September 2023 Student Spotlights

The McGill-Toolen Catholic Chamber Singers performed at the Back To School Mass for the Archdiocese of Mobile at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. This incredibly talented group of singers prepared for today’s performance during Chamber Camp a few weeks ago. They will have a chance to sing for the student body at our first school Mass in a few weeks.

Several Corpus Christi Catholic School teachers along with our principal, Mrs. Martin, spent the week developing their knowledge and learning new strategies at the MEGA conference hosted by the Alabama State Department of Education.
(Pictured left to right, Mrs. Pitts, Mrs. Mansfield, Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Klein)

Saint Dominic Catholic School teachers and staff enjoyed a back to school breakfast to kick off the new school year. They are excited to have students back on campus and look forward to a great year!

Homeschoolers from the Field Trip Line-up and More participated in an art lesson taught by Artist Odie Tucker at Dauphin Island Heritage and Arts Council. They learned how to paint using watercolors and then visited the Dauphin Island Art Gallery to see Odie’s work.

Congratulations to Cequyia “CeCe” York who is breaking all the records in athletics and academia. Heartwood Christian Academy is proud to announce that Ms. Cequyia “CeCe” York is one of three winners selected as a recipient for the Mu Eta Sigma National Math Honor Society Scholarship. CeCe enjoys the “complexity of manipulating the various degree of numbers” to produce an end result. She plans to use her math skills in anthropology, the area of study she has chosen to pursue. We wish you the BEST, CeCe, in all of your endeavors.

The LBA teachers are back on campus and have begun their week of orientation. The administration, the school staff, and all school faculty are excited for another school year of teaching and training the next generation!

The Field Trip Line-up and More Homeschoolers participated in the July Youth Arts offered at Arts of Dauphin Island. They created an abstract painting with watercolors.

Many hands make light work, so painting the hall at Little Flower Catholic School was an easy task when faculty and staff showed up to help. Mr. Nick West, technology teacher; Miss Courtney Ward, preschool teacher; Mrs. Debbie Ollis, principal, and Miss Alex Lilly, kindergarten teacher were proud of a job well done. Little Flower pastor, Fr. John Lynes, pitched in to put on the finishing touches.

Heartwood Christian Academy’s yearbook staff joined Kari Ransom with Coastal Makers Art Studio for an afternoon of creativity and inspiration after an intensive week of working together on the 2023-2024 yearbook. It was a collaborative effort deemed necessary to start the year off right. Students participated in an artistic team-building exercise to replicate HCA’s lion mascot on the cover of The Lion’s Pride Yearbook. Kari was truly an inspiration with her beautifully drawn version of HCA’s lion mascot. The yearbook staff enjoyed placing finishing touches on their version of the final product which will provide a lasting memory for all of the students that participated. HCA’s yearbook staff is more cohesive than ever and ready to face the challenges of producing another award-winning yearbook. Stay tuned!

St. Luke’s varsity volleyball team recently spent time with some incredible athletes at the Special Olympics. We’re proud of our Lady Wildcats for making a difference and creating unforgettable memories!

As the school year begins, our teachers at Heart of Mary School are preparing their classrooms for an engaging learning experience by setting up state-of-the-art smart boards and interactive technologies with the help of Mrs.Johnson, our school principal and Mr.West, our technology coordinator. With a focus on integrating modern tools into their teaching methods, our teachers aim to foster a dynamic and tech-savvy environment that empowers students and encourages active participation throughout the academic journey.

Little Flower Catholic School is proud to show off part of their branding renovation. The red and black visuals on their new Viking stickers announce VIKING STRONG. We are grateful to Mark Calametti at Gumbo Specialties for his help in coming up with just the right image for the new stickers.

St. Luke’s Class of 2024 is gearing up for their final year of high school and we couldn’t be more excited to see what they have in store. From decorating their parking spots to planning their future, our seniors are ready to make their mark!

St. Ignatius welcomes over 80 new students to campus for the 23-24 school year. Each new student received a St. Ignatius yard sign and shared their adorable pictures with the school office. We are so excited to welcome our new Impalas! It’s going to be a great school year!

Saint Dominic Catholic School Middle School Science teacher, Mr. Womack, spent time this summer at Space Camp. He got to take a spin in the multi axis trainer and learn many new things. Mr. Womack is excited to share his experience with the students this school year!

Ishayu Chakroborty ’24 was chosen as one of Mobile Bay’s 2023 WONDER KIDS.
During Project Engage Ish chose to do an internship with Dr. Grelet in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Mitchell Cancer Institute. Dr. Grelet specializes in tumor neurogenesis in cancer progression and metastasis with a focus on breast cancer. During the internship with Dr. Grelet, he was able to observe and assist with experimental lab work, as well as learn about bioinformatics and data analysis in biology, especially in breast cancer. The experience during Project Engage sparked his interest in cancer research and drove him to learn further about data analysis from publicly available datasets and repositories. The findings then led to a research project with guidance from Dr. Kakkat Ph.D. in the Department of Pathology at the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
Because of his dedicated work in the research lab at the Mitchell Cancer Institute, Ish registered as a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in the spring of 2022 and was invited to attend the AACR 2022 annual meeting in New Orleans [AS A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL!]. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to accelerating the conquest of cancer.
He then was contacted by Dr. Robin Felder, Director of Membership and Professional Development for AACR to complete the student registration form to attend the Special Program for High School Students entitled, “The Conquest of Cancer and the Next Generation of Cancer Researchers.” He was then approached to present his research. Before Ish knew it, he had been vetted for membership and submitted the title of his research proposal for approval! American Association for Cancer Research had over 20,000 in attendance and Ish was ONE of only seven students in the United States who were invited to present their work/research at the meeting.
We are so proud of you, Ish!

St. Mary Parish hosted a week of fun at their 2023 Vacation Bible School, July 24-28! PreK4 through 5th grade VBS campers learned about how their faithful God is on life’s wild ride. Kudos to St. Mary’s VBS organizer Elizabeth Blanchette and her fabulous committee for organizing VBS again this year. St. Mary welcomed 115 students from PreK4 through 5th grade who were guided by 50 student volunteers in grades 6 through 12, and 20 adult volunteers! The week was made possible by these volunteers and all who helped provide daily snacks and decorations to fit the VBS theme. The last day of the camp, St. Mary campers were surprised with 175 yogurt treats from Cold Snap. St. Mary is grateful to Cold Snap owner Loren Barbour for the tasty surprise! Submitted by Marcelle Rathle Naman

Corpus Christi Catholic School eighth graders attended a spiritual retreat this summer. The students had so much fun and our faith was strengthened. We can not wait to see what this school year has in store, as these 8th graders lead our school.

From learning new cheers to bonding with teammates, St. Luke’s cheerleaders had an unforgettable summer! The varsity cheerleaders won 1st place in Sideline, 2nd place in Cheer, Overall Championship Award for Game Day Routine, 2nd place in Camp Routine, Camp Leadership Award (cheerleaders from other schools voted on which team they would want to be a part of if not their own.) Eight St. Luke’s cheerleaders made “All-American” through a tryout selection process. Three girls also received “Pin It Forward” awards for exemplifying kindness and leadership while at camp.
All American:
JaeAnna Gaston
Hallie Dickinson
Kennedie Olson
Maddie Banks
Catelynn Gill
Caroline Hooper
Blakeleigh Ware
Jenna Simpson
Pin It Forward:
JaeAnna Gaston
Kennedie Olson
Audrey Fendley

St. Luke’s JV cheerleaders showcased their new skills learned from camp with a fantastic performance for their fans!
St. Luke’s: JV Cheerleaders: Chloe Lambert, Calista Conway, Reese Browning, Kristen Robertson, Vivian-Blaire Parish, Hannah Eblen, Mary-Katherine Brasel, Abby K Ott.

Congratulations to Davidson High School’s Jamey Duke, who was named the Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education’s Teacher Educator of the Year for his work with the Mobile County JROTC STEM Leadership Academy. He was presented with his award by MCPSS Director of Army Instruction LTC (Ret.) Robert F. Barrow.