Blessed through Bullying

Written By: Elizabeth Rockey

The sneers, fears, and tears are just the tip of the iceberg of bullying. Whether standing silently in the crowd or out of the crowd, bullying isn’t an easy thing for either “team.” Ninth grader Tarra Rotstein can testify to these things and was tired of not doing anything. Tarra felt that nobody stood up for what was right, so she decided to take a stand. As an eigth grade student, she was given the opportunity and tools to create a Public Service Announcement. She produced, “Just Kidding Can Hurt,” a brief commercial about how she has been effected by bullying.

“Chicken legs! You’re a freak!You’re stupid! You’re fat! You’re anorexic! You’re ugly!” These were some things shown in Tarra’s video. Each time an insult is shown someone says, “JK! Just Kidding," as if that takes away the feelings left by them. The words freak, stupid, fat, anorexic, and ugly wrinkled across the screen along with a plain white sheet. “JK does NOT take away from what you say. The hurt is still there just like the creases.” The powerful imagery is a reminder Tarra says that there is a little bit of truth in everything. Whether you know your friends well enough or not, tone can tell what’s true. “JK does NOT take away from what you say.”

Have you ever experienced pain and shame because of bullying? Sitting in a classroom with the same twenty-four students, for four years in a row, Tara had no place to go and no friend to turn to. She had never connected with any of the girls in her class. Merriam-Webster defines bullying “to treat abusively; to effect by means of force or coercion.” The snickers and Facebook just added to the bullying. Tarra's teasing began as early as third and fourth grade.This was real. Tarra felt upset and hurt. She wasn’t “just kidding.” She shared these feelings with her parents were upset by this treatment. Each morning when boarding the bus, Tarra felt there was only one friend she could trust.

Meeting Tarra, you would never believe that being a victim of bullying was part of her past. She is a confident and bright student, who always has a smile on her face. Her interests include riding horses, swimming, and playing basketball. Many things have come out of her experience, including the opportunity to share her message with others. Tarra gives the impression that she was blessed through bullying.

The International Student Media Festival, Excellence in Media Production and Judges Favorite award winner, also has won the prize of sharing her experiences with others.  Tarra says that sometimes the people being bullied, actually turn around and begin to bully others.  Others who make the situations worst are the bystanders, people who just stand there and do not try to stop what is happening.  The one message Tarra would share with those being bullied would be to know that “you are not alone.”

If Tarra had to do it all over again, she would tell someone about the bullying. This experience will influence her for the rest of her life. She is looking forward to living life and watching out for others now that she has overcome this experience.  “You never know,” Tarra gushes, “they just might be your boss one day.” Tarra has been blessed through bullying. Bullying, saying mean things, or just kidding can make or break a person’s day and have long term effects. Here with our St. John family, we want to encourage one another and build each other up so everyone can have a great, bully-free, St. John day.

Click below to check out Tarra's Public Service Announcement, "Just Kidding Can Hurt." http://photobucket.com/blessedthroughbullying

4th Grader's "Rule"

4th graders Blaine, Jackson, and Savannah showing off their rulers.

By Madison Kirkland     
            In 4^th grade science, the students are learning all sorts of information pertaining to matter and mass. They are discovering how to measure different objects and find the different lengths and masses of each item. By learning how to measure, they are also learning how to use centimeters and metric rulers. They apply the information that they have collected and use it to analyze charts and data. Mrs. Knutson says that she likes to see the children use their vocabulary words to answer the questions that go with each lab.

            The students love to work with each other and work through solving the problems. They also like to help each other out and answer each other’s questions. Students, Blaine and Jackson, love watching the experiments and their reactions.  Abby says, “I love being involved in each experiment instead of just watching!” Every student that was asked, said that their favorite part was checking their answers at the end and seeing all of the problems that they solved corectly!
For more pictures, click: 4th Grade Science

2nd Grade's Pond Critters!

                

2nd graders Emmie and Adella enjoying reading about different animals!

Written by: Madison Kirkland                     

                   Second grade has been very busy working on science and social studies. They have recently been studying animals and their different environments. This week in particular the class went over animals that lived in ponds, or to them “critters in the pond!” They learned about many animals such as beavers, otters, and frogs. The students have not only been reading a multitude of books, but have also been incorporating their weekly subscription to Time Magazine in order to learn more about these pond inhabitants.

When a few of the students were asked what their favorite part of this activity was, they answered by saying how they loved the books they read in class also counted towards their Accelerated Reading points. Second grade student, Carson, says that he really enjoyed trying to recite all of the animals that live in ponds. Carson and Evan even tried to see who could remember the most animals. Emmie and Anna really enjoyed learning about what the animals do during the day. Mrs. Fischer, second grade teacher, stated that over all, the students really appreciated being independent and reading the books by themselves on such an interesting topic.

To see more pictures Click:2nd Grade Reading About Critters

Alexander, Saints Make History

 

Sat. November 19, 2011 at 12:15 a.m. | By Richard Burton

Copied from the Ocala Star Banner

Sat. November 19, 2011 at 12:15 a.m. | By Richard Burton

LAKELAND — It was only fitting that senior tailback Calib Alexander capped the biggest win in St. John Lutheran football history.

Alexander, who earlier in the game set single-season Marion County records rushing yards and total touchdowns, scored on a 10-yard run and added the game-winning two-point conversion as the Saints earned their first-ever postseason win, 28-26, over Lakeland Victory Christian in the Region 2A-2 semifinals on Friday at Lake Gibson High School.

"We wanted it more (than Victory Christian) did and we wanted another shot at Warner Christian," said Alexander, who finished with 159 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. "(The overtime) was crazy. It feels great to win."

With the win, St. John will visit Warner Christian, a three-time Class 1B state runner-up, on Friday night in the Region 1A-2 final. Warner Christian beat St. John earlier this season, 48-25, at Brick City Park.

Victory Christian (8-3), which forced overtime on a 69-yard scramble for a score by quarterback Demitre Brim (18 carries, 189 yards) and ensuing two-point conversion run by Chris Nelson off a muddle-huddle snap with 1:05 left, couldn't contain the Saints when it counted.

The Storm got the ball first in overtime and went up 26-20 on Brim's 8-yard scoring pass to Sa'vaunn Bond, but Nelson was stopped on the two-point attempt.

The Saints (9-2) went right to Alexander, who scored the game tying touchdown on a sweep on his team's first play.
From there, Alexander took an option pitch and made it into the end zone on the left side, setting up a celebration for the Saints.

"I'm proud of the kids," St. John coach Dennis Meunier said. "They played this one all the way through."

Alexander's records and a 72-yard kickoff return by Jamonte Jones were the story for the first part of the game until Brim's heroics brought the Storm back.

Entering the game, Alexander needed 70 yards and one touchdown to become the area's all-time leader in both marks. He also needed 90 yards to pass former Forest/Vanguard running back Roosevelt Ross for second-place on the all-time area career rushing list.

He got the touchdown mark on a 36-yard run at the 6:40 mark of the second quarter, one play after Victory lost the ball on a fumble.

The touchdown was his 36th on the season, enabling him to break a tie with former North Marion standout Albert Gary, who scored 35 times in 2007 and is currently playing at Iowa State University.

Jones added a two-point conversion and the Saints had their first lead of the game at 8-6.

Alexander then took care of the area's all-time single season rushing mark and also passed Ross on his next carry.

Needing just seven yards to pass former Dunnellon standout Alvin Young's single-season area mark of 2,217 yards rushing set in 1977, Alexander broke off a nifty 74-yard scoring run in which he broke several tackles and got stellar blocking on all levels from his teammates.

"It's been the offensive line and they've been great all year," Alexander said. "They don't get much credit, but they have done great. On the (record- breaking run for the total yards), there were a lot of downfield blocks that made a big difference.

"We've been together for three years in the playoffs (the first two in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference) and we've got great chemistry."

Alexander now has unofficial totals of 2,306 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns for the season, and 4,913 yards for his career.

After Victory pulled to within 14-12, Jones ran back the ensuing kickoff for a score and the Saints led 20-12 with 31.2 seconds left in the third quarter.

Saints GO PINK a great success

Saints Go Pink!

October was filled with lots of activity, including our GO PINK effort to raise funds to donate to the American Cancer Society.  Coordinated by the Saints Varsity Cheerleaders, we sold bright pink shirts stating LOSING is not an OPTION with all proceeds going to the fundraising efforts.  We also sold pink pom poms, megaphones, and fleur de lis pink ribbon pins.  We kicked off our month of fundraising with the Go Pink football game at the beginning of the month, where the cheerleaders donned pink bows, socks and poms and the football team wore pink wrist bands to show their support.  The fundraising efforts ended with the Go Pink Volleyball game, which was also Senior Night, against Forest High School.  Guess how much money we raised???  A check was awarded during half time on November 4th at the football game against Trinity Christian to the American Cancer Society for $1,500. 
A special thanks to our sponsors:  Dr. Joe Locker, The Orthopaedic Institute, Luetgert Development Corporation, Hallgren Contractor Corporation, Fairbanks Construction, Ergle Financial Services, C&A Engineers & Surveyor, Clark Eye Care Center, Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute, Economy Garage Doors, and the Saints Booster Club.

Congratulations Homecoming Queen Nicole Gallinaro

Senior Nicole Gallinaro was crowned the 2011 Homecoming Queen on Friday night.

Homecoming Week 2011 was a great success with lots of fun activities for students, families and alumni.  Watch the Blue & Gold for more albums and stories to come this week!  Congratulations to the SAINTS football team for a victory over Florida Air Academy.

It's a ZOO around this place.....

The Saints kicked off Homecoming Week 2011 with quite a "roar."  From elementary to high school, it was difficult to tame the excitement of the "wild beasts" roaming campus on Monday. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my - might have been heard as you passed the herd in the hallways.  Pretty pink flamingos and cuddly panda bears completed our cadre of zoo inhabitants. Check out the photo album below for more of our zoo friends:   Zoo Animal Day Homecoming 2011

Homecoming Week

By: Kathy Hossler

What is the fun-filled week that gets the whole school buzzing with excitement? Homecoming Week, of course, and this year will be more fun than ever. To start off, all week (October 10-14^th), is dress up week for the entire school. Each day has a different theme for the students to dress up and have the chance to break the dress code. For example, Monday is zoo animal day, Tuesday’s theme is find my twin day, Wednesday is tacky tourist day, Thursday is your favorite decade day, and Friday’s day is spirit day. One of the highlights of the week is the school wide Pep Rally on Wednesday night at 7pm in the gym. This is a fun event to see all of the athletes, skits, dance routines, and cheers. The highlight of the evening is the coronation of the Homecoming King and Princes. After the Pep Rally, high school students can go to the Blue & Gold Bash with fire pits, smores, games, and music. Another tradition, for high school, is the Olympiad held on Thursday and Friday (the 13^th-14^th). Over these two days, each grade competes against one another in a series of games and athletic events. On Friday night (the 14^th), families, students, and friends are all invited to attend the Homecoming game at Brick City and then watch the Queen coronation during half time. The high school students are excited for the Luau themed homecoming dance on Saturday the 15^th held at Kimberly’s Cottage from 7:30-11pm. Be sure to check the Saints Blue & Gold Blog again for an update and lots of pictures of this eventful week!

SEE YOU AT THE POLE in Review

"Our God is greater. Our God is stronger. God, You are higher than any other. Our God is healer. Awesome in power. Our God. Our God," our Saints students sang in honor of the day that celebrates national prayer. See You At the Pole, was held on September 28th. This is an annual event that St. John recognizes and coordinates students, staff and parents to start the morning early with a group prayer led by our Prayer Force and songs led by the chapel band.. With about 200 St. John students and parents praising God and about a million more around the world, God was there as we all convened. "It was great to see the kids lifting up their school in prayer and praise," reflects St. John teacher Rebecca Schaffer. Students were driven by a simple promise from Matthew 18:20, "Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you," or were they driven by the donuts? No. Prayer was put first. Students and parents rallied and converged at St. John's front flagpole to pray for their friends, school, city, and nation. There was no greater way to start the day than with a God who is greater, stronger, healer, and awesome in power: Our God.

For more photos from See You At The Pole:  http://www.photobucket.com/SYATP

Author Visits St. John

Mrs. Pam Fisher, Florida preschool teacher and author, visited St. John last week to share her love of teaching and storytelling with our elementary students.  She read Pammy the Pig, a story of a little pig who is different from all the others because of her straight tail, to the students.  The story is a great lesson on accepting ourselves and others for the differences that make us all individuals.  Mrs. Fisher also shared the process of writing and illustrating the book with our students.

The author visit made the paper!!  Check out the Ocala Star Banner from Friday, September 30th.  Below is the link to the Ocala.com Photo Album from the author visit.
Pammy the Pig Author Visits St. John

Double Bag Lunch Day

Students walking to class last Tuesday morning might have been struggling a little bit because their hands were so full - filled with extra lunches and large bags of food to donate to the first Double Bag Lunch Day.  This is the first of a series of service opportunities that St. John will be coordinating this year.  "Our goal is for students to take an active roll in giving back to the community on a regular basis," said Vanessa Baxley, School Relations.  The first of the monthly planned Double Bag Lunch Day events collected approximately $4,000 worth of food to donate to the Ocala Domestic Violence Shelter.  Each month, the school will promote one day to encourage students and families to donate simple lunch items, fresh fruit, or items for complete meals to donate to local shelters and agencies. 

This service project, sponsored by the Student Ambassadors, would not have been possible without the hard work and giving spirit of our students and families.  "Double Bag Lunch Day had a great turn out.  Seeing everyone participate made me feel like we are really making a difference in the community," said Student Ambassador Kathy Hossler, junior.  All morning, students helped collect boxes of donated items, sort and organize like items, box up donations and load all of the heavy boxes. 

A special thanks to St. John parent Mrs. Norma Lopez(mom of Amber and Gabriel) who volunteered her whole morning to assist with the project.  She helped organize the students and food and allowed us to fill up her truck to make the delivery to the shelter.  We couldn't have done it without her - thank you Mrs. Lopez. 

Watch for future Double Bag Lunch Days to be announced!

To view our photo album, click here:   Double Bag Lunch Day September

Converge SEE YOU AT THE POLE

Written By Elizabeth Rockey

Where could you find faith, food, and friends? See You At the Pole! See You At the Pole is a Global Day of Student Prayer. Started with ten students praying at their school in 1990, SYATP has withstood the test of time. Millions pray on their campuses on the 4th Wednesday in September. SYATP is simply a prayer rally. Students around the world will do something revolutionary driven by a simple promise: "Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you" as Matthew 18:20 reads. Will you join the movement? Converge at St. John's front flagpole to pray for you friends, to pray for your school, to pray for your city, and to pray for your nation. See You At the Pole is Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 7:00AM at the front flagpole. Wear White! This event of prayer is sponsored by Prayer Team. We will have donuts and drinks to satisfy your physical hunger and prayer to satisfy your spiritual hunger. We hope and pray to see you there!

SAINTS SWIM

Submitted by Coach Greta Gieske

     The St. John swim team swam hard last week against Forest, despite being outnumbered four to one. Ryan Oltz and Thomas Ergle came in first and second respectively in both the 50 free and the 100 free. Jonathan Alfred took first in the 200 free and second in the 100 butterfly. Joshua Layton took first and second in the 200 IM and the 100 back, and the boys’ 200 free relay took first place against three Forest relays.

The girls’ team also swam well. Kayleigh Williams and Caley Carbaugh took first and second in the 50 free. Carbaugh also took first in the 100 free. Melanie Rouyer took second in the 100 back and Natalie Schaub took second in the 100 breast, with the girls’ 200 free relay taking second.

Individually, the Saints swam as well as I could have hoped. It was great to see them holding their own against a much bigger team. Despite their best efforts, however, the sheer size of the Forest team beat us in points. The boys lost 65- 101 and the girls 40-121, but our small team made it a great meet to watch. Great job Saints!

Saints smash Bell

Fri. September 16, 2011 at 11:39 p.m. | By Richard Burton/Ocala Star Banner

Coming into his team’s game against Bell on Friday night at Brick City Park, St. John Lutheran coach Dennis Meunier told his team they had a chance to make history.
“I said we had the opportunity to be the last undefeated team left in Marion County and it would be the first time ever that St. John was the only unbeaten team left in the county at this point in the season,” he said.
The Saints (3-0) took advantage of their opportunity in a major way with a 77-14 mauling over the Bulldogs (0-3).
“We did a lot of good things tonight and we are pleased to be where we are at,” said Meunier, the only coach in school history to lead St. John to the postseason. “There’s a lot of good football being played in the county and we are happy to be playing well.”
St. John extended its area-best regular season winning streak to 11 games and will now look to gain some revenge against the last team it lost against in the regular season, Ormond Beach Calvary Christian on the road Friday night.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for us,” Meunier said. “They have a big 6-foot-4 quarterback who throws it all over the field, but the place they hurt us last year was in the return game and we know we have to cover well.
“We feel we return well and we know that eliminating mistakes will be key.”
St. John didn’t make many mistakes against Bell, which has allowed 132 points in its last two games.
The Saints rolled up 424 yards of offense on just 33 plays and held the Bulldogs to just 95.
Bell’s two touchdowns covered 95 yards, while its other 37 plays combined failed to gain a yard.
Jamonte and Damonte Jones were once again unstoppable, as was Calib Alexander, who rushed for 157 yards and two scores on just five carries and also had a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown brought back due to a penalty.
The Jones twins, meanwhile, combined to score on six of the eight times they touched the ball.
Jamonte Jones caught a pair of touchdowns and also ran back two interceptions for scores. On his four touches, he totaled 158 yards.
Damonte Jones ran for one score and ran a punt back 63 yards and also added an interception in the rout.
The Saints also were able to open and throw the ball, as quarterback Tyler Rotstein was 7-for-11 for 162 yards and three touchdowns.

“We have to be able to throw the ball as we get into our district schedule,” said Meunier, whose team will play six consecutive district games. “We have to do that so teams don’t put nine guys in the box against us.
“I was pleased with the way we threw it tonight. Tyler did a good job and our receivers made some big plays.”
The Saints also got a perfect 11-for-11 effort in point-after kicks from Mike Ergle, who also threw for a score and caught a scoring pass from Rotstein.
St. John jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the opening quarter, as it outgained Bell 162 to minus-9 yards.
From there, the Saints built a 56-8 halftime edge, as they rolled up 318 yards by halftime, as Alexander had his entire output over the opening two quarters and Rotstein hit on 6-of-10 passes for 128 yards and all three of his scoring strikes.
St. John had a string of three straight return touchdowns (two via interceptions and one via punt return), as they ran their last play from scrimmage at the 5:42 mark of the first half and didn’t run another offensive snap until the 5:51 mark of the third quarter.
Bell, meanwhile, finished with five first downs, three via penalty, as the Saints were flagged eight times for 95 yards.
The Bulldogs, though, were totally overmatched, as St. John moved at will.

Flag Football Opener is a Win for the SAINTS

Our Flag Football Saints had a great opener against Ocala Christian Academy, beating them 43 to 14. The team was lead on offense by team Captain Jeffrey Salamone and talented running back Cor'yon Gillium. Salamone completed several passes to Colby Slaughter and Marcus Medero from the quarterback position and returned a interception for a 60yd score the with three minutes left in the game.  Gillium accounted for four of the Saints rushing touchdowns and Bobby Wilkerson got in on the action with a 20yd score in the second half. On the defensive side of the ball, the Saints got great pressure lead by Carter Paradiso, Piercen Mendola and Alexander Thorn. The trio had several stops in the backfield and a couple of quarterback sacks. The Saints played great as a team with only a few mistakes in their first game. Coach McCall says thank you to his team for a tremendous effort and to all of the parents for their support. The Saints Flag Football team is on the road next week to face Meadowbrook Academy.

Anchored in Love

Anchor Newbies all dressed up for Taps Week

Written By Elizabeth Rockey

Did you catch a glimpse of the gang from Toy Story on last Tuesday morning during morning car line? Woody, Dino, Mrs. Piggy, Barbie, Little Bo Peep and her sheep, Buzz, Slink, an alien, an army man, and the rest of the Toy Story crew were all there! Do you know why? It was Anchor Taps Dress-up Week 2011!

Anchor Club is an extracurricular activity centered on service. It is a club providing volunteer services to those in need in our community.  Anchor Club is part of Pilot International and is sponsored or cosponsored by a District Pilot Club or a Pilot Member in the local community.

Pilot International has been undertaking service projects involving youth and their needs since it was chartered in 1921. Anchor Clubs were adopted by Pilot programs in 1952. Anchor is now over fifty years old and is composed of 9,000 male and female students in nearly 260 clubs. Anchor can be found throughout the United States, Bahamas, and Japan. Our favorite club is the St. John Anchor Club, founded in the mid 1970's.

This year's theme for all Anchor affiliations is "Anchored in Love." This theme encourages student members to remember we are brought together in brotherly and sisterly love to serve and love those in need. Being part of the St. John Anchor Club is more than just dressing up one week out of the school year for Taps Week. Being a member encourages community and campus service. 

Watch out! While Anchor Club may not be all decked out and dressed up like the last time you saw them, they will be "Anchored in Love," remembering our school theme of Philippians 2:5, serving and loving those in need with an attitude as that of Christ Jesus. Look for more information about their upcoming events and check out their "St. John Anchor Club" Facebook page and "like" it to see what they are doing to serve God and give to those in need.

Check out more pitcures here!

http://www.photobucket.com/AnchorTapsWeek2011

Who's That Bear?

2nd grader, Emerson Kirkland, reading with healthy bear before bed!

 Written by Madison Kirkland

To most of the St. John community, the blue and gold bears sitting on the shelf in Mrs. Fischer's Second Grade classroom are just stuffed animals that we occasionally see around campus, carried by one of the students.  But to the little people who carry them, the bears are special rewards, or friends, that bring happiness to little hearts. These mysterious bears, made out of blue and gold school colored fabric with a St. John monogram, are the second grade rewards given to two students who were well-behaved and reflect kind and helpful qualities during day. The two bears are named “Healthy Bear” and “Junkie Bear” and each has different characteristics. “Healthy Bear” likes to read with a flashlight under the covers at night and selects healthy snacks.  “Junkie Bear” eats junk food and reads his books sitting on top of the covers.  Neither bear is more or less desirable for the student who earns him – the bears are equal in reward and cuddliness.
Second grade teacher, Mrs. Fischer, chooses the students who will take home the bears.  “Healthy Bear” and “Junkie Bear” get to spend the night with the students  lucky enough to take them home.  These bears make the students feel special and give them a boost of confidence about making good choices at school.
“I love surprising mommy with the bear when I get home from school because she says that she is proud of me.  I try hard every day to be good, so I can get a bear for the night,” said Emerson, Second Grade student at St. John. Next time you see a little person around our school carrying a blue and gold teddy bear, be sure to compliment him or her on their “beary” good behavior!

For more photos of our 2nd Grade Students with their "beary special friends," click here:
Who's that bear??? Photo Album

Meet our Blue & Gold Staff

Thank you for following the Saints Blue & Gold.  Watch for the occassional "guest author," or maybe submit something you would like to share.  Through the year, classes and teachers will be adding to our blog posts.  Please meet our journalism staff who will be coordinating our stories and writing for the blog!

Madison Kirkland is a junior who has a deep love for cheezits and smiles all throughout the day. More or less, when you see her, she's laughing!

One of our scholarly journalists, Kathy, is a junior at St. John who loves to hang out with her family and friends.

Jessica a sophomore and Saints cheerleader! Jumping into competitive horseback riding is her passion and she loves consuming chocolate-chip cookies.

Elizabeth Rockey is a sophomore who loves to read and write. She also enjoys baking and hanging out with
family and friends!

Lorena Walker is a sophomore who loves to cheer for the Saints as well as play softball and volleyball! When Lorena isn't involved in a sport, her favorite activities are performing in plays and riding horses.

It's a NEW year!



The Journalism Class taking a quick break from class.

 Welcome to a new year on the SAINTS blue & gold, the St. John Lutheran School blog managed by the high school journalism class. We hope that you will become a follower of the blue & gold by entering your email address on the right side of the page.  If you do, you will receive emails everytime a new story or photo album is added.  This year, we will be writing stories, interviewing students & creating photo albums of our students in action in the classroom, on the playing fields, and serving our campus and community.  Check out the Saints Blue & Gold often to read the latest Saints Scoop!!

Senior Moment: Andrew Brewer

written by: Kathy Hossler

Senior, Andrew Brewer, has been attending St. John Lutheran since his kindergarten year. His favorite thing about being a senior is the fact that he can leave at 12:30 pm everyday. Andrew’s favorite class is Environmental Science with Mr. Kaley and his favorite teacher is Mr. Riedel because he has taught Andrew to write well. Andrew is a very active student at St. John since he is involved in St. John’s soccer, golf, National Honor Society, student council, Saints on Stage, and chapel band. He especially likes to play guitar for chapel band and having the opportunity to become close with everybody at school. His future plans are to go to Campbell University, get a business degree, and run a hospital.

Senior Moment: Ryan Kirk

written by: Kathy Hossler

Ryan Kirk has been a student of St. John Lutheran since K-3 and loves the fact that he is now a senior. The best thing about being a senior to him is the anticipation of graduation, the bad cases of senioritis, and hardly any homework. This year, his favorite class is Mrs. Kana’s 3^rd period English class and his favorite teacher is Mrs. Baxley because, “she is a joy to be around and is always there to help you."

Ryan has participated in basketball, baseball, student council, and National Honors Society.  The thing he likes best about St. John is that the school is like a small-knit family. He says that St. John has made him a better person because of the teachers/staff members who genuinely care about him, as well as the rest of the students.

 Currently, he is dual-enrolling at College of Central Florida and then he plans on taking another semester there next year. After that, he expects to transfer to Florida State University and major in engineering. Once he graduates college, he hopes to find a good job that makes him happy, live like a king, and relax.

PROM 2011 pictures

St. John PROM 2011

EXTREME MAKEOVER: Classroom Edition

Last month the PTL held an essay contest for the elementary classes to submit wishes for their classroom decor.  We're not talking about big time renovations here, but a little sprucing up to classrooms with some fun items to decorate the room.  All of the classes submitted very unique requests that they had decided upon as a group.  From shelving to a space theme, our students were creative with their requests!  Once the essays were read by the PTL committee for the "makeover," they decided who would be the lucky class to receive a makeover worthy of HGTV's House of Style!  And the lucky classroom is...... Ms. Abbatiello's Fifth Grade classroom.  The students were thrilled to find giant comfy pillows and bean bags in the center of two freshly painted bookshelves, as well as complimentary pillows in the the computer area.  Fresh flower decals, peace signs, butterflies and sports themed decor adorned their lockers, walls and windows.  St. John penants added a special touch to one corner adding to a creative wall display.  Each student also had the chance to write their birthday on the newly created "brithday board." 

A huge thanks to our PTL for this fun project that added some pizazz to some of the fifth grade student workspaces.  Middle School, your classrooms are next.  Who will be the next classroom makeover winner?

Too see more photos of the 2011 extreme makeover go to Extreme Makeover Photo Album

Sir Saint 2011 named



Jared Schappert being crowned Sir Saint 2011 by Ms. Gieseke

By Kaley Sandlin

As spectators walked into the gymnasium on Thursday night, they viewed a blue velvet curtain sparkling in the gym light ready to be pulled back. The chairs and bleachers were filled; people were hustling about buying their refreshments and entering the raffles that later that night might bring them winnings. The lights dimmed and the show began. All the competitors and their coaches looked very nice in their formal wear. All the contenders did a fantastic job during the formal wear, talent and interview part of the competition. Jared Schappert started the evening off grand with a fabulous performance, and ultimately rapped his way to the top earning him a victory and the title of Sir Saint 2011. The show ended with Thomas Ergle singing his way to the title of “people’s choice award.”  When presented with this award Thomas graciously gave his crown to another fan favorite, Daniel Jornalien, who wowed the crowd with his master yo-yo skills.  The event overall was very successful and raised over $700 for this years prom. We cannot wait to see what Sir Saint 2012 will bring. 

Thomas Ergle finished up the night with a few songs.



Senior Interview: Melody Sietsma

Written by: Christina Shepard

Melody Sietsma has been at St. John since kindergarten. She has been a proud member of the St. John cheerleading team since 5^th grade. In her freshman year she was involved with 4-H and in her junior year she was involved in both Prayer Force and the United Way Student Club. She is a member of National Honors Society at St. John and has been involved in many other clubs outside of school. Melody is also the Senior Class Treasurer.

Melody’s favorite class is Advanced Placement Statistics because it is easy and great to apply to everyday life. Dr. Humphries is her favorite teacher because she learns a lot from him and he makes the class fun. After high school, Melody plans on going to the College of Central Florida because it is the ideal school for her, located close to home and offering programs in her area of interest.  She intends on majoring in nursing and minoring in Cardiovascular Technology. Following college, she hopes to get a job as a Cardiovascular Technologist for pediatrics and then someday have a family.

Instead of a memory, Melody said that she would like to say what she has learned from St. John- “When I leave St. John, I will take with me all of the fond memories, my great friends, and the inspiration to get out there and serve the Lord in everything I do.”

Brittany Billmeier Wins at State Science Fair!

The Florida State Science and Engineering Fair is a three-day display of science project exhibits prepared by aspiring scientists and engineers in grades six through twelve.  Over 900 first place finalists from across the state of Florida displayed their projects illustrating their research.  During this event, students have the opportunity to share their ideas with one another, increase personal development in scientific and technological areas, gain self-confidence in problem-solving skills, and participate in academic competition.  One of St. John's sixth graders, Brittany Billmeier, was selected to compete at this state level with her project "The Incredible Isopod."  In the category of Zoology, Brittany won an amazing 3rd place! Congratulations, we are very proud of all of your academic accomplishments and representing St. John Lutheran School at the State Science Fair!

      -Mrs. Jennifer Fontaine and Mrs. Sally Mennicke 

Blood Drive

Last Thursday, St. John hosted a blood driveon campus for LifeSouth Community Blood Center. This was the first blood drive the school has hosted in many years.  Students, staff and parents all participated by making blood donations throughout the day.  Coach Tony Fisher was the first donation of the day at 7:30 am, and soon after that, our students (over 16 years) and parents started filling the LifeSouth bus to make donations.Trevor Shawley, Class of 2010, even stopped by to donate when he saw the bus in front of St. John.  By the end of the day, over 31 donors had made blood donations (11 more than the goal).  Several students gave blood for the first time, and realized that it wasn't painful at all.  "     "

The students really enjoyed lunch off the grill after their donation, as well as snacks, drinks and a free tshirt!  We are proud of our Saints for giving back to our community in this way! 

Europe - Spring Break 2011!

Our Saints in Paris - Kelsey, Christina, Nicole, Heather, Victoria, Sami, and Jacob

By Christina Shepard

The golden gate of Versailles gleamed in the sunlight as if it were welcoming the St. John Lutheran group to Europe. It was the first day of our trip to Europe and all nine of us seemed to be in a blend between excitement and exhaustion- because of the six hours that we had lost from the time change. The first place we were planning to see was Versailles near Paris, France- a gigantic palace that Louis XIV built for himself. It was a beautiful day outside until we went outside to see the gardens, which was when a light rain started. After we settled in our hotel rooms in Paris, we went out to have a delicious Italian dinner with Helena, our wonderful tour guide. Helena grew up in Spain, moved to England for ten years to study the English language, and then moved to France to study the French language and has been there for eleven years. She was an amazing tour guide who knew the answer to almost every question we asked. Without her, the trip wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.

The next few days in Paris consisted of miles of walking, gallons of rain, and overly full stomachs. We went to the Sacre Coeur, Montmarte, the Eiffel tour, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Arch de Triumph. Just to name a few of the places that we ate- we ate at a small Italian restaurant, a small café near our hotel and a very Parisian café near the Eiffel tower. The days in Paris flew buy and we were soon on our way to Avignon, France.

On our way to Avignon, we stopped in two small towns- Aigues Mortes and Ales, both quaint and beautiful towns in the countryside of France. When we were on the outskirts of Avignon, we had a hectic ride on horses in the pelting rain. It may have been crazy, but it was certainly an amazing experience. Avignon is a small college town in the Southern parts of France. The town is known for the fact that it was the home to seven French Catholic Popes in the early 1300’s. Though it was raining the entire time that we were there, we still had a magnificent time in Avignon.

The morning after our first and only night in Avignon we woke up early and started the 4 hour drive to Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is a large city on the coast of Spain. We saw most of Gaudi’s architecture in Barcelona- including the Casa, the Cascada Fountain, the Casa Mila, Park Guell, and Sagrada Familia. We also went to a few of the museums in Barcelona, like the Picasso museum and the chocolate museum. We went on a bike tour in Barcelona where we saw all of the main sites in the city. On the last night we all were given the chance to make our own Paella with chefs in a wonderful restaurant near the coast- the Paella ended up being delicious. That was also when we celebrated Nicole’s birthday! Our waitress brought out cake with a candle and we all got to try two different kinds of cake. We all had a fantastic time and will certainly never forget a moment of our trip to Europe.

For more pictures: Saints in Europe, Spring Break 2011

**Ms. Greta Gieseke, Spanish Instructor, coordinated the trip for the seven students who participated in this Spring Break adventure. 

Bedtime Stories

The annual school book fair was sponsored by the St. John PTL this year and provided lots of opportunities for students to preview and purchase new reading materials.  Throughout the week, students visited the book fair with their class and each created a wish list for the books they would like on their book shelf!  One of the highlights of the week was the evening event, "Bedtime Stories."  Our elementary Saints enjoyed the fun evening by wearing their pajamas to shop for new books, having cookies and milk, and listening to guest readers from campus and the high school.  Ms. Gieseke and Mr. Knutson were our guest readers from the teachers and administration, and Jordan James and Josh Knutson were our high school students that made a special appearance.  The evening ended after Mr. Knutson read YES Day, a very fun book about getting the answer YES to anything you asked your parents for one whole day.  We look forward to next year's book fair for more fun reading opportunites!

To view more photos, click on the link: Bedtime Story Photo Album

Jump Rope for Heart

                                                              Story by: Kaley Sandlin                                             

~Jump Rope for Heart held on February 11, 2011 ~

~King & Queen Coronation held on February 28, 2011~

Every year, the American Heart Association holds a national fundraising program event at 46 schools in Marion County called Jump Rope for Heart. During this event, kids jump rope and munch on some healthy snacks, all to promote the awareness of good exercise and healthy eating for a healthy heart. There are three purposes for this event. First, it helps familiarize the children with their body and their hearts.  Second it allows them to understand what types of food and exercise is healthy for their body. And last, it gets them familiar with the mission of the American Heart Association.

This program began in the 1970’s and has grown into a national program. Through the event, kids are able to learn and have fun at the same time.   At the healthy snack station, St. John Lutheran student C.J. says, “I am eating carrots and they are good, but I can’t wait to have fun (jumping rope)." Another student, Hudson Hall, comments “I am having so much fun.” Every year Jump Rope for Heart becomes more and more of a hit, and hopefully the students of St. John Lutheran will be able to look forward to this event again.

This year, St. John students raised over $2,084 to help the American Heart Assocation.  This week, the top fundraiser boy and girl student were "crowned" King and Queen of Jump Rope for Heart.  They each received a crown, and the top online earner received a gift certicate for horseback riding lessons.  And the King and Queen are............ King Marcus Medero from fourth grade and Queen Reece Wise from kindergarten (Reece was also the top online earner.)

       For more photos click here: Jump Rope for Heart

Cast selected for Meet Me In St. Louis by Saints on Stage

 Written by Christina Shepard

Meet Me in St. Louis Cast

            Congratulations to all of the students who received a part in 2011’s Saints on Stage play, Meet Me in St. Louis. The turnout of students was phenomenal- a thanks to everyone who came to the try-outs! Everyone who came to the auditions had great potential for acting and a select few were chosen for the seventeen member cast.

                The cast of this year's Saints on Stage play are- Stephen Bollinger as Mr. Smith, Elizabeth Rockey as Mrs. Smith, Andrew Brewer as Lon, Kayleigh Williams as Rose, Jenny Koch as Esther, Ashley Gallinaro as Agnes, Rachel Bookbinder as Tootie (Brittany Hytovick as her understudy), Mr. John Westol as Grandpa Prophater, Madison Kirkland as Katie, Meghan Brady as Mrs. Waughop, Jenny Bollinger as Ida Boothby, Nicholas Scherschel as John Shephard, Corbin Van Vliet as Fred Gregor, Lorena Walker as Lucille Pentard, Eric Whinnen as Mr. Dodge, David Joranlien as Mr. Duffy (Josh Howard as his understudy), and Josh Howard as Conductor. Meet Me in St. Louis has an amazing cast this year. Make sure to come and see the play on April 28^th, 29^th, or the 30^th!

Meet me in St. Louis

Story and Photos by : Kaley Sandlin

Meet me in St. Louis is the name of the  performance this year by the Saints on Stage. Mrs. Ergle decided to go with a comedy play this year since the Saints on Stage performance for the last two years has been a musical.           
Meet me in St. Louis is a comedy based on the book by Sally Benson. It was adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. The cast consists of seven male roles and nine female roles. What makes this play so special is that it captures a special moment in time and a particular moment in the lives of a real family, with fun, excitement and some broad comedy scenes that often stop the show with laughter. 

Four attractive sisters are blazing with excitement over the wonderful World’s Fair that is about to open right there in St. Louis. The girls are also in a state about the love life of their only brother, whom they suspect is leaving his sweet hometown girl for a snob from the East. In the midst of the sisters’ humorous maneuvers to ruin their brother’s new romance, Father finally breaks in with his announcement. He’s been offered a better job in New York! This will mean leaving their home in St. Louis and missing the fair. At this, the girls unite for action. This should be a good play for our St. John Lutheran family to participate in and watch. Last year’s play Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory had much success and a great turnout, all fingers crossed that this year will be the same way. Don't forget to get your tickets, the play will be held April 28, 29, and 30.

Left to right: Corbin, Josh, Meghan, and David beginning rehearsals.
For more photos from Saints On Stage, go to Meet me in St. Louis