Featured

Apple Distinguished School!

St. John’s has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School 2022-2025! We are so excited to receive this recognition. Read our full program submission here:

Check out more at https://www.sjls.org/about-us/apple-distinguished-school
Find out what it means to be an Apple Distinguished School at https://www.apple.com/education/k12/apple-distinguished-schools/

Chapel Drama Skit Team!

Do you want to see a class of happy, hard-working middle schoolers?  Come to chapel on a day that our chapel drama elective is performing and you’ll see middle school students doing something they love while glorifying God and sharing the Gospel.  Throughout the semester, this elective class has taken part in most of the aspects of putting on a show – writing some scripts, acting their parts, suggesting stage blocking, creating set pieces and props, and creating digital backdrops.  They also collaborated with the students in the costume design elective.  These costume design students proposed and put together costumes for the Sherlock Holmes-themed Holy Week skits as well as put together digital backdrops for those skits.  It was fun to see both classes working hard to make a dramatic production that brought others closer to Christ.  Well done to our costume design and chapel drama students!

Mrs. Elliott, General Music, Band, and Electives

Kindergarteners are a lot like caterpillars!

In kindergarten, it has been a joy to watch our cute, tiny caterpillars go through some amazing changes. When we first got our caterpillars, we gave them everything they needed, we had patience, and with time, we were able to see something pretty special in the end.

Kindergarteners are a lot like caterpillars. At the beginning of the year, they come to a big classroom for the first time, where everything is new to them. Everything seems so big and almost impossible. As they come to school daily, and as their teachers and parents give them what they need, we start to see some changes. By the end of the year, with a little extra patience and love, they have made a complete change and are ready to take off and fly. 

God is truly amazing! What a joy and blessing it is to be a part of this amazing time in their lives.

-Molly Harrison

Kindergarten Teacher

STEAM Night – Year Two!

On a Thursday in May, families made their way to St. John’s to participate in a fun-filled night of building with marshmallows and toothpicks, creating robot critters and more.  Families were invited to move through ten STEAM stations throughout the STEM lab and middle school hallways.  Two of the stations had families trying to build the largest structure using ten pipe cleaners or marshmallows and toothpicks to win a prize.  Four of the stations were make and takes, where students created 3D bubble wands, lava lamps, robots and catapults. 

The last four stations were all about technology.  Students programmed and coded Ozobots to move from their “home” to the STEAM night. Next, they made music by playing “banana keys” using a Makey-Makey hooked up to the iPad.   Then, they made a stop motion video using M&Ms and Skittles.  Last, families played a game called Newton using the Osmo attachment to iPad where they had to use school materials, like pencils, to virtually move balls on the iPad screen to hit targets.  Overall, the STEAM night was a fun and engaging experience that allowed students and their families to practice their Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math skills!

STEM Night 2023

Principal Dr. Hollatz and the 8th Grade Class 

Meet a former St. John’s Student – Yankees Pitcher, Gerrit Cole 

May 3, 2023 – Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York

Memorable 8th Grade Field Trip 

Washington DC, Gettysburg & New York

St. John’s eighth-graders embarked on a captivating field trip, visiting the historical landmarks of Washington, DC, Gettysburg, and New York City. The trip aimed to broaden their knowledge and foster a deeper appreciation for American history and culture.

The journey began in Washington, DC, where students delved into the foundations of democracy and the rich heritage of the United States. Guided tours led them through iconic sites such as the Capitol Building, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian Museums.

Next, the students traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to witness the hallowed grounds where a significant turning point in the American Civil War occurred. Exploring the battlefield, hearing compelling stories, and observing preserved artifacts allowed the students to understand this battle.

The final leg of the trip took the students to the bustling metropolis of New York City. Our first stop – Yankee Stadium! We got a first-rate stadium tour and met Yankee pitcher Gerrit Cole. The next day, students were guided through New York, visited the 9/11 Museum, and ended the trip with a boat cruise on the Hudson.

Beyond the educational aspects, the trip allowed students to build lasting friendships and develop a sense of responsibility and independence. The trip is a testament to the power of experiential learning, demonstrating that firsthand encounters with historical sites and cultural icons can spark a lifelong curiosity, appreciation, and understanding of our world’s diverse heritage.

By: Mrs. Bender, Middle School Teacher

Central Park, NY 

Gettysburg, PA White House

Riley’s Farm – 5th Grade Colonial Field Trip 

Our 5th graders recently enjoyed an overnight field trip to Riley’s Farm! We traveled back in time to 1776 and got to experience a taste of a soldier’s life in the Continental Army. We marched and learned battle formation drills while shooting our musket sticks. Students dipped their own candles, wrote with quill ink pens, learned to use a loom, and received lessons in colonial etiquette, baking, and churning butter. We played popular children’s games and experienced a typical colonial court proceeding where the judge, jury, witness, and prosecutor were all the same person. So unfair! 

We ate dinner by candlelight in the tavern and enjoyed delicious food, live colonial music, and a speech from Patrick Henry himself! It was a wonderful trip we will never forget! 

By Mrs. Martin, 5th grade