher honored

GREENVILLE – St. Joseph School senior Katherine Anne Terracina has been named as a STAR Student for the 2014-2015 school year by the Mississippi Economic Council’s M. B. Swayze Educational Foundation, sponsor of the STAR program.

Terracina

Terracina

Terracina, a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta, will be honored during the annual Education Celebration on April 30, at the Jackson Convention Center in downtown Jackson.
In addition, she has been a member of the school’s tennis team, where she holds the 2014 1A State Championship Girls Doubles Title and Team Championship Title, awarded All-American Cheerleader and serves as Captain of the Cheerleading Squad and Co-Captain of the Soccer Team.
Terracina is a member of St. Joseph Parish where she volunteers as a lector.

DeAngelo

DeAngelo

Each Star student can honor one teacher who has had an impact on his or her school experience. Terracina designated Celeste DeAngelo as her STAR teacher. DeAngelo has a masters in math from Delta State University. She has taught for 32 years, 14 of those at St. Joseph in the discipline of math, including AP calculus and college algebra.
DeAngelo is the sponsor of Mu Alpha Theta and the winning Math Competition Team. She is the former sponsor of National Honor Society.

St. Joseph students honored

MADISON –St. Joseph High School took home a record 61 awards from the 2015 Mississippi Scholastic Press Association Convention on the campus of the University of Mississippi – including four statewide honors and 22 first-place awards – for student work on the newspaper and yearbook. Last year, St. Joseph took home 33 awards.
Journalism teacher Terry Cassreino, a longtime Mississippi journalist, was named yearbook adviser of the year. The Bear Facts, the student newspaper, was named best high school newspaper for the third straight year. And The Shield, the school’s yearbook, took third place among high school yearbooks.
“These awards show what hard work and dedication can produce,” St. Joe principal Keith Barnes said. “Our talented students have worked hard on the newspaper, the yearbook and our streaming Internet sports radio station – and their efforts show.
“Our journalism students and our student media program are examples of what we do best at St. Joe,” Barnes said. “Mr. Cassreino is a dedicated, experienced teacher who has guided a group of talented, hardworking, determined students – helping them perform to their maximum ability.”
Junior Jack Hall received the Orley Hood Sports Writer of the Year award for the second straight year. Hall is serving as a U.S. Senate page this semester.
Junior Joseph “JoJo” Katool Jr. was named Broadcast Staffer of the Year for his work calling varsity football games live on Bruin Sports Radio, St. Joe’s streaming Internet radio station.
Junior Noah Greene was named Newspaper Staffer of the Year for his leadership role in guiding the publication of The Bear Facts. Greene serves as managing editor of the newspaper; he also is a member of the St. Joseph Speech and Debate Team and will serve this year as lieutenant governor at Mississippi Youth & Government Youth Legislature.
The journalism awards capped a full day Thursday, March 26, for more than 500 high school students from 32 schools across the state who attended the MSPA annual convention. St. Joseph took a delegation of 12 students to this year’s event.
Cassreino, in his fourth year at St. Joseph and third leading the journalism program, was named Yearbook Adviser of the Year – one year after being named Newspaper Adviser of the Year. Cassreino began teaching in 2011 after more than 27 years as a media consultant and an award-winning political reporter, political columnist and editor at Mississippi newspapers. See the full list of winners on www.mississippicatholic.com.
At the annual Mississippi Junior Classical League convention, 33 of St. Joe’s finest Latin scholars journeyed to Millsaps College in Jackson on Friday, March 20, to attend the annual Mississippi Junior Classical League convention for a day of classical competition, academic tests, triumphal processions, and Latin cheers.
There they joined over 250 Latin students from ten different schools. St. Joseph students earned 23 awards in mythology, vocabulary, Latin mottoes, phrases and abbreviations, grammar and reading, history, classical omnibus, videos, maps and charts.

Youth Briefs & Photo Gallery

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BATESVILLE – St. Mary Parish youth will gather for dinner on Wednesday, May 6, from 6 – 7 p.m.

GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph Parish youth are advise about a summer mission trip, “Alive in You” in Mobile, Ala, on July 7-12. Details: Patti, 601-540-7635, patti@stjosephgluckstadt.com.

PEARL – St. Jude Parish children three years through sixth grade are invited to sing in the choir for First Communion on May 17, at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. Practices will be held on Wednesdays, May 6 and 13, at 5:30 p.m. in the choir room.

SEARCH Retreat has been postponed until November 2015.

St. Anthony welcomes new principal

By Maureen Smith
MADISON – St. Anthony School will have a new principal for the 2015/2016 school year, Jim Bell. Bell, a native of Cambridge, Mass., has spent his whole career in Catholic education, working at schools in Rochester, NY, and Huntsville, Ala. The students, faculty, parents and staff at St. Anthony School welcomed Bell the week of March 16, when he visited his new school.
“I was impressed with the academic record and the arts program at St. Anthony,” said Bell. He said he and his wife, who is from New Orleans, had been looking to move closer to the Crescent City when he saw the job opening at St. Anthony. “When I came to visit I just fell in love with the school and the people there,” he added.
A search committee spent months deciding what kind of leader the school might need and looking for the right fit for the community. Mike Kelly, who has two daughters at St. Anthony was on that committee. He said he wanted someone who could maintain both the academic excellence and Catholic identity of St. Anthony.
“Academic excellence is important, but so is the Catholic identity. You have to have both and I feel you can have both,” he explained. He said the committee liked Bell’s track record and felt like he was a good fit for the whole school community. “I wanted to find someone who could really move the school forward and that’s who we found,” said Kelly.
Bell and his family will move to the Madison area this summer and he will start work in July.

Youth Briefs & Gallery

AMORY St. Helen Parish CYO supper will be on Sunday, April 19, at the home of Tim and Shannon Trautman.
GREENVILLE – St. Joseph Parish EDGE program for youth in sixth-eighth grades will meet Saturdays, April 11 and 18, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Themes to be discussed are divine mercy and facing final judgement. Dinner will be provided.
– Life Teen youth (ninth -12th grades) will meet on Sundays, April 12 and 19 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Dinner will be provided. Themes to be discussed are Will you go to Prom with me? and News feed: Media and the eighth commandment.
Details: Therese Seghers, tseghers@stjosephgreenville.org.
JACKSON – Dates and registration for the next SEARCH retreat have been changed. The retreat will be held May 8-10 instead of the original date of May 29-31. The retreat will be at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman. Registration deadline has been moved to Wednesday, April 8.
SEARCH is a Catholic retreat for juniors and seniors throughout the Diocese of Jackson. Cost is $120. Details: www.jacksonsearch.com.
MADISON –  Boys in kindergarten through sixth grade can participate in the Junior Bruin Baseball Camp set for Sunday, April 12, from 1 – 4 p.m. at D.M. Howie Field on the school campus. Cost is $25 per camper. The camp is open to beginner and experienced ball players. Participants should bring a glove, hat, bat and water bottle.
TUPELO – St. James Parish youth are invited to “Spirit Night” Wednesday, April 8, from 4 – 8 p.m.

DEANERY V – The Glenmary Home Missioners are sponsoring a Catholic Camp for children in northeast Mississippi. The camp for boys and girls ages 8-11 is June 14-20 and for boys and girls ages 12-14 is June 21-27.
This is a residential, over-night camp that includes daily Mass, sports art and opportunities to meet other Catholic children in north Mississippi. The cost is $100 per week. Scholarships and reduced fees are available. Application deadline is June 7. Details: Father Tim Murphy, 662-304-0087, campglenmary@juno.com.

MADISON St. Joseph School senior Sophia Cosmich has been named a STAR student, and longtime English teacher Linda King has been named a STAR teacher.
Cosmich will be honored during the annual Education Celebration on Thursday, April 30, at the Jackson Convention Center in downtown Jackson.
Star students are selected on the basis of academic excellence. Both ACT scores and scholastic averages are compared to determine the school’s STAR Student.
“The STAR program encourages and promotes academic achievement among Mississippi’s high school seniors,” said Vickie Powell, senior vice president of foundations. Each STAR student is asked to designate a STAR Teacher, the teacher who has made the greatest contribution to the student’s scholastic achievement.

Winning season: Players learn life lessons

This story could be about how the Sacred Heart Flames 7/8 basketball team went from a 0-20 record last year to a 12-7 record this season, but it is not. I would like to say that through hard work and perseverance they won the Bishop’s Tournament, but they did not. As a matter of fact, what these young men did will never show up in a trophy case or on a banner hanging in the gym. What they did went unnoticed by hundreds of people every week over a period of three months.
What these young men did was let the Sacred Heart of Jesus shine through them to transform an unexperienced, somewhat awkward boy with Autism into a driven young man who go to become part of a team. The young man is question is my son, Matthew, and his story goes something like this.
While we were at Sacred Heart School registering Matthew’s brother, Kieran, for soccer Matthew saw a sign about basketball and said he wanted to play. I spoke with Coach Jones who said when the time comes he knew just the team for Matthew. Since Matthew is home schooled I thought he would forget about basketball but he did not, neither did Coach Jones.
When the day for his first practice came we had to go buy new shoes and shorts, Nike of course, and rush to practice. On the way I explained to Matthew that the boys on this team will not be like what he is used to. These boys do not have Autism, Downs Syndrome or use a wheelchair like the other kids he is used to playing with at Field of Dreams. These boys are what we call “typicals” and do not have any disabilities.
I asked Matthew if he wanted to tell the other boys about his Autism or did he want me too. “I will let you know,” he said. To my surprise that conversation never took place and the boys on the team soon became more than just “typicals” or strangers, they became his mentors, his teammates and his friends.
Coach Micah said he had rather coach an entire team of Matthews – who had desire to learn – than a team of experienced kids, not much teaching required there.
Each night after practice we would stop by a local fast food restaurant for a vanilla shake (no whip cream or cherry) and a sweet tea. It became a ritual. We would talk about practice, his new friend Coach Micah and the players who helped Matthew that night. He would end by saying “It was a good night.”
From the first practice Matthews’s enthusiasm and determination to learn was very apparent and infectious. Even though he could not run as fast, jump as high, dribble at all, or shoot very well he was quickly becoming an inspiration. I have never been more proud.
As the season went on the practices got harder. One night Matthew was slammed to the floor while getting a rebound. Then he ran into a stack of folding chairs while chasing down the ball. Finally, he was hit in the face by a stern and quick pass. I thought we were going to be leaving for sure but after some cold water on his face and a little pep talk from dad, Matthew was back on the court.
My son began to get more game time as our team scored more points. Matthew would get nervous and miss his shots but it was a team effort. Everyone wanted him to score. It was not until the last tournament that I realized how much the team meant to Matthew.
During a previous tournament the game was so close Matthew did not get to play. Coach Micah apologized to Matthew and me for not getting him in to the game. I understood the hard choice that was made but I was not sure if Matthew did, even though he said it was okay.
On the way to the Bishop’s Tournament I told Matthew that there may come a time that Coach Micah may need to keep the older more experienced boys in the game. I asked Matthew if he wanted to sit out or have me ask coach to put him in. Matthew began shaking his hands in frustration saying, “I hate these decisions.” There is no easy answer. After about 30 seconds Matthew turned and looked at me and said, “I want my team to win.”
I got a lump in my throat as I hugged Matthew and told him how proud I was. Matthew did get to play in the remaining games, even the last one where we lost. Just being on the court was a win in our book.
Under Coach Micah’s leadership the 7/8 grade boys not only had a great season but they became more attuned to the needs, desires and dreams of those who live in this world we call Autism.
Since the season’s completion Coach Jones and Coach Micah began coaching kids from Special Olympics on Monday night and Matthew is right there with them. This is Matthew’s first year to be involved with Special Olympics but he is no longer new to basketball.
I wanted to recognize the players and coaches that made such a big impact on my son Matthew and our entire family. Thank you Coach Jones for allowing Matthew to play in your program and for your dedication to all our children. Thank you Coach Micah, Matthew’s mentor and friend for all that you do to inspire and teach our children. To the young men on the team, thank you for being the hands, feet, voice and heart of Jesus Christ on and off the court. Remember, Go Flames – Go Matthew!
(Jeff Bell is a member of Olive Branch Queen of Peace Parish. He is the father to six children in a big, loving blended family. Two of his children attend Southaven Sacred Heart School.)

Youth Briefs & Gallery


JACKSON – St. Richard School students will lead the Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 27, at 2:15 p.m. in the church.

MADISON – St. Joseph School students will stage the smash hit musical “The Little Shop of Horrors” in the St. Joe Fine Arts theater Thursday and Friday, March 26-27, at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 28.
– The school’s grandparents Mass honoring grandparents of ninth-through 12th-graders will be celebrated on Friday, March 27, at 9:15 a.m. in the Fine Arts theater.

MERIDIAN Council 802 of the Knights of Columbus is offering scholarships to the children and/or grandchildren of members of the council. The $500 awards are based on academic achievement and financial need to be used at their college of choice. The application is available at their website, kofc802.org. Previously awarded students need to submit only a recent college transcript. Details: Tom Zettler, 601-482-7350. Application deadline is May 1.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica youth rehearsal for the Seder Supper Sunday, March 22, from 4 – 4:45 p.m. followed by a presentation by Lisa Ward on unleavened bread, snacks and social time. All sixth-8th graders are welcome.
– Living Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday, March 29, at 5 p.m. The program will begin in front of St. Mary Basilica and will move throughout the downtown area.

Cross Connections features national speakers

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MADISON — One hundred-twenty students and more than 30 youth ministers, pastors and catechists gathered Saturday, Feb. 28, at Madison St. Joe High School for Cross Connections, I’m Catholic and I mean it. The convention, sponsored by the Office of Youth Ministry,

Brian Topping pours flour on Dalton Haynes of Tupelo St. James as part of an exercise in making informed choices.

Brian Topping pours flour on Dalton Haynes of Tupelo St. James as part of an exercise in making informed choices.

had break-out sessions for teens and adults including a talk on vocations led by Father Matthew Simmons, Vocations Director and seminarians Aaron Williams and Mark Shoffner. The teens heard from a former contestant on “America’s Top Model,” a youth leader from Iowa and a rap artist from the West Coast.
The gathering was designed to give the teens from across the diocese encouragement in their faith and give the youth leaders some resources and help them get to know one another better so they could share ideas and help one another.

Youth leaders from Jackson St. Therese enjoy the dinner prepared by Jimmy Stringer. (Photos by Maureen Smith and Kathie Curtis).

Youth leaders from Jackson St. Therese enjoy the dinner prepared by Jimmy Stringer. (Photos by Maureen Smith and Kathie Curtis).

The morning session featured Leah Durrow, former reality television contestant who says her time on America’s Top Model led to a conversion experience.
In the afternoon, Brian Topping spoke about how he had just arrived in Jackson when he got into a conversation with a clerk at the rental car company about Catholicism in Mississippi. He used the story as a way to point out that opportunities to be a proud Catholic abound.
In the evening Joe Melendrez, who had to drive from Dallas to get to the convention when his flight was cancelled, let the students in a spirited musical presentation which included stations of the cross. Melendrez is best known for his ‘rosary rap,’ which he wrote for teens.

Kathy Elliot from West Point Immaculate Conception shows her Catholic pride on her shirt.

Kathy Elliot from West Point Immaculate Conception shows her Catholic pride on her shirt.

Youth office coordinator Kathie Curtis expressed her gratitude for all the speakers, volunteers, attendees and Catholic Extension, who made the conference possible.

A youth leader leads an ice-breaker called 'screech/turbo.'

A youth leader leads an ice-breaker called ‘screech/turbo.’