Thursday, May 17, 2012
Joliet Catholic Academy held a ceremony to dedicate a new baseball backstop for Gillespie Field.
It was a beautiful day for a ballgame. And an even better day for a ceremony. Joliet Catholic Academy dedicated its new baseball backstop for Gillespie Field on Wednesday afternoon, including a pair of plaques that were made to commemorate the project’s completion. Coordinated by the Development Office and with the approval of the administration, the extended, state-of-the-art backstop, new grandstand platform and landscaping was a project initiated by the families of the baseball program and achieved through the generosity of the JCA baseball community. Jeffrey Budz, JCA’s Principal and CEO, was joined by Athletic Director Dan Sharp and Hilltopper baseball coach Jared Voss as speakers before the Rev. Jeff Smialek offered a prayer and …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Area 5th grader excels in school, sports, and helping others.
A big sister is someone who watches out for you, teaches you important stuff and always sets a good example. Magnolia “Maggie” Powell of Channahon does just that. The oldest of three siblings, Powell is an honors student at Three Rivers Elementary School, an avid softball player, and a young philanthropist who earlier this year raised over $1,400 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation which benefits kids with cancer. Powell heard about St. Baldrick’s when Officer Michael Lazzari came to her school to promote the annual event. Maggie was inspired by the idea of helping people and donating her hair to someone who had no choice but to lose theirs. Maggie diligently raised funds and then shaved her beautiful locks clean off in support of the …
Joliet Catholic Academy held its annual Spring Concert.
Under the direction of music teacher Joyce Kelstrom, Joliet Catholic Academy recently held its annual Spring Concert in the Student Activity Center. The overall theme was music favorites from Broadway, Disney, pop artists, classical and the movies. Highlighted were performances from five handbell groups — two beginning groups, one intermediate group and one advanced group — and the Handbell Club. “The Handbell Club is composed of seniors who come in during their lunch period and eighth period to ring because they like to,” Kelstrom said. “This is the first year JCA has had a Handbell Club.” One of the musical highlights was the combined Handbell Club playing, Tapestry singing and Kelstrom playing the handbell solo on “My Heart Will Go On” …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Joliet Catholic Academy's Spanish Exchange Club enjoyed a trip to Vilanova, Spain.
A different language. A different place. A different pace. “People are a little different when they’re at home,” nodded Lauren Finaldi, a Spanish instructor and the moderator of National Spanish Honor Society and Student Exchange. “When you have the opportunity to see your students living and speaking in this type of environment, it gives you more of a full picture.” From April 5 to 18, 14 students from Joliet Catholic Academy’s Spanish Foreign Exchange Club viewed that picture in Vilanova, Spain, a suburb of Barcelona. JCA hosted the same families from Sept. 4 to 15. “That gave us a certain comfort level,” Finaldi said. “Vilanova is a half-hour drive from Barcelona — like Joliet to Chicago, the same kind of distance. The kids were …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Helping Hands 5K will be held at Joliet Catholic Academy on Sunday, May 20.
Joliet Catholic Academy’s Helping Hands event will be held on Sunday, May 20. Last year's event included a 5K race, family cookout, tug of war tournament and bean bag tournament, all of which successfully raised money for the Helping Hands Tuition Assistance Program. The fundraiser is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the 5K run and fitness walk. Following the run/walk, JCA will debut a Kids Race on the track. The family cookout begins at noon. This year, a new challenge has been added: Outrun the Coach/Teacher. Mark Clarke, Tina Kinsella and Jason Midlock are among those who have already accepted the challenge. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Helping Hands Tuition Assistance Fund, which is designed to help current JCA …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Joliet Catholic Academy football players Bolton, Rodriguez and Smith committed to play in college.
Surgery for appendicitis sidelined Joliet Catholic Academy tight end Nick Rodriguez down the stretch this past season during the Hilltoppers’ drive to the Class 5A state championship game. It could not stop him, however. “It was a tough situation, but God had a plan,” Rodriguez recalled. “Not being able to play was tough, but just being there with my teammates was a gift and it’s something I will always look back on.” Alongside all-conference guard Carson Smith and linebacker/defensive lineman Austin Bolton, Rodriguez was able to look back on his time at JCA as the three seniors announced their college commitments. Both Rodriguez and Bolton, who led the Hillmen with 111 tackles on 53 solos and added 4 hurries, committed to Millikin …
Friday, May 4, 2012
John Chignoli, Ariba Hasan and Shorewood's Alessa Smith were named Joliet Catholic Academy's Students of the Month for May.
Joliet Catholic Academy is pleased to announce its Students of the Month for March: John Chignoli, Joliet Noon Lions Club; Ariba Hasan, Rotary Club of Joliet; and Alessa Smith, Kiwanis Club of Joliet. The son of William and Karen, Chignoli ranks 29th in his class and carries a 4.26 grade-point average on a weighted 5.0 scale. He lists business as his favorite subject. He is a member of National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta, the national honor society for math. While playing for the Hilltoppers’ state-ranked varsity baseball team, Chignoli balances that by being a member of the Intramural Club and by coaching at the YMCA. He also works for his dad at Chignoli Auto during the offseason and the summer. A …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Joliet Catholic Academy's 17th annual Seventh-Grade Leadership Conference featured 420 students from 17 different grade schools.
How do you define leadership? For grade school or high school students, it can be as prominent as running for class president or it can be as universal as standing up to a bully or defending a classmate. It can be the unnoticed act of offering quiet support and friendship in times of trouble as much as being captain of a sports team or activity. Those were some of the scenarios presented as Joliet Catholic Academy held its 17th annual Seventh-Grade Leadership Conference in the Student Activity Center. Over 420 students from 17 different grade schools were represented and over 100 from JCA took part as student ambassadors. “The leadership conference is a great opportunity for seventh-graders to really think about the important topic of …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Joliet Catholic Academy celebrated Shakespeare's 448th birthday with a festival of food and performances.
Good food. Amazing entertainment. That is how Sheila Fry, teacher and chair of the English Department, promoted Joliet Catholic Academy’s annual William Shakespeare festival, which was held April 19 in honor of Shakespeare’s 448th birthday. JCA’s seniors, the Class of 2012, hosted the day-long event that featured reenactment of scenes, soliloquies and music from a myriad of Shakespeare’s 37 plays, 154 sonnets and several poems. Adept at writing tragedies and comedies, Shakespeare is regarded as one of the world’s most influential playwrights and dramatists. The seniors from Fry’s and Scott Allgood’s classes were in charge of bringing that legacy to life for the students, faculty and staff of JCA — a task that Fry loves to watch unfold. “I …
Despite an offer to return to Union School District in Joliet, Al Gegenheimer signs a four-year contract to remain in Minooka.
On Wednesday night, Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 Superintendent Al Gegenheimer got what he had been wanting for some time - a contract to remain in the district for the next four years. Gegenheimer said he has been asking for a contract for more than a year, not because he was looking for a raise, but because he wanted job security. When the board asked Gegenheimer if he wanted a salary increase after waiving his increase two years in a row, he said he was looking, rather, for a contract. "I said if you want to give me something, give me a five year deal, because I can retire in five years," he said. "I kinda waited a little over a year and a half, I waited and nothing seemed to be happening with that. "When you're a …
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Maynard R. Jerome
9:58 am on Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Based on my personal experience when we moved here nearly 15 years ago, Al Gegenheimer is a HUGE asset to the school system, and more importantly, to the students here. I have never encountered a school administrator as personally committed to the well-being of the students as Al Gegenheimer. There are many teachers who are completely dedicated to their students, but far too often, school … more ›