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Congratulations to the JPII Class of 2020! Although we gathered under social distancing guidelines, it made for a unique and memorable event. The event was live-streamed for extended families while students and parents celebrated this momentous event together. Graduation speakers included Mrs. Amanda Peper, Kmiec Award recipients Lex Caballero and Madalyn Dye, and Valedictorian Alex Garretson. Thank you to Bishop Spalding, Superintendent Rebecca Hammel, and Mrs. Dana Hanson for organizing this special and unique graduation ceremony for the class of 2020. We also extend a special thank you to Iglesia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus for sharing their space with our community. We are so proud of the graduates of the class of 2020!

Junior Matthew Shipley has been nominated for the 2020 Hands on Nashville Strobel Volunteer Awards for his work, The Bridge Ministry, in downtown Nashville. Matthew has not only been commended by the organization for his dedication and work, but he also impressed the JPII Christian Service Coordinator Libby Byrnes with his thoughtful written reflections about his service experiences. Last fall, Matthew also developed a presentation to help recruit other JPII students for service opportunities at The Bridge Ministry. Finalists for the award will be named on February 20th, and the award program is April 2nd. Tickets for the event go on sale February 20th and are available at www.hon.org

Each Wednesday afternoon, students in Mr. Elfer's Service in Solidarity Innov8 class travel to Glenview Elementary to help students who don't speak English as their first language to learn English and improve their skills during their after school reading club program. "Helping the children is a very fun and fulfilling experience," says sophomore Alvin Aligbe, "because they are so eager to learn and have such positive attitudes." Service in Solidarity is one of many Innov8 courses that include service-learning opportunities for JPII students.

On their pilgrimage to the March for Life in Washington, JPII students visited the shrine dedicated to our namesake, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. Along with attending the March for Life Rally on Friday, with other students from the Diocese of Nashville, they also honored and contemplated the sanctity of human life by visiting sites like the Arlington National Cemetery and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“Faith leads us beyond ourselves.” - Saint John Paul II

JPII’s Sophomore Class gave back to their community at several locations during their Service Retreat, including Moss-Wright Park, Drakes Creek Park, Project Cure, Room in the Inn, and Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency. The Knights helped with landscaping, cleared brush, cleaned ballparks and buildings, washed windows, organized storage facilities, painted buildings, helped with ongoing projects, and had a great time in fellowship with each other. We are appreciative of these organizations for allowing JPII to be a part of their communities!

“Faith leads us beyond ourselves.” - Saint Pope John Paul II

On December 30th, the city of Hendersonville lost MPO Spencer Bristol while he was serving in the line of duty. During our home basketball games in the month of January, the JPII Blue Man Group and the JPII community collected donations for Officer Bristol's family. At the February 4th basketball game, Jack Bender, the leader of JPII’s Blue Man Group, presented Hendersonville Chief of Police Mickey Miller with a check for $2,300 for Officer Bristol's wife Lauren and daughter Eloise as a small gift of appreciation for his sacrifice and service to the Hendersonville community. Thank you Knights!

The JPII Model UN team traveled to the University of Notre Dame, where they participated in diplomatic negotiation to solve some of the world's most pressing concerns, from HIV and AIDS to the use of technology to enhance "Shock" resilience, from cybercrime to climate change, and from immigration reform to refugee crises. Several of our students were able to participate in specialized historical committees including Churchill's War Room, the Dublin Easter Rising, and the Treaty of Versailles. Against stiff competition, several students came away with award recognition: (1) Verbal Accommodations included Madi Bagsby, Patrick Callahan, Dominik Rollins, Harrison Howze, and Carson Blake; (2) Taylor Mayes was awarded Honorable Mention; and (3) Jack Dyer won Best Delegate, the highest honor in any given committee. Congratulations to students for a wonderful last MUN conference!

Congratulations to Jack Dyer, JPII’s 2020 Coming Home King! Jack’s escort was Trista Brantley. Other Senior Coming Home Court Representatives were Patrick Callahan escorted by Roxy Preston, Jackson Cook escorted by Joleigh Whittaker, and Chris Muller escorted by Khushi Patel. Junior Representatives were Kevin Albert escorted by Katie Marquardt and Collin Cox escorted by Lexi Lang. The sophomore representative was Ryan Zikovich escorted by Kira Rogers, and the freshman representative was Colin Cook escorted by Audrey Evans.

JPII’s Model UN team earned the distinction of Best Large Delegation at the recent conference at Appalachian State University. In addition to this accomplishment, these individual and pairs of delegates earned the following awards: Jack Dyer - Best Delegate; Conor Kennard - Outstanding Delegate; Patrick Callahan and Kaylie DuBois - Outstanding Delegates; Madi Bagsby and Maddelyn Konkel Williams - Honorable Mention; Xana Mayfield and Jack Oliphant - Honorable Mention; Nolan Beasley - Honorable Mention; Kennedy Sovine - Honorable Mention. Congratulations to the JPII Model UN team and their sponsor Mr. Messer!

Mason Hickman ‘17 was recognized as a Perfect Game preseason All-American second-team member as a pitcher for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Perfect Game also named the Commodores preseason No. 2 in its Top 25 rankings. Knights Media sports feature writer Michael Martini ‘20, recently caught up with Mason to discuss his experiences in the 2019 College World Series. Visit this link to read the article in The Shield.

Amelia Ehmling '11 is making a name for herself in the world of Music Therapy. Music and helping others has always been a passion for Ehmling. While a student at JPII, she was a member of the Chamber Choir and the founder of One Pretty Dress, (an organization that provides prom dresses and accessories to girls with need in the Hendersonville and Nashville area).

Amelia studied Music Therapy at the University of Louisville and received her undergraduate degree in 2015. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2016 with a master's degree in Music Therapy. She remained in Kentucky after graduation and is currently the Music Therapist for Kentucky Children's Hospital in Lexington.

Ehmling will share her research "Music Therapy with People Experiencing Homelessness" to music therapists from around the world at the 2020 World Congress of Music Therapy Convention in Pretoria, South Africa in July 2020.

Jordan Rippy resides in Washington, D.C., where she is a professor of accounting at Johns Hopkins University.  She received a BA/MA in accounting from Baylor University, worked two years at Ernst and Young in New York/Dallas, and completed her Ph.D. in accounting at the University of Alabama.

Megan Ganschow graduated from Vanderbilt University and earned her MBA from Lipscomb. Megan is a branch manager for Regions Bank in Nashville and recently returned to Vanderbilt University as a color analyst announcer for the Women's Soccer Team. She is married and has a son.

Andrew Gilstrap ‘12 has been busy since graduating with a Master’s in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston’s Moore School of Music. This alumnus of JPII’s choral program has joined the Resident Artist Program at Minnesota Opera and is singing several roles on the main stage, including Der Pfleger for Richard Strauss’ Elektra, Don Basilio in Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Immigration Officer in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, and Masetto in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as covering several roles in the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s Edward Tulane and a more significant role in Don Giovanni. Andrew has worked for several other professional opera companies recently: Wolf Trap Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera in the Heights, and the Ohio Light Opera. He has also done freelance concert work with Dallas Chamber Choir, Denton Bach Society, and Lone Star College. We are proud to claim Andrew Gilstrap as a JPII AlumKnight who started his spectacular and busy career as a musician at JPII. Once a Knight, always a Knight!

Andrew Gilstrap - Minnesota Opera Bio