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