A SAFE & SECURE COMMUNITY

A welcoming community…that is what St. Pius X Catholic High School is. We welcome new students, new families, and new visitors and encourage them all to join our Pius family. We show our hospitality to our guests at Athletic competitions and Fine Arts events alike, demonstrating our commitment to Christ’s commandment to love our neighbors. As I drive onto campus each day, I am physically reminded of this welcoming environment by three iconic architectural elements: our belltower, our chapel, and our front gates. The bells of St. Pius ring out daily, reminding us to pray the Angelus and find God in all things. The chapel invites us into a deeper relationship with God, sharing in the summit of our faith, the Eucharistic meal. Our gates serve as the symbol of protection and embrace that our school promises to each of our students and alumni. It is no coincidence, then, that the Ring the Bells campaign’s first focus is on safety and security, as exemplified by those long-standing gates.

We hope to never lose that welcoming, family atmosphere which sets our school apart. But we also want our students to be able to walk the breezeway and enjoy the Maloof courtyard safely during the day. Thus, our newly redesigned front office and entryway will allow us to meet our guests in a more obvious, secure fashion while safeguarding the heart of campus. Our guests will no longer have to wander through the courtyard, wondering which door to approach in hopes of finding the front reception area. Couple that with a clear and secured rear entrance between the Roar Store and Mark Kelly Gymnasium doors, and our students will have never been so well protected.

Of course, the pathway from our most remote parking lots is now well lit thanks to the new lights completed at Seaver Family Sports Complex. Back on the main campus, the front gates will be fully automated, allowing us to continue to open them for large gatherings and events. These are some of the most exciting things to note of the Ring the Bells campaign…portions of it are already underway! The momentum the Pius community has created has jump started this project and ensured that our goals are within reach. Please join us in this effort if you have not already done so. It is a worthy cause that promises to keep welcoming more Golden Lions for generations to come.

Above: A rendering of the new front entrance which will house a reception area, security vestibule, the attendance desk, and a meeting room.

Below: A rendering of the new gated rear entrance.

Our new front and back entrances will:

Provide a clear front entrance for visitors
Require visitors to walk through the reception area to sign in
Relocate the attendance desk to the front of the school
Allow us to keep all interior doorways unlocked during the school day
Increase security and safety in the courtyard
Provide a clear entrance for events in the gym
Provide an easily accessible meeting space that eliminates the need for visitors to walk through the school building

RING THE BELLS CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

In February, we met the $1 million match and are now over 80% of the way toward our goal of $12 million. Thank you!

If you haven't contributed yet, please help us bridge that last 20% by making your gift today. Giving now will help ensure we get started on all of the projects during this calendar year.

Pledge or Learn More

CAMPUS HAPPENINGS

CAMPUS MINISTRY

It is time for our class pilgrimages, and we are very excited to have them in full swing again!

Junior (March 3) and Sophomore (April 28) pilgrimages will stay on campus and complete services projects followed by a period of reflection and discussion.

Senior (March 30) and Freshman (April 21) pilgrimages will journey to Arabia Mountain, where we will hike up the mountain, celebrate Mass, and enjoy lunch and fellowship.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH ASSEMBLY

St. Pius X held a Black Experience assembly on Friday, February 25 in celebration of Black History Month. This student-led program featured student musical and dance performances, powerful speeches, and slam poetry. As St. Pius X teacher Rebecca Rose said, “When we let our students lead, we learn.”

FINE ARTS HIGHLIGHTS

The SPX Theatre program had an outstanding weekend of performances with the Addams Family musical. On Sunday, judges from the Shuler Awards were present to evaluate Pius. Winners will be announced later this spring.

The 18th Annual Juried Arts Exhibition will be held on March 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Artwork by Grace Tran '23 (pictured above) will be featured at the Atlanta High School Arts Exhibition at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Grace is a senior AP Visual Arts student and the president of the Art Association.

The annual Spring Dance Concert will be held March 24-27 and the Spring Guitar Concert will be held March 30 and 31.

ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS

March arrives with winter sports season officially ended and all spring sports seeing action in the regular season. Several spring sports teams are ranked in the early polls, including girls' soccer and baseball ranked No. 3 in their respective polls by Score Atlanta. Boys' soccer and boys' lacrosse are in the No. 5 spots in each poll, while girls' lacrosse is ranked No. 8 in the first poll of the year.

Both basketball team's seasons concluded over the weekend in the second round of the state tournament. The girls lost to Warner Robins Friday evening, 63-48, while the boys dropped a 65-64 contest to Jonesboro. The lady cagers finished the season 19-11. The boys ended 26-4.

For more SPX sports updates, please see our Weekly Sports Review.

GALA UPDATE

The St. Pius X Under the Tuscan Sun Auction and Gala was a huge success, grossing over $300,000! We'd like to thank our incredible team of volunteers, our sponsors, our attendees, and our remote participants. We are so grateful to the school community for your support.

DID YOU KNOW?

Our motto at St. Pius X is Domini Sumus "We are the Lord's," which comes from Romans 14:8. The full verse is, "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's."

ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL www.spx.org