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Congratulations to the JPII juniors who were recently recognized for their writing in the Nashville Cumberland River Compact SLANT Writing Contest.  They submitted short stories, poems, and essays about nature to complement their study of the American Romantic and Transcendentalist literature in English 11 classes.  Two juniors were selected as contest winners:  Camaya Keaton and Kevin Marsh, and nine juniors received an honorable mention:  Kynadie Adams, Avery Gardner, Ethan Hemmelgarn, Abigail Holland, Ethan Hover, Rose McCaslin, Carter Naylor, Joseph Pate, and Riley Smith.

Congratulations to the recipients of the Fall 2020 JPII Excellence in Innovation Awards!

• Introduction to Public Speaking - Andrew Nessari
• Songwriting and Composition through Technology - Ryder Smith
• Introduction to Video Game Design - Conor Patton; Knight Tank: Enterprising Entrepreneurship - Analia Winters, Jake Kellog, Thao Phan, and Ty Lavendar
• Gear it Up! Robotics - Darren Liu and Kehan Patel
• Haiti Love - Anna Puryear, Catherine Pagan, and Joanna Haymart
• Show Me the Money Investment Course (not included in the video) - Simon Whiteley

To hear the full description of their achievements in the video, Innovation Award Winners.

JPII observed All Souls’ Day, also known as El Dio de los Muertos, a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died. The JPII community honored the memories of loved ones by adding personal items to the El Dio de los Muertos display, created by Spanish teacher Mrs. Del Valle and students Trista Brantley and Jayley Simpson. All students had an opportunity to visit the display and attend morning and a sunset Mass followed by a cook-out in the courtyard on this holy day.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Saint John Paul II, pray for us. Amen.

Each year, students in Ms. Phillips' AP European History course simulate an eighteenth-century Enlightenment Salon. Each student in the class adopts a prominent character of the European Enlightenment to portray as authentically as possible through costume, accent, name tags, and presentation of unique ideas. These characters "socialize" with each other, debating and explaining government and politics, religion and toleration, science and natural law, economics and military funding, and social issues related to women, slaves, education, and culture. The project allows students to understand in greater depth what can be gained merely by reading the textbook and the impact that the Enlightenment has made on Western thought and culture.

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

Congratulations to the House of Gregory for winning the 2020 Fall House Games! The Knights enjoyed lunch outside and the beautiful weather as they competed in trivia, soccer, four square, pumpkin decorating, spike ball, ultimate Frisbee, and of course, tug-o-war. Thanks to the House Council for planning an awesome day for us all.

Pope John Paul II High School stands on the belief that education extends beyond the classroom. We want students to build relationships with one another, faculty, staff, and coaches in meaningful, healthy ways. The House System helps to make this happen by creating smaller communities within the school to encourage friendships, promote school spirit, and develop student leadership. Visit House System to learn more.

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.

Alexandra Patterson ‘08 continues as Director of Library Services at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.  She is also a dorm parent, teaches English, and works on various committees including Diversity, Equity, and Justice, Community Reading, and the Speaker Series.  In August 2020, she began doctoral studies at John Hopkins University School of Education.