Thanksgiving Feast

                                                              

   Story by Kathy Hossler 

                                                              Photos by Vanessa Baxley

Another great St. John tradition was celebrated today-the pre-school and kindergarten Thanksgiving play and feast. The “little Saints” students put on a program where they performed holiday songs and poems about Thanksgiving. In the program, K-3 and K-4 were the Indians, while K-5 act as pilgrims. After the program, a big Thanksgiving buffet is held for the students and their parents/grandparents.

Shaana Slaughter, parent of K-5 student Ryan, says about the Thanksgiving program, “My favorite part of the program is the joy that the children seem to take, performing for their family after practicing for so long”. Debbie Wise, mother of second generation Saint, Reece, says her favorite part was watching the kids say their prayers and singing. John Cutich, father of Aslynn in K-4, says he likes the singing and gathering of all the kids together for Thanksgiving. While the parents were delighted with the performance, most of the kids liked the food the best part of this special day. 

Behind the scenes, preparing for the feast, the students were the hard workers of the event, as well as the teachers and volunteers. For example, the students decorate and make their own costumes. They also prepare the food, making the stuffing and pumpkin pies, while the other traditional foods are brought by parents and teachers. Many student were heard proudly telling their parents, "I helped make the pumpkin pies."

Mrs. Roberson, K-4 teacher states, “The importance of this event is for the children to understand our heritage and where America comes from. By participating with cooking and decorating, it makes Thanksgiving more alive to the children and gives them a chance to perform for their parents.” All in all, both the students and parents enjoyed celebrating this great holiday together at St. John Lutheran. To view the photo album of the Thanksgiving Play & Feast, click here: Little Saints Thanksgiving Play & Feast 2010

  

Saints Senior Signs Letter of Intent

Written by Jake Radford

Seth Farley's childhood dreams and aspirations came true as he signed his letter of intent to play sports in college. Seth has been playing baseball and honing his skills since he was four years old. All of the hard work paid off as he committed to Oakland City University on a four year scholarship. Oakland City University (OCU) is located in Oakland City, Indiana. Not only will Seth play baseball for the Mighty Oaks, he will join their cross country team as well.  Seth has been running for four very successful years at St. John Lutheran School, and now he is ready to take his running abilities to the next level. He will be suiting up in white and columbia blue for the next four years in Indiana.  We all wish him luck as he embarks on his new journey away from St. John Lutheran. Good Luck Seth!

 

SETH FARLEY: St. John Lutheran multi-sport star signed with Division II Oakland City (Ind.) University where he will run cross country and play baseball for the Oaks.

Farley has been a standout at St. John for his entire prep career, pacing the Saints cross country team with a time of 18:11 this fall.

On the baseball diamond, Farley hit .500 with 34 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 40 stolen bases as a junior to lead the Saints to the Class 1A playoffs.

-Courtesy of Ocala Star Banner

Alexander lifts St. John into SSAC title game

**Story & Photos Courtesy of Ocala Star Banner at Ocala.com


Saints vs. Carrollwood Day Pictures HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Anthony Smith/Correspondent

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St. John running back Calib Alexander finds a hole in the Carrollwood Day defense to score a touchdown in the first half Friday night at Brick City Park. Alexander ran for 278 yards in the victory.

By Andy Marks
Staff writer

Calib Alexander had a very specific goal in mind prior to Friday night's kickoff at Brick City Park.

“The first time I got a chance to get the ball,” the St. John running back said, “I felt like I had to make a statement.”

What a statement it was.

On his first touch of the night, Alexander took an inside handoff, broke two tackles and dashed 76 yards to the end zone.

It seemed like he never stopped running.

Alexander finished with 278 yards and four total touchdowns to lead St. John to a 44-16 win over Carrollwood Day that clinched a berth in next week's Sunshine State Athletic Conference championship game.

The North Division champion Saints (9-1) will visit South champion Vero Beach St. Edwards (10-0) on Thursday.

“The kids work hard and they deserve to be a champion,” St. John coach Dennis Meunier said shortly after getting an unexpected ice bath from his jubilant team. “We're really fortunate for the way everything has come together.”

The Saints rushed for a total of 387 yards thanks to Alexander and Winston Jalloh, who added 104 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

“They were stacking the outside so we just started running up the middle,” Alexander said. “It was open the whole night.”

After a shaky first quarter of tackling that led to two long Patriots touchdowns in the first three minutes of the game, St. John's defense tightened up — especially in the trenches.

Zach Leikweg had a sack and a forced fumble, Jared Schappert added a sack, and Chris Frazier had a key QB hurry that led to the Saints' first defensive stop late in the first quarter.

St. John parlayed that into a two-possession lead on a five-yard Alexander touchdown run, and never looked back.

“I felt like physically we could play with anybody in our classification,” Meunier said. “We knew they were a good football team. Probably the biggest thing that worried me was they had great quickness. I thought our guys responded really well and really played all facets of the game well.”

Carrollwood (8-2) suffered its worst loss of the season against the Saints. Quarterback Deuce Gruden — the son of former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, who was watching from the sideline — had an effective first half, but left the game after a second-quarter injury. Gruden's dual-threat ability (60 passing yards, 53 rushing yards) was missed by the Patriots in the second half, when less-mobile backup QB Dillon Floyd struggled against a furious Saints pass rush.

St. John's defense allowed only three points after the first quarter, with Alexander providing a late highlight on a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

But it was on offense where Alexander, a 175-pound junior, shined brightest. He had 173 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone and crossed the 200-yard mark early in the third.

“He's really developed as a runner and seems to have gotten better and better,” Meunier said. “He's physical and stayed strong throughout the contest. We felt pretty good when we got the ball in his hands.”

St. John parlayed that into a two-possession lead on a five-yard Alexander touchdown run, and never looked back.

“I felt like physically we could play with anybody in our classification,” Meunier said. “We knew they were a good football team. Probably the biggest thing that worried me was they had great quickness. I thought our guys responded really well and really played all facets of the game well.”

Carrollwood (8-2) suffered its worst loss of the season against the Saints. Quarterback Deuce Gruden — the son of former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, who was watching from the sideline — had an effective first half, but left the game after a second-quarter injury. Gruden's dual-threat ability (60 passing yards, 53 rushing yards) was missed by the Patriots in the second half, when less-mobile backup QB Dillon Floyd struggled against a furious Saints pass rush.

St. John's defense allowed only three points after the first quarter, with Alexander providing a late highlight on a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

But it was on offense where Alexander, a 175-pound junior, shined brightest. He had 173 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone and crossed the 200-yard mark early in the third.

“He's really developed as a runner and seems to have gotten better and better,” Meunier said. “He's physical and stayed strong throughout the contest. We felt pretty good when we got the ball in his hands.”

*Courtesy of Ocala Star Banner

Saints Rocked Chapel during Homecoming

Rebecca Schaffer, St. John Lutheran School Music Director, works with the chapel band every week to prepare special songs for each chapel service on Friday.  Homecoming Week provided a fun twist to the practice because she asked members of the football team to attend practice and surprise the students at chapel.  The students and staff enjoyed the players extra work to be a part of weeks celebration.  A new St. John tradition that we will continue to look forward to.  To enjoy the songs the football players played for Homecoming Chapel, click the link:   Football Players Praising in Chapel

Little Saints Choir opens the Homecoming Night Events in October

Rebecca Schaffer, St. John Lutheran Music Director, worked on this rendition of the National Anthem for several weeks and the students were very excited to perform for the crowd at the Homecoming Game in October.  Enjoy watching our "little Saints" at this link:  Star Spangled Banner - Homecoming Game

The results are in..... the RC campaign wins election

It was a lesson in the democratic process in Mrs. Knutson's fourth grade this October. As students entered the classroom during the week of elections, the signs of the season were everywhere - campaign posters.   A great real life lesson in politics, the fourth graders listened to speeches from three different classmate candidates.  A hot topic for this group is extra recess time, an iniative promised by all three.

The class has spent time discussing the different branches of government, the legality of campaigning, and the voting process.  The three candidates followed all election rules and addressed the class before voting.  Marcus Medero was the first speaker, followed by Matthew DiLavore, and then Reagan Cutich of the "RC" Campaign.  Some spoke extemporaneously, while others had prepared speeches and introductions by campaign managers.  All in all, the class learned about how our government works, while having some classroom fun. The ballots were cast and Reagan Cutich was announced as the Mayor of Fourth Grade. Congratulations to all of the candidates for stepping forward to serve their class. 

Later in the week, other governing officials were elected including Vice Mayor Matthew DiLavore, Judge Gabriel Lopez , Council Members Delaney McDowell, Marybeth Hefner, Marcus Medero, Kaileigh Skinner.  For photos from election day, click here:Mayoral Election in 4th Grade

Homecoming 2010

Hello Saints Fans.... We know you have been waiting for some time for the HOMECOMING 2010 photos.  There are many, and we were lucky enough to have photographer Melissa Hays be on the field for the game and coronation of Homecoming Court.  Below are some images from her from that evening.  Thank you Melissa for capturing some special Saints moments.  If you are interested in ordering any prints of these photos, please contact Melissa at her website listed below.  Thank you!

 http://www.melissahaysphotography.com/ Thank you!!