Operation Christmas Child

By Rachel Bookbinder

Even though Christmas is few months away, it doesn't mean that giving has to begin there. Children in third world countries are not as fortunate as many of us in the United States. For many children, December 25th is just another day struggling to find food and clean water. They don't wake up on Christmas morning with the excitement to  to see gifts are under the Christmas tree. 

This year, our Anchor club sponsored and promoted Operation Christmas Child for our students and families. This organization asked people to donate shoeboxes filled with children's toys, necessary hygiene utensils, and a Bible to send to the children in different countries.  Participating in this service project helps to spread the Word of God to all the children who may not know about Jesus.

The Anchor Club advisor, Mrs. Fontaine, hoped the school would donate at least 100 hundred shoeboxes. Her expectations were greatly exceeded when she found out that the whole school donation totaled 349 boxes. The Anchor Club was thrilled to hear that the whole school was as excited as serving others as they were.  Thank you to those students and families who participated by sharing their Christmas.
 

Fall Fest was a Huge Success

 

  By: Madeline Seiberlich
This year the Fall Festival was awesome! I hope all of you were able to attend because it was definitely something worth talking about. The field was totally transformed into a huge fall celebration filled with tons of booths and lots of activities to participate in! There was a cupcake walk, a photo booth, bean bag toss, mask and face painting, and even a petting zoo!  I think one of everyone’s favorite things was the dunk tank. Especially since it gave the students the opportunity to dunk some of their favorite teachers and fellow classmates. The Fall Festival was also filled with prizes, including the chance to win a goldfish and earn tons of candy!  Overall, the Fall Festival was a huge success this year, and I think it was the perfect thing to get everyone in the fall mood. 

   

Homecoming Week is here!

 

Homecoming is just around the corner here at St. John, with several events leading up to the big weekend. The big football game and coronation of the Homecoming Queen and Court will take place on the night of Friday, November 9, at home.  Before the game, alumni will be gather at an informal tailgate party at Brick City starting at 6 pm.  Game kickoff is at 7:30 pm. 

The Winter Wonderland themed dance for the high school students will be held on Saturday, November 10, from 7:30pm-11:30pm, in the Grand Ballroom of the Ocala National Bank building. 

But, before all of that, a fun-filled spirit week has been planned for all grades to participate in: Monday will be pajama day, and Tuesday, students can dress up as their favorite character or super hero.

Tuesday is also the huge all school Pep Rally at 7 pm in the Saints Gym.   The cheerleaders will get everyone fired up for the week ahead, students will perform skits, sports teams in grades 5th-12th will be introduced, and then high school students will attend the annual bonfire!  

Wednesday is favorite sports team day, where students can wear jerseys or dress up as full on sports players. Thursday is called “Alpha and Omega Day,” where students are encouraged to dress as either old or young people. Finally, Friday will be SAINTS spirit day, and blue and gold will be worn by all. Remember to participate from November 5-9 to prepare for St. John’s exciting homecoming week!