TH E TH UN DER RO L L S - St. James Academy

THE THUNDER ROLLS
March 2012
ROME 2012
Every other Spring Break, junior and senior students are offered the opportunity to go
on the Rome Pilgrimage. This year, 36 students and 6 chaperones visited St. Peter’s
Basilica among other places. There was much joy, laughter and prayer on the entire trip!
One of the highlights was seeing Archbishop Naumann and the nine Regional Archbishops
processing to mass at the Tomb of John Paul II.
ADORATION WITH ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN
On Friday, March 30 students and staff were blessed to be
able to share Adoration with Archbishop Naumann. The
Service began with singing followed by the Gospel reading
with Fr. Scott and the homily from Archbishop Naumann.
He recalled a recent trip to Spain for the World Youth Rally
when the weather turned bad and Pope Benedict left the
stage briefly. But the youth of the world waited patiently in
the rain for the Pope to return. They were clapping and
chanting waiting to see him again. When he did return after
the rain let up, the youth were cheering loudly and so excited.
The highlight for Archbishop Naumann was seeing so many
youth from around the world standing in the rain and waiting
to see the Pope. To The Archbishop, this was a great symbol
of hope for the future of our world and our church.

RAPPIN’ CHAPLAIN
Fr. Scott as the
“Rappin’ Chaplain”
At the Spring Pep Assembly on March 8, SJA’s Chaplain, Father Scott
Wallisch, made good on a recent promise to the students. In
February the communities competed in a Lincoln Jar fundraiser for
Seminarians. Father Scott incented the students to boost their
participation by offering a rap at the next assembly if they raised over
$1,000.
The earnings actually exceeded $2,000 so he donned his favorite
President’s hat and beard, and composed his own rap-style song. The
lyrics were personal to St. James and specific to the cause and
expressed excitement around the upcoming spring break.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES
Congratulations to the following Juniors on their recent induction into the National Honor
Society. Forty-five of the 150 students from the class of 2013 were inducted. To qualify for
NHS, students must maintain a GPA of 96% and must be endorsed by their teachers,
coaches and sponsors on the basis of scholarship, leadership, character and service.
Congratulations to all!
Emily Abraham Katherine Hecht
Kathleen Baldwin Molly Higbie
Emma Brissett Connor Hosty
Samantha Brisson Lesley Kelly
Laura Brown Chris Kohlrus
Brian Buechler Gracy Kubicki
Joseph Burdette Jacob Lewis
Jane Castro Nick Monaldo
Faith Chandler Alison Nielsen
Lindsay Chandler Megan Perkins
Kelly Cosgrove Austin Petz
Jason Curry Anna Pyle
Mary Kate Danaher Michael Quinn
Luke Deggendorf Jamie Radakovich
Michelle Dorsey Paul Rhodes
Bobby Engen Hannah Sanchez
William Englander Sarah Smeltzer
Cole Feldman Erin Stout
Courtney Gammill Sara Swanson
Ian Garnett Alexa VanLerberg
Molly Gillcrist Courtney Voorhees
Elizabeth Grube Aaron Waldeck
Eric Zheng

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
Wednesday April 11 will be the National Signing Day for Spring Sports. If your Senior athlete is signing a letter
of intent with a college and would like to participate in Signing Day, please have them contact Mrs. Snodgrass at
rsnodgrass@sjakeepingfaith.org . The event will be held in the Media Center at 2:40 and families are
encouraged to attend.
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
Guest Speaker Jason Evert will be at St. James Academy on Wednesday, April 11 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. at
the Assembly. Jason holds a Master's degree in Theology and undergraduate degrees in Theology and
Counseling, with a minor in Philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Parents are welcome to
attend. For more information on Jason, please see http://www.catholic.com/profiles/jason-evert.
JUNIOR RETREAT
By: Heath Maginn
“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”
Proverbs 1:23
Each year we go on retreat it gets better and better.
Every school year carries its own joys, sadness, and
stories. Retreat gives us a chance to reflect on these
events and prepare for the ones ahead of us. As the
junior class returns from retreat we are all ready
spiritually, mentally, and physically to lead our
school and continue the traditions that earlier classes have left behind. We come with open hearts and minds to
the 2012-2013 school year hoping that we can lead our school to be a place of love and a place that everyone can
call home.
The junior class would like to thank all the teachers, staff and friends of St. James that helped make our retreat
yet another life changing experience.
SAVE THE DATE
Crimson Club Golf Classic
The Annual Crimson Club Golf Classic is scheduled for June 25 with a noon
shot-gun start at Dubb’s Dread Golf Course in Kansas City, KS. Registration
information will be available soon at our website - www.sjakeepingfaith.org.

St. James Auction
The St. James Academy Annual Auction will be held on Saturday,
October 13, 2012. Update your calendars now for these important
SJA dates! You don’t want to miss out!
TEAM CONNOR DRIVE
NEW THIS SUMMER … ENRICHMENT CAMPS
In the February Parent Newsletter we included a story about Mary Kate Lynch’s
Way and the naming of the circle drive. This month is a continuation of that story
and of Mary Kate’s “Way”.
Last month Mary Kate decided that the name of the circle drive should be
changed to Team Connor in memory of Connor McCullough. Thank you, Mary
Kate, for this generous gift of remembrance for all who enter our building to see.
Registration is now open for the Grade School and High School Summer Camps 2012. See our website at
www.sjakeepingfaith.org for registration forms and important deadlines. “ Experience St. James Academy Summer
Enrichment Camp! The offerings focus on making new friends in a Catholic setting where skills and learning can
take place in a faith-filled relaxing environment. Every child who enrolls in this program will have a great
opportunity to make the most out of summer,” commented Mrs. Engen, Director of Community House System.
St. James teachers and department leaders created new summer camp opportunities to supplement the athletic
camps we’ve offered in past years. “St. James Academy is excited to offer additional summer programs to our
community that further our Mission and commitment to spiritual and academic excellence,” said Mrs. Maddox,
Director of Students Services.
Managing Information Overload will help students with managing technology to enhance their study and
organizational skills. Catholic Leadership Camp offers skill development for junior high students who hope to take
leadership roles in their current school as well as when they reach high school.
High School students also have the opportunity to attend Survival Spanish for the Traveler, as well as “Bridging the
Gap” for incoming freshman to help them prepare for the rigor of high school Spanish courses. There is a Freshman
Annotation Workshop to help incoming 9th graders with the summer reading assignment. Drum Line and Flag
Team will also conduct camps for all high school participants.
Check www.sjakeepingfaith.org under Activities News for details about camps for 6th-8th graders, as well as high
school age students. Please take advantage of these unique programs and sign up early. So that the instructors can
plan for participants, registrations should be submitted by May 22, 2012 unless otherwise noted.

SJA FAMILY HOSTS EXCHANGE STUDENT
By: Moira Reilly
You might be wondering how my family decided to host an exchange student.
The process officially started in January of 2011, when we signed up with
Ayusa (an exchange student program), but it really started years before. In 6 th
grade, my fascination with foreign culture began, particularly Japanese culture.
In fact, I researched Japan for a major paper that year. Since then, my entire
family has become more familiar with their culture. My sister especially has
gotten into Anime along with her friends from school. This was the perfect
setup for a Japanese exchange student to stay with us 3 years later.
Eiri Inaba
We were so excited to finally get to meet Eiri Inaba, with whom I had been an
e-mail “pen pal” for several months. Her hometown in Japan is called Aichi,
which is about two hours West of Tokyo. It’s near a factory that manufactures Toyota cars.
She brought many things from Japan with her, including her
calligraphy set. Eiri taught us how to make sushi and other Japanese
foods. Part of the exchange program asks her to share her culture
with Americans, so she did a presentation at St. James. In Japan,
giving gifts is very common. Eiri brought my family kimonos and
traditional shirts to wear; her parents sent us Christmas presents.
Eiri is 17 years old. She is enrolled as a junior at St. James, and she is
staying for the entire school year. While being here, she is
encouraged to try many things to be involved in American culture,
The Reilly Family takes Eiri sightseeing
and she has done just that. At school, she sings in choir and is also in
jazz band. She is also in my American Sign Language class. Last fall she tried golf, which is not as available in
Japan. (With limited space in Japan, golf is very expensive and usually done on indoor, multi-level courses.) My
family has gone on many road trips this year to show her how diverse America is. Eiri has now been to (or driven
through) 18 states. She’s had many experiences; including: skiing in the Rocky Mountains, seeing alligators in
Florida, going ice skating with a group of exchange students from Ayusa, celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving
with my family (neither of which are very big in Japan) and visiting the stockyards in Dallas (and trying on cowboy
boots!) It’s been such an amazing experience for my entire family.
NEW STUDENT FAIR
All in-coming Freshmen for Fall of 2012 are invited to attend the New
Student Fair on April 18 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the gym. Students will
learn more about our Academics, Faith Formation, Summer Camps,
Clubs, Athletics and Activities. Bring your 2012 Freshman out to enjoy
another opportunity to get together with friends and make new friends
with their classmates from the Class of 2016.
Colleen Pikus, Mary Engen, Christina Colling

GEARING UP FOR SPRING SPORTS
Baseball - Senior Matt Eckelman was named All-State First Team last season and looks to continue that during the
2012 season. Seniors Stephen Gillespe and Christian Bednar are also included in the starting rotation for SJA
Baseball this spring. Coach Bucklin is preparing the team to face a difficult schedule this year so they will be strong
and ready for the playoffs.
Boys Golf - Last year’s Boys Golf team just missed out at regionals qualifying for state. They are ready to take that
close call to the next level this year! The team is led by Junior Ben Maskus who is a very consistent player.
Newcomers Jack Reilly, Cole Stelzer and Corbin Befort add to the Thunder’s depth this year. Junior Cody Herand
and Senior Logan Fortney round out the varsity rotation for St. James.
Boys Tennis - The Thunder Boys Tennis team has plenty of upperclassmen this year. This level of talent is what
Coach Rebecca Snodgrass is looking toward to help with returning to State this year. Juniors Matthew Bierbaum
and Connor Hosty are the duo that made a strong run to State last year after finishing as runner-up at the Regional
Tournament. In singles, Ian Deggendorf is hoping to improve his rank for the Thunder team. Senior Joe Tinker is
also returning to the court this year.
Girls Soccer - The Girls Soccer team continues to put together their competitive edge over their opponents.
Facing a tough schedule is what the team is hoping will help them reach the 4A State Tournament this year. The
team says goodbye to 10 letter winners from last year but is looking forward to the Senior Ladies from the Class of
2012 to push them into the post-season. Coach Enna is looking for the returning players to work together with all
the newcomers to achieve their third State title in four years. The team won their first outing this spring beating
Meige 1-0. Go Thunder!
Girls Swim Dive - Over 50 girls have gone out for the swim team this season. Coach Kellee Hercules sees a lot of
potential in this group. “This year I’ve seen how helpful they are to each other to try to improve and get everybody
better,” Hercules said. “It’s one of the kindest teams I’ve ever had.” Contributors for the Thunder Swimmers are:
Emily Abraham, Lauren Amrein, Caroline Deggendorf, Augusta Garies, Emily Kippes, Maeve Markey, Augustine
Markey, Brigid Pikus, Hannah Sanchez and Lauren Trupiano. The Divers include: Mary Kate Danaher and
Courtney Gammill.
Track & Field - Coach Rich Weitz is looking forward to the team being another state contender. Weitz hopes that
seniors Austin Krause, Peter Beatty, Thomas Hinkel, Nick Eisenberg, L.J. Burke and Will Frank will all step up to
help the team overall. On the girls side, Marlee Laures, Katie Dulek and Tina Keehn are working hard to fill the
shoes of the graduated seniors.

Girls Softball - This spring is going to be a very exciting time for the St. James softball program. The program has
continued to progress year by year under Coach Elstun and Coach Young. We are returning most of our varsity
team and expect to expand on the accomplishments of last year. We finished the 2011 season with a 22-4 record, the
most wins in school history, won our first sub-state and finished runner-up at State. In the championship game of
sub-state we defeated Santa Fe Trail 7-1 and headed to state for the first time ever in St. James history. At the State
tournament we beat Rose Hill 1-0, scoring in the 7th inning. We then beat an undefeated Girard team in the semifinals,
falling short against Andale in the championship game 2-0.
2012-13 STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Why did you want to be a School Captain?
Kathleen Baldwin: “ St. James has given me more than I can
express, so I wanted to give back and serve them the best I
could”
Connor Hosty: “I wanted to be School Captain because I
wanted to further improve our great community system.”
Aaron Waldeck: “I wanted to have the opportunity to lead
our school, and take the reins from our incredible senior class.”
NEW COMMUNITY DEANS
Congratulations to our two newest Community Deans: Stacey Chik, Dean of St. Benedict and Brian Bucklin, Dean
of St. Gianna Molla!
PROJECT GRAD FUNDRAISER
Help support the 2012 Senior Class Project Grad by ordering your prom flowers from Fru Fru Flowers. A portion
of all sales will be donated to Project Grad. Check out their website at frufruflowers.com or email
sharon@frufruflowers.com. Please place your order by April 14.
SJA Trivia Contest
Aaron Waldeck, Kathleen Baldwin, Connor Hosty
Congratulations to Sara Bierbaum! She correctly answered last months trivia question: What was
the other choice for the SJA School Mascot? Answer: Knights Templar.
March Trivia Question: Who were the first two SJA Staff Members? E-mail your answers to
kstrecker@sjakeepingfaith.org. All (non-employees) who answer correctly will have their name
entered into a drawing for a $20 Spirit Shop Gift Certificate.