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Alumni
Soundings
Newsletter
April 25, 2025
| | | | Alumni Faculty/Staff Spotlight | | |
We are excited to feature Tommy Kostielney, '08, in this issue of Alumni Soundings.
A proud graduate of Christ the King Grade School and Saint Joseph High School, Tommy Kostielney, ’08 has taken a rich academic journey that includes studies at IUSB, the University of Notre Dame (History and Theology), a Master’s in Education from Loyola-Chicago, and a Master’s in Theology from Notre Dame. Reflecting on his time as a student at Saint Joe, Tommy treasures the simple, unscheduled moments—the hallway conversations and end-of-class chats—that fostered deep connections and lifelong friendships. Now a valued member of the Theology Department faculty, Tommy teaches a variety of courses across grade levels, including Paschal Mystery, Morality, Great Catholic Thinkers Honors, and a unique cross-disciplinary class on redemptive themes in movies alongside fellow alum Phil DePauw, ’88. Though he hadn’t initially planned to return to teaching, Tommy felt called back to the classroom, confident that education was the best use of his gifts. To him, a Saint Joe education is about more than academics—it’s about forming meaningful relationships and making the world better through love and presence. His advice to the Class of 2025? Avoid the trap of postponing happiness. Instead, embrace the joy found in the present moment.
| | Saint Joe Celebrates Class of 2017 Alumni's Ordination to the Priesthood | | |
Saint Joseph High School is proud to celebrate the ordination to the priesthood of 2017 graduates Deacons Nicholas Monnin and Andrew Barnes. The ordination will take place on Saturday, June 7 at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Matthew Cathedral in South Bend with Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, presiding. Members of the Class of 2017 are cordially and especially invited to attend this sacred event in support and celebration of their classmates.
Deacon Nick will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, June 8 at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Matthew Cathedral and Deacon Andy will preside over his first Mass, also on Sunday, June 8, at 12 Noon at Saint Pius X in Granger. All are invited to attend.
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The next Alumni Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, June 5 at 5:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Saint Joseph at the school. Saint Joe chaplain Father Augustine Onuoha will be the celebrant. Alumni who have passed away since the November Mass will be remembered as well as recently deceased faculty and staff. If you are planning to attend, please park in the Notre Dame Avenue lot and enter Door A. An elevator is available for transport to the lower level Chapel of Saint Joseph. Please contact Alumni Coordinator Henry Chandler with any questions at hchandler@saintjoehigh.com or by phone at 574-233-6137, ext. 547.
| | Attention Saint Joe Alumni | | The Saint Joseph High School Alumni Office is excited to announce a new project that will offer alumni the opportunity to share some of their favorite memories of their high school days. In partnership with PCI, Publishing Concepts LP, Saint Joe is embarking on the compilation of an oral history of the school in the words of alumni. This year-long project will launch on September 5, 2025 and will consist of contacts by PCI with alumni to update their contact information and to share stories and memories of their Saint Joe experience. PCI was our publishing partner for the latest Alumni Directory in 2021 and is a trusted name in the publishing industry. Look for more details regarding this project in future editions of Alumni Soundings and in the next Focus magazine issue. Please contact Alumni Coordinator Henry Chandler at hchandler@saintjoehigh.com or 574-233-6137, ext. 547 if you have any questions. | | Amy Hill '90 Named CEO of YMCA North Central Indiana | | |
Saint Joe graduate Amy Hill,'90, has been hired as the new CEO of YWCA North Central Indiana. She will head up the nonprofit shelter for women facing a variety of challenges and will begin her new position on May 5. Amy had previously served on the YWCA board. She will leave her current position as general manager of local bussing agency Transpo where she has served since 2018.
| | Emily Mentock '10 Brings the Story of a Modern Saint to Life | | |
Emily (Schmid) Mentock, '10, continues to make a powerful impact in the world of Catholic media. Her latest work, The Boy from Milan: Stories of Carlo Acutis, is a moving documentary produced for FORMED that shares the inspiring life of a modern-day teen on the path to sainthood.
Carlo Acutis, often referred to as the “gamer saint,” was known for his love of computers, sneakers—and most importantly—his deep devotion to the Eucharist and quiet acts of charity. Emily’s storytelling brings new depth to Carlo’s life, going beyond the headlines to reveal a boy whose simple, everyday holiness is changing lives around the world. You can watch the documentary below.
| | We Mourn The Loss of Legendary Coach Phil Teegarden | | The Saint Joseph High School community was saddened to learn of the April 16th passing of coaching legend Phil Teegarden. Coach Teegarden served as head football coach at Saint Joe from 1970-1989 compiling a record of 148 wins, 48 losses and 1 tie including 5 undefeated seasons, a 31 game winning streak, and 2 Northern Indiana Valley Conference championships. Phil also served Saint Joseph High School as Athletic Director from 1973-1989.. He was chosen as the Indiana State Coach of the Year in 1980 and is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame and the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame. He coached 34 All-State players and 4 Indiana Football Hall of Fame players. Visitation and funeral services will be held on April 25. and 26 in his hometown of Mishawaka. | | |
Upcoming Reunions
Classmates interested in organizing a class reunion may contact the Alumni Office at (574) 233-6137, ext. 547, or email Alumni Coordinator Henry Chandler at hchandler@saintjoehigh.com to get started.
Class of 1975
50 Year Reunion – August 8, 2025
Contact Dick Sullivan at sull37@comcast.net for more information.
Class of 1985
40 Year Reunion – August 1-3, 2025
Contact Maria Owsley Harding at mkharding317@gmail.com for more information.
Class of 1995
30 Year Reunion – July 25, 2025
Contact and event details forthcoming.
Class of 2000
25 Year Reunion – August 1, 2025
Contact: Travis Bruntz at mavs1315@gmail.com
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Thank You For Supporting the Annual Fund
Thanks to the Saint Joe community, we have officially passed our goal for this year of $210,000! We could not have done this without your generosity to Spark Joy for our students. Let's push the Fund for Saint Joseph to even further heights to make this the best philanthropic year for our school in history! We are forever grateful to you. Go Saint Joe!
| | | Happenings Around Saint Joe | | |
We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your support of Ignite 2025: Make a Joyful Noise! The love for Saint Joe was palpable in the room, and your generosity and enthusiasm made it a truly special and memorable evening. No matter how you contributed—through your prayers, attendance, bids on auction items, or paddles raised to support our mission—you played a vital role in the gala’s success. Together, we raised over $200,000 for Saint Joseph High School!
The support of this community allows us to continue providing a transformative Catholic educational experience for all students. Thank you for being part of our Saint Joe family and for making a joyful noise with us!
| | We had two teams compete in Chicago this year for Euro Challenge -- an economics competition that focuses on the European Union. The team of John Morin, Mike Varda, Ben Brady, Dario Albahari, Seamus Sullivan, and Raymond Veselik gave a presentation on boosting growth and innovating for long term prosperity in Italy. The team of Cathy Lutz, Audrey Zielinski, Adeline DePauw, Payton Wulf, Megan Sullivan, and Beatrix McClarren offered solutions for dealing with climate change in Malta. Both teams fielded questions from economists on the viability of their solutions and the current European economy. The Malta team advanced to the national competition in New York City that will occur on Monday, April 28. This is the tenth team that coaches Mrs. Julie Chismar and Mr. Phil DePauw have taken to Euro Challenge nationals. The team of Lutz, Zielinski, DePauw, Wulf, Sullivan and McClarren are one of only 25 teams nationwide to qualify. Best of luck to the young ladies! | | |
Saint Joseph High School
Athletics Update
| | Huskies Finish as Class 3B Boys Basketball State Champions! | | |
Boys Basketball won their first Boys Basketball State Championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 56-52 over Indianapolis Crispus Attucks!
The Huskies were led in scoring by Elijah King and Nick Schrwsberry with 16 points each. Chase Konieczny contributed 10 points to the winning margin. The Huskies finished the 2024-2025 season with a record of 27-3.
| | Congratulations to Brashaun Woods on being the recipient of this year’s Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award for Class 3A Boys Basketball! | | Following our State Championship, we had a truly special evening celebrating our Boys Basketball State Champions! Thank you to our amazing community for showing up in full force. | |
Chris Nicolini Invitational Meet | The Saint Joe Huskies Track and Field team participated in the Chris Nicolini Invitational Meet at Hammond Bishop Noll High School on April 3rd. The meet was the first home outdoor meet in the 104 year history of the school and was named in honor of the late Chris Nicolini, a 1964 Saint Joe graduate, who was the longtime head track and field coach at Bishop Noll and a state finalist in track and field in his Saint Joe years. Chris passed away in 2021. | | If you or an alumnus you know is not receiving communications from Saint Joseph High School — we can fix that! We want to make sure everyone receives this monthly newsletter, Focus magazine, and any other news. Please contact Alumni Coordinator Henry Chandler to receive communications. | | | | |
