Category Archives: Youth

Youth Briefs & Gallery

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GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph Parish youth will host a movie and popcorn night in the new trailer in Canton on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 6 – 8 p.m.  Get info on direct Gospel Service Hours opportunities. Details: patti@stjosephgluckstadt.com, 601-540-7635.
MADISON The St. Joseph School junior class is raffling a Weber grill. Tickets are $10 each and are available through any 11th grade student and also can be purchased at home football games. The drawing will be on Oct. 30, the last home football game. Proceeds will fund the junior/senior prom on April 18, 2015.
– The Parent Association is hosting a fall used uniform sale Saturday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the school library. Gently used uniforms can be left at the school office labeled “Used Uniform.” Details: henryandpaula@bellsouth.net.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick Parish, CYM Halloween party on Sunday, Oct. 19, from 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. in the Family Life Center.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, multi-parish Youth Day, Sunday Oct. 26. Events start at 1 p.m. concluding with Mass at 4 p.m. followed by a light supper, music, praise, worship and testimonial by Jason Romero of Source and Summit Ministries. Cost is $8 per person.
RIDGELAND Holmes Community College will offer ACT workshops in Jan. 31 and April 11, 2015. Details: Katrina Myricks, 601-605-3339, kmyricks@holmescc.edu.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King Parish, Halloween party with a haunted house for children, Thursday, Oct. 31, from 6 – 8 p.m. Games are free. Haunted House cost 25¢. Volunteers, adults, youth (grades 6th-12th) needed to run games. Details: 601-445-5616, stmaryyouth@cableone.net

VICKSBURG School will name the field house at Farrell Stadium, Friday, Nov. 7, at halftime of the football game against Greenville St. Joseph. The field house will be named  after Coach Jimmy Salmon honoring him for his almost 40 years of instructing and coaching at St. Aloysius School.

Students, dyslexia therapists uncover potential

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By Kacey Matthews
Although strides are being made to educate people about dyslexia, many still misunderstand what dyslexia is. Dyslexia is defined as “a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin.  It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.
Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge,” (Lyon, Shaywitz, and Shaywitz, 2003).

Kacey Matthews and a student at St. Anthony School in Madison use ‘coding,’ part of an Orton-Gillingham-based program of dyslexia therapy. Dyslexia affects 80 percent of those identified with learning disabilities, but students can still excel with the right therapy. (Photo by Jennifer Kelemen)

Kacey Matthews and a student at St. Anthony School in Madison use ‘coding,’ part of an Orton-Gillingham-based program of dyslexia therapy. Dyslexia affects 80 percent of those identified with learning disabilities, but students can still excel with the right therapy. (Photo by Jennifer Kelemen)

The good news is that with a trained therapist and the correct therapy, such as the Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy, dyslexic children can succeed in school and then in whatever field they choose to pursue.
In 2012, the state of Mississippi passed a law which made kindergarten and first grade dyslexia screenings mandatory for public schools. This is where many of the schools in the Diocese of Jackson are ahead of the curve. Not only are they providing screenings, but some have Mississippi Department of Education certified dyslexia therapists on campus servicing students during school hours.
“Children with dyslexia are highly intelligent, and my son is no exception. But, the right dyslexia therapy and therapist are so important for their success. Having to do therapy after school is extremely hard for the child and the family,” said Krista Andy, a parent of a child with dyslexia. “The progress our son has made by seeing a dyslexia therapist four days a week during school is invaluable to our family. Every dyslexic child should be able to experience what St Anthony provides,” she added.
At St. Anthony School, students are seen individually or in groups three to five times a week which is recommended by the latest research. The students receive intensive intervention using an Orton-Gillingham-based program. The program is open to students from kindergarten through sixth grade, and is year-round. The students continue their therapy at the school four times a week for six weeks in the summer.
“Year-round intervention helps to limit summer regression,” said Joanna Johnson, the speech language pathologist at St. Anthony, as well as the parent of a dyslexic child enrolled in the program. “When struggling students finally experience success, the therapy becomes personally motivating, and many even decide they like to read. Consistency and frequency of the correct interventions are the keys to unlock any students’, like my child’s, full potential,” she said.
Having a full-time therapist on staff creates a cohesive learning environment allowing for transfer of skills from dyslexia therapy to the classroom. “In this way the therapist and the classroom teacher have daily opportunities for communication about the student. Younger students, especially dyslexic students, who have worked hard all day are very tired after school hours. They retain much more information when therapy is offered during (class time),” said Cathy Lutz, a first grade teacher at St. Anthony.
Jackson St. Richard and Madison St. Joseph schools also have dyslexia therapy programs. Administrators believe including them helps ensure each child finds success no matter their difference.
(Kacey Matthews is the resident dyslexia therapist at St. Anthony School. She will be presenting on K-5 Literacy Strategies for the Dyslexic Learner at the upcoming October Dyslexia Seminar at Mississippi College.)

Youth Briefs & Gallery

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CLEVELAND The Catholic Student Association meets on the campus of Delta State University in the Union, 302-A, on Tuesdays, at 6:30 p.m.Feel free to “eat & run.” Details: Natalie Hardesty, 228-861-7253.

GRENVILLE Sacred Heart Parish council will award $500 scholarships to children who attend either Lourdes or St. Joseph school. Application forms are in the rear of the church.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick Parish ninth-12th graders meet Sunday, Oct. 5, at noon in the Family Life Center. All are encouraged to attend and bring a friend.

NATCHEZ Cathedral School will induct the school’s charter members into the Science National Honor Society, Monday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. at St. Mary Basilica. A short reception to follow in St. Therese Hall.

OXFORD St. John Parish Catholic students (freshmen-grad school) are invited to apply for the 2014 Jane Cassisa Scholarship which awards $3,000 toward their studies at the University of Mississippi.
The scholarship is granted to a Catholic student who lives out the virtues of justice, piety and holiness in their lives. Deadline for application is Oct. 15. Details: www.stjohnoxford.org.

VICKSBURG Catholic School Class of 2000 will have its reunion Saturday, Oct. 4, with a family day at Glenwood Circle Park, Mass at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul Parish followed by supper at River  Towne Grille and cocktails at The Upper End.
– St. Aloysius Class of 2004 will have its reunion the weekend of October 25. Details: Katie Farris Myers, at katiefarrismyers@gmail.com or Laura Beth Lyons Strickland, blyons911@gmail.com.

Pope leads global student hangout

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By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The wisdom of “It takes a village to raise a child” has been lost as kids are either overprotected by permissive parents or neglected, Pope Francis said. “The educational partnership has been broken” as families, schools and society are “no longer united together for the child,” he said Sept. 4 after holding his first Google Hangout — a live video conversation — across five continents with teenagers who belong to the international network of “Scholas occurentes,” uniting students of all faiths and cultures.

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Pope Francis video chats with a Salvadoran student in the gang-infested neighborhood of La Campanera, San Salvador, Sept. 4. (CNS photo/ Jose Cabezas, Reuters)


Parents and teachers used to stick together to teach kids important values, the pope said, recalling when he got into trouble in the fourth grade. “I wasn’t respectful toward the teacher, and the teacher called my mother. My mother came, I stayed in class and the teacher stepped out, then they called for me,” he told a group of educators and experts involved with the worldwide Scholas network.
“My mom was really calm. I feared the worst,” he said. After getting him to admit to his wrongdoing, his mother told him to apologize to the teacher. The pope said he apologized and remembered “it was easy and I was happy. But there was an ‘Act Two’ when I got home,” insinuating stiffer punishment had followed.
However, today, “at least in lots of schools in my country,” if a teacher notes a problem with a student, “the next day, the mother and father denounce the teacher,” he said. The family, schools and culture have to work together for the well-being of the child, he said. People have to “rebuild this village in order to educate a child.”
All of society also needs to help children and young people who are homeless, exploited, victims of violence or without any prospects, he said. The pope pointed the blame on today’s “culture of disposal” and “the cult of money” for creating and perpetuating adults’ apathy to or complicity in the mistreatment of kids.
This is why “it’s very important to strengthen bonds: social, family and personal ties” with kids and young adults, and create an environment that helps them approach the world with “trust and serenity.” Otherwise, kids will be “left only with the path of delinquency and addiction,” he said. The pope’s comments came at the end of an afternoon encounter to launch scholas.social — a new social network for students from all over the world to cooperate on environmental and social causes, sport and art initiatives, and charitable activities.
The Scholas initiative was begun in Buenos Aires and supported by its then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, who also used to teach high school when he was a young Jesuit priest. When he became pope, he asked fellow Argentine Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, to expand the network’s reach and impact. With a small digital camera and studio lights aimed at him in the Vatican synod hall, the pope took questions from five Scholas members, who were linked in from Australia, Israel, Turkey, South Africa and El Salvador.
The pope urged the young people to build bridges through open and respectful communication, in which they listen carefully to others and exchange experiences, ideas and values.
(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.)

Youth Briefs

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CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories Parish, altar server training on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. for all current and new servers in fourth grade and up. Details: 662-846-6273.
COLUMBUS Annunciation, CYO blast off, Sunday, Sept. 21, from noon – 3 p.m. at Lake Lowndes. Details: Maria Dunser, 662-328-2927, ext. 12.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph Parish youth are encouraged to assist with game booths at Germanfest on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

PEARL St. Jude Parish youth in seventh-12th grade are invited to a special Respect Life event Saturday, Sept 27, at 9 a.m. Participants will work with the Knights of Columbus to prepare life crosses for October. After lunch the youth will go to Mac and Bones for a round of miniature golf.

RIDGELAND Holmes Community College  will offer ACT workshops on Saturday, Oct. 18, and on Jan. 31, and April 11, 2015. Details: Katrina Myricks, 601-605-3339, kmyricks@holmescc.edu.

TUPELO St. James Parish hosts “Freshman Forecast: The Journey Begins” a discussion session for seniors, Sunday, Sept. 28, from 2 – 6 p.m. in the CYO room. Details:  Dawn Steinman, 662-842-4881.

SENATOBIA The Northwest Mississippi Community College Catholic Student Association meets at 5:30 p.m. on the last Monday of the month at the McClendon Building, Room 130. Membership is open to students on any Northwest campus. Details: LaJuan Tallo, 662-816-1129.

St. Joseph junior named U.S. Senate page

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MADISON – St. Joseph School junior Jack Hall was selected to serve as a page to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran during the spring semester. Hall is the first St. Joe student to receive such an honor. He will serve in the Senate from mid-January through mid-June 2005.

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As a Senate page, Hall will attend classes in the Senate Page School from 6:15 – 9:30 a.m., or one hour before the Senate meets. Pages report for duty and work until about 5 p.m. or until the Senate adjourns for the day.
The Senate page program is limited to juniors who maintain a 3.0 or higher grade point average.
At St. Joseph, Hall has been active with the Speech & Debate team and currently serves as sports editor of The Bear Facts, the school’s student newspaper.
Last spring, he was named the first recipient of the Orley Hood Sports Writer of the Year Award sponsored by the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. The award was named after the late Orley Hood, a popular, longtime sports columnist with The Clarion-Ledger.

Youth Briefs

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BATESVILLESt. Mary Parish, Youth Get 2 gathering for youth in grades eighth-12, Saturday, Sept. 13, from 1 – 3:30 p.m. in the parish center. Monthly youth dinner, Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 6 – 7 p.m.

COLUMBUS Annunciation, CYO blast off, Sunday, Sept. 21, from noon – 8 p.m. at Lake Lowndes. Details: Maria Dunser, 662-328-2927, ext. 12.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph Parish youth kick-off Mass, Sunday, Sept. 7, at 5 p.m. followed by cookout, music and games under the pavilion. Parents can come to the parish hall to sign paperwork, pick up calendar and ask questions.

– Calling all third-fifth grade boys to join St. Anthony’s fourth and fifth grade football teams. You do not have to be a student of St. Anthony School. Details: Trey Endt, 601-497-9505.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, kick-off party for youth groups, Sunday, Sept. 7, in the Family Life Center Youth Wing as follows: KCYO (grades 3-5) 3 – 4:15 p.m.; JCYO (grades 6-8) 4:30 – 6 p.m.; CYO (grades 9-12) 5:30 – 7 p.m.

– Children ages four to second grade are invited to a pizza party Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 5:30 in the Family Life Center. St. Mary Kids meets once a month for a short lesson and fun.

– Altar servers training for new youth, Sunday, Sept. 7, at 3 p.m. in the church. Altar servers must be seventh grade and older and must have received the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist.

SENATOBIA The Northwest Mississippi Community College Catholic Student Association meets at 5:30 p.m. on the last Monday of the month at the McClendon Building, Room 130. Membership is open to students on any Northwest campus. Details: LaJuan Tallo, 662-816-1129.

Principals participate in international collaboration

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By Laura Grisham
Principals Bridget Martin of Southaven Sacred Heart and Clara Isom of Holly Springs Holy Family schools attended the third International Meeting of Dehonian Educators (IMDE) July 21-25 in Valencia, Spain, on behalf

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of International Meeting of Dehonian Educators (SHSM), which supports those schools. ESIC, a multi-campus business school operated by the Spanish Province of the Sacred Heart Brothers and Fathers (SCJ), hosted the weeklong gathering.

Education is a priority of the SCJs , translated from the hopes their founder, Father Leo John Dehon, to have an impact on people and society through education.
The title given to this year’s conference was “Educare: Sint Unum.” The Latin ‘educare’ was used because of their desire to educate the whole person, and ‘sint unum’ to remind the educators that they are all a part of one project.

Isom

The IMDE’s objective is to network and collaborate: to get to know one another, to work on the formation of the Dehonian identity as it applies to the schools and to share resources. All of the educators at local, national and international levels spent the week discussing ideas on how to promote the ideas and a Dehonian curriculum to the students, parents and teachers in our schools.
“You gotta know your history,” said Isom. “Education was his (Father Dehon’s) focus. He sent out his people to teach to break the cycle of poverty.”
However, collaborating across continents is not so easy, not to mention the variety of educational institutions from pre-school, middle and high school, to technical schools, seminaries and universities. Each institution, though striving to teach the same charism (any gift that flows through God’s love to humans), has unique ways to accomplish the mission in their respective cultural and institutional setting. Coming together to share strengths and innovations creatively solves many problems. And that was the focus of the gathering—to draw from one another’s strengths and shared identity.082214photos19
The master plan drawn up to achieve the conference objectives gives a communications hierarchy to educators on a provincial, regional, district and school level. Using technology and the web in particular, all will interact and be able to share in the ideas, projects and events to come. All educators and students will have access to this site.
The principals plan to incorporate more activities at the schools surrounding the Catholic Dehonian ideas and traditions. Each school hopes to effectively be drawn towards the larger common goal.
One way that the US Provincial group suggested coming together was to emphasize feast days for their respective schools — St. Martin, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Holy Family, the Sacred Heart and St. Joseph. Retreats, in-services, combined school events and a host of other things are in the planning stages.
(Reprinted with permission from “… from the Heart,” the newsletter for SHSM.)

Oxford teens travel to conference

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Twenty young adults from Oxford St. John the Evangelist walk to their dorms after a seven-hour road trip to the Franciscan University Steubenville Mid-America Conference sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis at Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri. An estimated 3,700 Catholic teens attended three days of work sessions, participated in worship services and listened to noted Catholic motivational speakers all with the purpose of discovering a new relationship with Christ and the Catholic Church. The Theme for the Conference was “God is …..” based on the writings of Isaiah, 12:2 and the exhortation of Pope Francis for “a renewed personal encounter with Jesus.” (Photo by Mary Leery)