STArts (Support The Arts) volunteer parent group, meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Dining Hall. Contact STArts president Mr. Matt Walsh for more information.

September 11

University of Notre Dame Information Night, 7-8:30 p.m., in the auditorium.

September 16

Meet the Teacher Night, 7-9 p.m., in the Arcade and auditorium.

Admissions Events:

September 19

Girls Night Out, 6th, 7th & 8th grade girls, 7-9:30 p.m. in the auditorium and Dining Hall. Celebrate the special bond between mothers, daughters and grandmothers.
Registration is open.

SPOTLIGHT

Senior Makes Commitment to University of Buffalo

Who: Brittany Morrison '15

What: SJA basketball player Brittany has made an oral commitment to the University of Buffalo to play Division I basketball for the university upon graduation.

Fun Facts: Brittany is a 3-year Varsity player for SJA. She was co-MVP of the team last year, as well as Team Captain. Brittany's talent was always evident: Last year, she was one of the leading rebounders and overall players in all of Northeast Ohio, receiving an all-district mention. Last season, the Jaguars forward played a huge role on the team, averaging a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Add those accolades to Brittany's outstanding track and field season last year - she went to the state championships for discus and shot put - and it's obvious that Brittany is a talented athlete.

"Brittany is an outstanding worker, both in the classroom and in athletics," shared Basketball Coach Maggie Ferrando. "She has prepared for and earned this honor. She has an outstanding attitude and I know she will be an asset to Buffalo!"

"As soon as I got on the University of Buffalo campus, I knew that this is the place that I wanted to play at," shared Brittany with The Plain Dealer. "Everybody was so warm and welcoming to me, and it just showed me this is where I want to be in the future."

Looking toward her final year at SJA, Brittany said she is hoping to become more of a leader on the team. "We have a lot of talent this year, but we are going to be very young. The team is going to be looking at me to help make sure that everyone knows what they need to be doing. I will also have to be the person that gets us going if we need that added boost."

Brittany, who performed her Junior Shadowing at NASA Glenn Research Center with a mechanical engineer, will be studying biomedical enginneering at Buffalo.

Congratulations, Brittany!

College Corner

Each week, our College Counselors will be alerting parents and students of important dates/meetings, as well as providing information on colleges and universities.

A college application information session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 10, at 7 p.m. The meeting will take place in the auditorium, and should last no more than one hour.

This first week, the college being featured in "College Corner" is The Ohio State University.

Who: The Ohio State University
Where: Columbus, OH (two hours from Cleveland) Area: Metropolitan

Enrollment: 42,000 undergraduates

Strongest Programs: A top 25 public university and a top 10 research school. Known for Business, Pre-med, Engineering, Education.

Fun Fact: With the opening of a new state-of-the-art recreational facility for students, OSU has more squre feet dedicated to recreation and fitness than any college or university on the planet!

Website: www.osu.edu

Welcome, Class of 2018!

The 192 members of the Class of 2018 experienced the first of what will be four years of memories Tuesday afternoon as they celebrated their first mass as Jaguars, followed by a rousing all-school welcome. Sophomores, juniors and seniors lined the walkway leading to the front steps of the school, clapping and cheering as the freshmen received a single yellow rose from Principal Jeff Sutliff and President Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis '71. The freshmen then wound their way into the building, returning a few minutes later for a class picture.

Receiving a rose is the first of several symbolic flower presentations to SJA students, including the bestowing of a single red rose at the Upperclasswomen Induction Ceremony, a single white rose at the Senior Farewell Mass, a nosegay for tree nights, and, of course, the dozen red roses for the Walk of the Roses, the Saint Joseph Academy graduation ceremony tradition.

Some fun facts about the Class of 2018: Students live in 36 different zip codes; they live as far west as Amherst, as far east as Euclid and as far south as Brunswick and Broadview Heights; the freshmen come from 58 different schools; and seven members of the class recorded a perfect score on the ACT Explore 8 Test taken last fall.

Welcome to all members of the class of 2018!

Health Sciences Honors Program Begins

Nearly 50 students took the first steps to a potential career in the health sciences this week as the inaugural members of SJA's new Health Sciences Honors Program, a three-year academic track initiated in response to an increasing national demand for health care professionals.

The SJA program is designed to expand the opportunities for students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.

Full Story

Five Teachers Join SJA Faculty

L-R: back row, Mr. Peter Nezovitch, Ms. Tammy Sparks, Ms. Keri Grady. L-R, front row, Ms. Holly Jeric, Ms. Anne Chriszt.

Five new teachers have joined the SJA faculty this fall, bringing with them a wealth of experience and talent.

The new teachers are Anne Chriszt, Tammy Sparks, Peter Nezovitch (all joining the Visual and Performing Arts department), Holly Jeric (English department) and Keri Grady (Instructional Coach).

Full story

New Biology Lab Is State-of-the-Art

Students interested in medical, health or biology careers - including those enrolled in the new Health Sciences Honors Program - will now be learning in a state-of-the-art biology lab, installed this summer under the guidance of Science Teacher Val Sanfillipo.

"The lab was completely redesigned to be a 21st century lab setting," shared Mrs. Sanfilippo.

Full story

Students Share Faith, Work Hard on Summer Mission Trips

Madison Paez '15 with a new friend in the Dominican Republic.

This past summer, 30 students embarked on mission trips near and far - to the Dominican Republic through a group called Mission Possible, El Salvador through International Partners in Mission and Kermit, W.V., to assist in the Congregation of St. Joseph's ABLE Families, Inc. (an acronym for Affirming, Believing, Learning, Empowering).

The trips are part of Saint Joseph Academy's continuing commitment to "Serve the Dear Neighbor," a mission inspired by our sponsoring Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph and this year's all-school theme as Saint Joseph Academy prepares to celebrate its 125th birthday.

Full story

Paw Prints Store Offers Spirit Wear, Necessities for Students

Your school supply shopping is not complete without a visit to our store to pick up some new Jaguar gear. Stop in and check out our new arrivals that include T-shirts, hoodies and jackets for men and women. We also have a new infant line for the smallest Jaguar fans!

In order to help kick-off the school's 125th celebration, there are limited edition items that can be purchased that sport the official 125th logo - a great way to commemorate the special year ahead!

Our regular store hours:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

In addition, we have special evening and weekend hours each month that can be found on the website. Our online store is always open for your convenience!

Attention Parents: All Are Welcome to New Mother's Club, Father's Club

The 2014-2015 school year marks the start of the Saint Joseph
Academy Father's Club and Mother's Club, both designed to increase parental involvement in your daughter's school experience.

The Father's Club will create opportunities to strengthen relationships between fathers and daughters, as well as add value to the overall high school experience of the Saint Joseph Academy students. Club members will also help SJA administration as needed in event planning and execution, often working in collaboration with the Mother's Club.

The Mother's Club is a reorganization of the Academy Parents volunteer group. The direction of the new organization is to create an avenue for mothers and daughters to share purposeful events - deepening their relationships with God, family and the Saint Joseph Academy community. The Mother's Club will work with the SJA administration, as well as the Father's Club, to plan and host events throughout the year. Ideas on service projects or activities are welcomed.

Mother's Club President: Mrs. Mary Zavoda, zavoda@sbcglobal.net.

Father's Club President: AJ Hyland, aj.hyland@cox.net.

Spread the Word: Register Now for Fall Shadowing Days!

Shadowing provides an excellent opportunity for girls to spend a full school day at Saint Joseph Academy - attending our classes, touring the campus and meeting many of our teachers and students. Our fall shadowing program is open to 8th grade students considering enrollment at Saint Joseph Academy. Register here. All are welcome!

Help SJA Just by Shopping

Did you know that you can support today's students simply by doing your regular shopping at Amazon, Target, Heinen's, Giant Eagle or GFS Marketplace! Click here to learn how to enroll in their "School Rewards" program, and sign up to help SJA at no additional cost to your puchases!

SPORTS

Tennis

The team has battled some tough opposition and bad weather already this season. The Jaguars have had some success on the courts, advancing to the second round of the highly-competitive OTCA team tournament on August 18. In addition, the team has wins over Brush and Strongsville. Hannah Schuette '17 has been a strong addition at #1 singles.

Cross Country

Jaguar Cross Country opened the 2014 season at Berkshire's Early Bird Invitational held at the Kent State Geauga branch in Burton. SJA finished 3rd of 22 teams! The 1-2 punch of sophomore Maggie Wagner and freshman Sydney Seymour led the team with 10th and 11th place finishes respectively. Following them to the line over the muddy 3.1 mile course were Olivia Battistoni '17 in 30th, Mary Hyland 17' in 36th, Mallory Fahey '15 in 40th, and Bridget McGuire '16 in 43rd.

In the open race, the Jaguars dominated the front of the field with 5 of the top 9 runners in the race. Winning the race overall was senior Anna Farris, who finished 17 seconds ahead of teammate and runner-up Corinne Baker '16. Clare Fibbi '15, Claudia Becker '18 and Katie Pellegrino '17 were also in the top 10.

Next week the Jaguars travel to Hilliard Davidson for the Hot Summer Bash.

Golf

Varsity started the season with an excellent fourth-place finish at the North Olmsted Invitational. In match play, the Jaguars are 4-1 with wins over Padua, Laurel, Beaumont and Magnificat. Alicia Abele '16 and Lauren Zawie '17 were co-medalists at Big Met Golf Course in the victory over Magnificat.

Soccer

After a two game scoring drought, on Wednesday the Jaguars beat Trinity 7-2. Freshman Isabella Mastroianni led the team in scoring with four goals. Senior Captain Jackie Harter scored two goals and freshman Regina Baldado scored one. Senior Captain Isabella Morini, sophomore Frannie Smith and freshman Maggie Wagner each had two assists. The defense had strong play from Captains Allie Hippler '15 and Amanda Burns '15, as well as Grace Reinhold '15 and Abby Gonzales '15. Sophomore Riley Justice controlled the midfield. Freshman Olivia Finau got her first win playing in goal.

Next up is Lakewood at 11 a.m. this Saturday.

Volleyball

Varsity opened its season with some impressive wins, including victories on the road at Mentor and Holy Name high schools. They dropped to 2-1 on the season after falling to perennial powerhouse North Royalton on August 26. Junior Varsity players picked up a huge victory over Lake Catholic on Saturday. The freshman team has had an incredible start to its season, opening 3-1 with wins over Mentor, Holy Name and North Royalton. On Thursday, the team traveled to Olmsted Falls to take on a tough Bulldogs team. Varsity won the first set before dropping the next two. The Jaguars responded to win the fourth and take the match to a decisive fifth set, where SJA fell just short, losing the third set 15-13. Senior Emily Keller and sophomore Carly Lauch played well at the setter position.

Next up is the Magnificat Showcase Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Magnificat. Come and cheer on your fellow Jaguars!

Attention All Students Interested in Playing Basketball:

Open gyms are being held for any student interested in playing basketball this season. The sessions are every Monday in September and October from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Academy Center. Official practice/tryouts will begin on October 31. Please contact head coach Maggie Ferrando with any questions.

STAY CONNECTED

Saint Joseph Academy * 216.251.6788 * http://www.sja1890.org
3470 Rocky River Drive * Cleveland, OH 44111