The Academy community celebrated Black History Month through a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the classroom. The end of the month culminated in an all-school assembly with two special guests providing information and perspectives. Additionally, St. Martin de Porres and Academy students shared their beautiful vocal talents.

In classrooms, students learned about the various facets of Black history. A couple of examples include Theology and Physical Education. Theology classes highlighted Black American Saints at the beginning of each week through participation in prayers and meditations from black liturgies, as well as theological reflections of the poems and art of the African American experience. Students in Physical Education discussed the movie, “42” - the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player allowed to play in the Major League, and the mental health and self-esteem issues one might deal with as a result of this type of accomplishment.

This past Saturday, the Academic Jaguars, an extracurricular club, competed with other students from high schools across Ohio in the Copley Invitational Quiz Bowl. Two Academic Jaguar teams were entered into the competition. Although the teams did not advance to the top brackets, they put forth a strong effort.

The teams prepared for the competitive matches through intense practice sessions. Academic Jaguars' captain Miriam Saab ‘22 shared, “Due to Covid, most Academic Quest and Quiz Bowl competitions during the last two years were canceled. The majority of us had never competed in a competition so this was a new experience all around. Therefore, we didn't know what to expect. During the matches, we realized the importance of simply focusing on the question at hand and not on our score. It was a really exciting tournament and everyone had a great time!”

As the Catholic Church enters the holiest season of Lent, students, faculty and staff came together to worship on Ash Wednesday. It was a time of spiritual reflection to prepare ourselves for prayer, fasting and almsgiving leading us to the holy celebration of Easter. The celebrant was Fr. Pat Anderson from Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe.

On Tuesday, six Saint Joseph Academy Engineering and Design students attended the thinkBIG! Summit at Case Western Reserve University. This conference was founded by Veale Youth Entrepreneurship Forum (VYEF). As stated on their website, “Through a collaborative network of educators, business leaders and collegiate-level resources, VYEF offers programs and experiences that allow students to think creatively and analytically, recognize business opportunities, take initiative, solve problems, persist through failure, communicate persuasively, and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.”

The summit provides high school teams with a climactic closure to the thinkBIG! Challenge, an online business plan competition, which started in December.

A group of 22 Juniors and Seniors attended an Art Retreat at St. Leonard's Youth Retreat Center on Thursday. The day’s theme was that art can give a voice to beginnings and endings. Students had time and space to create multiple pieces and to spend time on personal reflection.

Health Science Honors Program and Global Studies students visited MedWish International, a local not-for-profit organization whose mission is to save lives and the environment by repurposing discarded medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid to people in need.

Students helped sort medical supplies and personal hygiene items that were then packaged and shipped to help refugees in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

On Tuesday, March 15 Juniors will take the ACT test at Saint Joseph Academy. To help students prepare, we are offering a one-day test prep seminar for free! All juniors are welcome to sign up for this opportunity (even if enrolled in the Seeley Test Prep classes).

This one-day, strategy-based ACT test prep seminar is being brought to you by Next Level Prep in partnership with Saint Joseph Academy. It will be held in the Auditorium on Monday, March 7, 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Register here. Learn more about the seminar by watching a quick video.

This year’s retreat has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 10 a.m-1 p.m. at Saint Joseph Academy. The focus will be on prayer and reflection of Pope Francis's recent teachings of St. Joseph. 

The event will take place only if there is enough interest in the Saint Joseph Academy community. If you and your daughter(s) are interested in participating, please respond here by Friday, March 11 (note that this is NOT an RSVP). 

Accomplishments: Fiona was recently named Youth Challenge’s Volunteer of the Week, having volunteered with the organization since November of 2021. She explained that she was drawn to volunteer at Youth Challenge (YC) because she wanted to understand and help to raise awareness of the lives of those experiencing disabilities. “I love YC,” Fiona said. “In the short amount of time I have volunteered there, it feels like a family to me.”

Since 1976, YC has brought together young people with physical disabilities and teen volunteers in Northeast Ohio who inspire each other through adapted sports, recreation and social growth activities. YC shared, “Fiona has been a wonderful addition to the YC Gang…She is always filled with energy and positivity. Fiona is a WOO-nderful volunteer, and we are very grateful for her!”

Fiona transferred to Saint Joseph Academy in her sophomore year, when the school she would have otherwise attended would have been completely online due to the pandemic. She is grateful for how welcoming the Saint Joseph Academy community has been and for the friends she has made here.

Activities: Since she was in fifth grade, Fiona has volunteered for River Sprouts, a local non-profit that grows food for the food assistance program and homebound seniors in Rocky River. She played soccer for most of her life and is currently a forward on the Academy’s soccer team. She is also a sprinter on the track and field team, a member of the Environmental Concerns of Students (ECOS) Club and involved with Calliope.

Congratulations to the following winter sports athletes who are competing in State competitions this weekend:

Good luck, Jaguars!

Be sure to follow the Athletic Department's Twitter account @sjaathletics to stay up-to-date with competition results!

Entering Tuesday evening’s regional semifinal game, the Saint Joseph Academy Basketball Program had never before reached the Elite Eight in the Division I OHSAA Tournament. To make program history, the Jaguars had to beat undefeated (23-0) and Associated Press #2-ranked Archbishop Hoban. That’s exactly what they did.

There are a million SJA storylines from this game. It is impossible to pick just one, so here is the kitchen sink…

Next up, the Jaguar Varsity basketball team plays the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears in the Regional Final. The game is this Saturday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Medina High School. Note: this is a new start time. Please join us to cheer on our Jaguars! Purchase tickets here and be sure to wear your black-colored apparel to the game.

The winner of this game will advance to the Final Four.