Students stage FinnFest

MADISON – St. Richard students get snowcones at FinnFest on Wednesday, Oct. 10. Students at St. Joseph School organized FinnFest to raise money for Finn Blaylock, a six-year-old who is fighting cancer. Finn is a student at St. Richard School while his siblings attend St. Joseph. The Fest included a teacher dunking booth, games, food and a blood drive for Finn. (Photos courtesy of Bruin Journalism class)

St. Joseph stages ‘Curious Savage’

MADISON – St. Joseph School students will present their fall production, “The Curious Savage,’ the first weekend in November. The play, set in a sanatorium, tells the story of wealthy widow Ethel Savage and her greedy relatives, who hope to prove she’s insane to get their hands on her fortune. The action draws in the current residents of the sanitorium and leaves the audience wondering who really has lost their mind.
Students not only perform in the show, but work on the backstage crew, in the lightbooth and do publicity. The poster for the show was designed by St. Joseph junior Aislinn Boggan. The show opens Friday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. with a second show Saturday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. and a closing matinee show Sunday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from https://www.stjoebruins.com/.

Rehearse, St. Joseph fall production, ‘The Curious Savage.’ (Photo courtesy of Joy Dodson)

St. Joe juniors elected Youth Legislature governor, lieutenant governor

00121214legilsatureMADISON – Two St. Joseph Catholic School juniors were elected to the top two leadership spots at the Mississippi Youth and Government 2014 Youth Legislature held Nov. 19-21. Benjamin Payne ran unopposed for governor, while Noah Greene won a two-person race for lieutenant governor. This is the first time that St. Joe students have won and will serve in the top two Youth Legislature leadership positions at the same time.
“This is a great and notable achievement for two outstanding students,” St. Joe Principal Keith Barnes said. “To win the top two elected positions – one unopposed – says a lot about Ben’s and Noah’s leadership skills and their ability to get things done. It also says a lot about the quality of students we have here at St. Joe.”
During the three-day conference, high school students from across the state proposed, debated and voted on legislation in a mock legislative session that took place in the Old Capitol, the War Memorial building and the Marriott in downtown Jackson.
Payne and Greene led a 27-member delegation from St. Joe that attended Youth Legislature this year. Payne and Greene will preside as governor and lieutenant governor over the Junior Youth Assembly in spring 2015 and over Youth Legislature in fall 2015. Junior Youth Assembly is for sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth graders; Youth Legislature is for high school students.