Welcome to SAINT John Paul II Catholic School!

Our patron has been canonized and it has sent a wave of excitement throughout our community. Signs and logos have been updated, print materials have been rebranded, uniforms have been re-sewn, but mostly, our spirit has

inflated. Pope John Paul II has inspired our students and staff to be kind, hard working saints for years, but SAINT John Paul II has ignited a desire throughout

the community to strive for deeper compassion and kindness.

Our theme this year is “Only Love Creates Good,” spoken by St. John Paul II and embodied in various aspects of our community thus far. For example, Holocaust survivor Jerry Rawicki spoke to the fourth through eighth grade stu-dents about the incalculable impact of love and hope on his life during the war. Further enacting our theme, classes have practiced the Boys Town Skill of “Showing Appreciation” by writing and delivering letters of thanks to staff mem-bers. One of our chaplains, Fr. Michael Sullivan, visited seventh graders to discuss the Passion, reminding the students of Jesus’ unconditional love. We have also expanded last year’s Be a Hero Campaign through a “Rachel’s Challenge” presentation and the middle school’s Friends of Rachel Club, in which they have

created weekly goals for the entire school to increase inclusiveness and integrity.

Our community has been incredibly blessed by St. John Paul II. Since the school’s inception, the students, staff, alumni and supporters have experi-enced our patron’s papacy, passing and canonization, and have never

been more proud to be named St. John Paul II Catholic School.

Same Face, Different Name

The school gathered together in Mass to

celebrate the first ever feast day of St. John Paul II

on October 22nd. Archbishop Emeritus Fiorenza

made the trip out west to be our celebrant for the

joyous occasion, seeking St. John Paul II’s intercession

for the school which has been dedicated to the Saint

since our beginning in 1988. The Student Council led

the readings, the Honor Choir sang the songs, and

the Archbishop delivered a beautiful homily, refer-

encing how St. John Paul II lived out his famous

quote, “Be Not Afraid,” during his papacy. Archbish-

op Fiorenza stated that St. John Paul II believed his

strength came from his nearness to Jesus Christ, which

he viewed as a great privilege.

Although, like Fiorenza, only few in our

community have had the blessing of meeting St. John

Paul II in person, the school feels

an innate closeness to the Saint

who continues to inspire us. We

look forward to countless years

of celebrating our patron every

October 22nd on his Feast Day.

St. John Paul II’s Feast Day

How Well Do You Know St. John Paul II?

Down:

2. The eighth graders

love their visit to __

D.C. every year.

3. Twice we’ve won the

National __ __ Award.

4. The school was ____

in 1988.

5. St. John Paul II’s birth

country.

8. The fifth graders get

to learn about nature

and sleepover at __ __.

10. Mrs. ______ has

been healing boo-boos

for 22 years.

3

4

6

5

7

9

12

Across:

1. Victoria Forkner and Anne Davis chaired the Game Day ___ at the

school this Fall.

6. “Only ____ Creates Good”-St. John Paul II

7. Which bishop granted the opening of SJPII School?

9. Blessed John Paul II was _____ on April 27th, 2014.

11. Pre-K and Kinder classes wash their hands in the _____ trough.

12. Our school mascot.

1

2

8

10

11

Student Life It has been a busy year at SJPII so far, filled with projects, events, field trips and travel! The eighth graders flew to Washington D.C.

a bit early this year, enjoying the shorter lines and cooler weather of October. On a field trip to the Renaissance Festival, the

Middle School Chorale brought light to a rainy day with their beautiful singing. Latest in engineering, our robotics club that had so

successfully competed in Nationals in San Diego last spring has inspired a junior league of sorts. The 4th and 5th grade AWEBOTS

look up to the middle school students and to St. John Paul II with their motto, “Be Not Afraid.” We have been taking activities beyond

the classroom! Our third graders have a tradition of “adopting” seminarians from St. Mary’s, two of whom will be ordained next

year, and another becoming a deacon. Also, a student bought a live Venus Fly Trap and brought it to school to show his 1st grade

classmates science in action! Our students and teachers continue to exceed expectations on and off campus. Keep it up, saints!

Students Accept the Challenge

“You just may start a chain reaction” are the inspiring words of Rachel Joy

Scott that have become her legacy. Rachel was the first victim of the Col-

umbine shootings, and since her death, her family and those she has influ-

enced have been presenting her message of inclusiveness world- wide.

David Hill, a presenter for the organization, travelled to St. John Paul II

from California to spread the idea of a chain reaction of kindness to our

student body. Elementary and middle school students alike were touched

by Rachel’s hope for a more loving community, so they have formed a

“Friends of Rachel Club” that works to put her words into action. Every

week for the year, the school will be presented with a challenge that will

help unify the student body. As students enact the challenges, their names will be written on strips of paper and added to a

paper chain. By the end of the year, the Friends of Rachel Club hopes to wrap this chain around the entire school! More

importantly, the hope is that each link inspires yet another act of kindness so that the chain reaction never ceases to ripple.

Sports Update

The Game Day Gala

held this fall stayed right on

point with the college football sports

theme. With a tailgating trailer and games,

college pennants lining auction tables, game day

inspired grub and a casual feel, our co-chairs Anne Davis

and Victoria Forkner left no fan sulking! The auction gala was held

on campus this year, which contributed to a community feel among our

families and friends. Guests donned their various alma mater’s colors with pride,

but the unanimous love for our burgundy and blue brought everyone together in support

and fellowship for St. John Paul II!

The hard work and effort of our athletes truly paid off this fall! Our Football

team had an undefeated season and played in the GHCAA Championship

Game, but unfortunately lost in a tough battle against St. Vincent de

Paul in the Finals. Our Soccer team made it to the playoffs for the 13th year in a row!

With hearts set on another Championship title while half of the team was in

D.C., 7th graders stepped up to fill their cleats. Sadly, the team lost 4-3

in a shoot-out in the quarterfinals. Both volleyball teams had a

great season. Varsity made it to the GHCAA Semi-finals! Our Cross

Country team participated in the Championship Meet

hosted by St. Laurence in Sugar Land. The boys placed

4th and girls took 5th. We look forward to a

Spring Season of new sports that will

bring about the chance to build

character and skills through

some losses but many

more wins!

ATM LSU

Texas

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Aggies

16th Annual Lauren Lockard Memorial

Run with the Saints 5K

Alumni, friends, families, students and staff joined togeth-

er in support of the Lockard family, the school and the Childhood

Brain Tumor Foundation for the 16th annual race. The Lockards

greatly impacted St. John Paul II, with Lauren being a stand-out

student, and her mother, Marty Lockard, a wonderful teacher for

years. It was a tragic time for the community when Lauren lost her

brave fight against cancer in the fifth grade, but her family and

her legacy have inspired thousands to support cancer research

and our school through the annual Run with the Saints event.

This year, close to 600 runners registered for the 5K,

more than 100 children ran the Kids K, and we received many

donations from individuals and businesses. Overall, the proceeds

exceeded twelve thousand dollars, half of which benefit the

Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation and the rest used for the St.

John Paul II athletic program.

Bernie Weber, a volunteer for the race every year

since its beginning, headed the committee this fall, with numerous

alumni, staff members and supporters assisting him in the effort. In

the brisk air, All Saints Day 2014 provided a beautiful environ-

ment for our runners and volunteers to remember the saint gone

before us. Lauren will continue to be an inspiration for years to

come.

Race Champions:

Female Overall — Chloe Campo

Male Overall — John Yoder

Female Masters — Rebecca Marvil

Male Masters — Alan Mut

Philip Chbeeb ‘03, a contestant on the fourth

season of So You Think You Can Dance and

featured in the Step Up movies, is most

recently the lead dancer in an Ed Sheeran

music video of 2014!

Joseph Drewes ‘10 is playing trombone in

the UT Marching Band. In Mrs. Drewes’ words,

“I hope every parent gets a chance to see

their child this happy.”

MaryAnn England ‘11 is Royalty! She was

crowned Homecoming Queen of St. John XXIII

College Preparatory this fall. MaryAnn is

hoping to stay in Texas for college, with her

sights set on UT in Austin.

Mary Kimmitt ‘03 passed the Bar exam this

Fall. She has been working as an associate

for Alliant Group, and now steps into the

office as a full-fledged lawyer!

Frank Lara ‘10 was the Texas State

Champion cross country runner this fall. Lara

runs for UIL Division 5 which includes the

largest schools in the area! Are the Olympics

perhaps on the horizon?

Charlotte Stevens ‘11 walked the runway at

New York Fashion week this fall for Czar,

Houston-based designer Cesar Galindo’s fall

collection.

Jared Hengst ‘98 And David McJunkin ‘98 biked from Canada to Mexico over the sum-mer, an adventure lasting nearly two months. (And not without a visit from a bear!)

Lauren Lockard

The first alum to return this newsletter with the completed questionnaire AND crossword puzzle (page 1) will receive a $25 gift card!!

We would like to acknowledge the Albert

and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation

for their generous grant of $5,000 last

spring. This donation helped fund the St.

John Paul II Robotics Team's trip to San

Diego for the National Championship in

Legoland, CA. The Foundation's support of

our programs is greatly appreciated!

The Herzstein Foundation Sends our Students to New Heights!

Interested in Admissions for the

2015-2016 School Year? Contact admissions@jp2.org or visit www.jp2.org

for details.

Friday, April 17th

Community Dinner on the SJPII Fischer

Pavilion

Mark your calendars now and plan on joining

your friends for an evening of fun, family and

fellowship!

SAVE THE DATE!