Excitement was in the air today at our annual Paws for Pride spirit day! Throughout the year, students have been working tirelessly and passionately to gain spirit points for their class. This week, they completely transformed their hallways to represent their themes. Today was the culmination of events in the Academy Center when each class competed in a friendly competition of games, class skits and cheers. It was a day filled with Jaguar spirit and plenty of fun!

This year, the Paws for Pride winner is the Class of 2022! Congratulations to the Seniors, as well as all of the students for the hard work put into this unmatched spirit day.

Click here to see the hallways for each class. To see photos from today’s festivities, click here.

Congratulations to the 42 Juniors and Seniors who were inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS) this past Monday, April 25.

The ceremony began with a welcome and roll call from Saint Joseph Academy chapter president Mary Gassman ’22 and progressed with the history of NHS, a candle lighting ceremony and an induction address given by Principal Mr. Jeff Sutliff.

Last week, Junior Alphonsine Camara was awarded the Ideastream Public Media (NPR Radio) NewsDepth “A+ Award.” NewsDepth is an interactive digital series that breaks down big news stories into teachable lessons for students. The series includes segments on educational topics such as science, civics, Ohio history and art. Each week, Ideastream Public Media gives out an “A+ Award” to a positive student, classroom or school achievements and activities.

All students enrolled in an AP® course are required to take the Advanced Placement® Exam at Saint Joseph Academy Monday, May 2-Friday, May 13. The fee is $96 per exam (check or money order made out to Saint Joseph Academy). Payments can be dropped off in the Main Office in the Academy building by May 13th. Click here to read the detailed information your daughter received this week.

Contact Assistant Principal for Academics Mrs. Alison Morgan, amorgan@sja1890.org for any questions.

On Wednesday, 13 student-athletes were recognized at the letters of intent college commitment ceremony. Each Jaguar is listed below with the college/university that she will be attending as well as the sport she will be playing.

Kirsten Barrett: Georgia Southern University, Volleyball

Carlee Blankenship: John Carroll University, Cross Country, Track and Field

Anna Duesenberg: Hope College, Cross Country, Track and Field

Ryan Elbert: University of Bridgeport, Basketball

Ava Haddad: Clarion University, Basketball

Emma Hvizdos: John Carroll University, Cross Country, Track and Field

Jordan Kohut: Trine University, Softball

Emma Claire Lambert-Shemo: Wheaton College (Massachusetts), Swimming

Olivia Lopez: Capital University, Softball

Ella Neitzel: Walsh University, Basketball

Nora Roche: Michigan State University, Crew

Cadence Shea: University of North Carolina, Volleyball

Maggie Sweeney: Queens University of Charlotte, Rugby

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and the Paw Prints Store has you covered for finding the pur-fect gift!

Shop online or stop in to pick out some Jaguar spirit wear for your favorite mother, aunt, grandmother or godmother. The store will be open for special hours this Sunday, May 1, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. during the Mother-Daughter Mass and Brunch.

This week, faculty, staff and students practiced moving to secure locations in the event of severe weather. Procedures were reviewed and traffic flows were monitored. We encourage you to talk to your daughter about the importance of remaining quiet during emergency situations in order to hear instructions. Thank you for your support!

The Health Science Honors Program and Engineering & Design Honors Program recently teamed up with Imagine That & More, a creative space located in the Kamms Corner Plaza, for a service project. This past Saturday, they took part in a “Community Sewfest” to create “love bug" pillows that will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House at Fairview Hospital. In the pocket of each pillow, students added a note of encouragement for the patient recipients.

Accomplishments: Alphonsine moved to Ohio with her family in 2019. A native of Guinea, she speaks fluent French and English and excels inside the classroom and beyond. As a result of her accomplishments, Alphonsine was featured in the most recent episode of NewsDepth, a weekly, interactive television program produced by PBS Ideastream. The program breaks down the biggest news stories into teachable lessons for fourth to sixth-grade students. Alphonsine received the “A+ Award” for being a community, academic and athletic leader.

“When I first moved to Ohio, I was determined to get the most out of growing up in America,” she said. Alphonsine is a member of the basketball team at her church and a member of the bowling team at Saint Joseph Academy. “Playing sports is a great way to make new friends and to have fun. But also at Saint Joseph Academy, there is a strong sisterhood, which made it easy for me to get involved with the school and my classmates.”

Additionally, Alphonsine spends time each month volunteering at the May Dugan Center in Cleveland, helping immigrants use computers. “When I first came to the United States, I was attending ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at the May Dugan Center,” she said. “I liked being there because I received so much help and love from the teachers and also had the opportunity to meet amazing people.” That positive experience led her to become involved with their volunteering service because Alphonsine wanted to give others the same help she received. “For me, it’s important to find ways to give back to your community, because the stronger your community is, the happier life will be.They are so lovely to work with and I am lucky to have also learned important things about life from them.”

Activities: Alphonsine’s favorite subject is Chemistry. She is a member of the French Club leadership team, the Asian Culture Club and Voices for Change. Outside of the Academy, Alphonsine is involved with Shelter Helpers and her parish, Saint Colman’s, where she was a member of the choir and also volunteers at its monthly community meal.

The Jaguars came out strong against an undefeated CVCA (7-0) on Tuesday afternoon. Leading the attack for the Jaguars was Grace Mattimore ’22 with 9 goals and 3 assists alongside Elise Larsen ’23 who had 4 goals and 3 assists. Allie Carson ’22 had 5 goals and Sarah Scott ’23 had 3. Macy Roddy ’22 had 2 assists. Gigi Capuano ’22, Jenna Wagner ’23, and Kenzie Koeth ’23 also had assists for the Jaguars. Defensively, Kelsey Niehaus ’23 had 3 ground balls and 1 caused turnover. Anna Davis ’22 had a ground ball and 1 caused turnover and Susie McGowan ’23 had 6 saves in goal. The Jaguars won 21-8! The JV Jaguars also brought home a victory, winning 6-3!

Written by: Head Coach Ms. Laureen Antall; edited by Mrs. Kathy Flinn