Moving On Up
 
By Jaiden Moreland
Photo Editor
 
            Journalism 1 and 2 have been SUPER busy during the last quarter. No matter what day it was, the Journalism students were working, even on Fun in the Sun Day. Students also went to after-school performances and took pictures for the yearbook. Journalism students met their third quarter deadlines for the yearbook and were putting the finishing touches on the yearbook in the final days of school, as well as the JPII Times online stories, and the eighth grade newspaper. Finishing the eighth grade stories, cutouts, and ads were also huge tasks to overcome. The students were busy interviewing and writing their beat stories. Editing the yearbook, stories, and the newspaper kept these students on the go. Keep up the good work, journalism!
 
Artsy Students
           
By Maureen Carter
Senior Editor
 
            The art students have had a wonderful year with the many different projects they have completed!
            The first through fifth grade students this past quarter created a drawing series where they learned to draw cartoons using the system of common math shapes to create both wild animals and domesticated animals. The students used the system to draw a robot and color with fine and medium point. They also did splatter painting and created a peace sign. On the peace sign, they used fabric squares to decorate and then added yarn and buttons. The older students were given other shapes to glue to the sign. “The students have really enjoyed this project,” Mrs. Stieber said.
            The Art 1 and Artisan students worked on a drawing series. They drew a bayou cabin scene with ebony prisma pencil in their own interpretation. They also created a mosaic design with ¼ inch ceramic glass squares. For a Mother’s Day gift, the students learned cementing where they created a picture frame with shells of many different shapes and designs. “The Mother’s Day gift came out terrific!” Mrs. Stieber said. Art 1 also made clay creatures and painted them with acrylic paint.
            The students have had a wonderful year filled with art. They have learned many different techniques and patterns of design.
 
Lights, Camera, Animation!

By Kiara Reyes
Technology Editor
 
            The Wheel Animation class learned many things about the process of how movies are made by storytelling this quarter. They also learned about cinematography, footbooks, and writing short film scripts. “The hardest thing about creating an animation is realizing that it takes longer than is expected,” said Mr. Montemeyor.
            The students also learned the steps to create an animation. First, they learned that it starts with an idea. “There always has to be a reason for creating an animation,” said Mr. Montemeyor. Next, they asked people what they think and for advice to improve their idea. Afterwards, they created sketches of their idea. Lastly, they used a design software to hand draw their finished idea or shoot it if it was a film. In order to create an animation, they use Adobe Flash, After Effects, and iStopmotion.
            Mr. Montemeyor said, “My favorite part about teaching animation is that the students have great ideas, and they are not afraid to express them.”
 
Battlebots, Internet Surveys, and Crafts

By Shannon Miekka
Managing Editor
 
            Miss Fannin has really enjoyed teaching her students for the final quarter this year! Her eighth grade class made and fought their battlebots, seventh grade learned about cyber-bullying and netiquette, and sixth grade has brushed up on Internet safety. The rest of her elementary classes made their end of the year projects for science and Texas history. The whole school participated in an online lunch survey to help prepare next year’s lunch menu.
            She is so proud of her students’ typing skills and how they have improved. All of her classes have completely memorized the keyboard and the symbols and letters on it. One seventh grader said that they had no trouble writing their language arts essay because of the games and exercises they used in technology.
            As the school year came to a close, the students enjoyed making many crafts like cards, calendars, pictures, and letters. “I hope that the students understand that technology is a blessing, and that it can make their lives easier, but it can be a curse if it used the wrong way,” Miss Fannin said. Her parting words for her graduating eighth graders are “make good choices” and “work hard, then play hard.” Congratulations, eighth graders!
 
Singing Their Hearts Out
 
By Gabby Agee
Features Editor
 
            This quarter, the elementary students put on many performances, sang at Mass, played instruments, and danced. The instruments that were used this quarter were tone chimes, percussion instruments, and bells. The song that was the older students’ favorite was I Say Yes, My Lord. The younger students’ favorite song was Great Big God. La Bamba was the hardest song for the fourth grade students to learn on the recorder. Dancing and singing are just two of the many talents our JPII elementary choir practiced this quarter. They especially showed these talents when they danced to Joyful, Joyful.
            The Honor Choir also performed Mary Poppins for the community on May 4. The first grade performed the Pope Play for the whole school at Mass on May 18. This year the students sang their hearts out!
 











The JPII band performs during the Spring Concert.

Keep It Playing
 
By Caitlyn Gaddy
Assistant Editor
 
            This quarter, band has been very busy. They have performed in three concerts: the Grandparents’ Day Concert, the Fun in the Sun Day Concert, and the Spring Concert. The band played many hit songs at the FITS Concert, such as Dynamite by Taio Cruz and Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey. Opening for Grandparents’ Day, band performed the Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, and Adrenalin Engines. At the Spring Concert, the sixth grade band performed Integrity March, Bandroom Boogie, and Space Shuttle Rock. The seventh and eighth grade band performed Rock It!, Watermelon Man, and more!
            During the summer, the band students will receive music to practice and books to read. The band will be keeping up their skills for next year. Keep it playing band!
 
           
The Saints Speech
 
By Elena Irvine
Layout/Design Editor
 
            The students in theatre arts this quarter focused on speech, taught by Mr. Courtney and learned how to write and present speeches. They learned that the first step to making a speech was taking notes on notecards. The next step was rehearsing the speech. Then, they presented their speech. The students also learned about disfluencies. They are words like um, uh, and like. Also, they learned how to speak loudly, clearly, and passionately. The students presented two main speeches this quarter: a persuasive speech and a speech about a topic of their choice. The speeches ranged from why eighth graders should be able to take naps to more serious topics. Their favorite thing was videoing how not to make a speech. The speech students really learned a lot this last quarter!
 
           
Adios Chicos
 
By Angela Forthuber
News Editor
 
 
            Mrs. Beckanovic’s Spanish classes made a lot of progress in speaking Spanish. This quarter the students worked on many projects due to the fact that the students finished their text books. The projects consisted of researching Spanish-related topics. In fourth grade, the students learned how to say the weather in Spanish. The fifth graders learned about Spanish restaurants, and the sixth graders did three projects and several presentations that consisted of a little bit of everything. In Level 1 and Level 2 Spanish the students did real world projects. Mrs. Beckanovic said, “Real world projects are projects that are what people do in everyday life, and what the students need to know for the future.” The Spanish classes have had a long year of hard work, but their work has paid off because they are getting better at speaking Spanish!
 
Making the Play in P.E.   
 
By Jade Pinnock
Features Editor
 
            This quarter, the first and second graders played many games during P.E. They played The Farmer and the Chicken, True False, and Z-Balls. By doing this, they worked on skills such as running, tagging, dodging, and running fast and slow.
            The third through seventh graders learned two new units. They finished field hockey and softball. To play hockey properly, they needed to work on stick handling, playing goalie, poke check, and scrimmaging. For playing softball, the students practiced throwing, catching, passing, hitting, fielding, and running bases. JPII students made the play in P.E!
 
Spanish All The Way!
 
By Carly Turlington
Sports Editor
 
            Mrs. Linares’s Spanish classes were learning about many different topics. The Pre-K and Kindergarten students learned about food items. The first grade students studied the alphabet. Second graders learned about verbs and action words. The third grade students learned about opposite words.  When Mrs. Linares teaches her students about the items she gives them worksheets to do, games to play, and songs to sing in all the grades. Mrs. Linares also gives her students three pieces of homework each quarter.  Mrs. Linares’s students are working up until the last second, but have had a lot of fun while they do it!
         











During the Spring Concert, the A Cappella Group sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Concert Chorale
 
By Mariana Rivas
Senior Editor
 
            Chorale this quarter sang during many different events including Grandparents Day, Mass, the Spring Concert, and May Crowning. The choir even through all the challenges has made it through the year and has gotten numerous compliments. For Grandparents’ Day, the students sang Aduramos de Christe during the Stations of the Cross presentation. They also sang during several Masses and performed the Responsorial Psalm. For May Crowning, they sang songs that had to do with Mary including Hail, Holy Queen.
            The Spring Concert this year was very successful! Not only did the choir sing beautiful songs including Siahumba and a Glee medley, but there were also many solos that proved the choir is filled with very talented people. Dylan Thomas sang How to Save a Life, Cassidy D’Agostino sang On My Own, and many more. Also there were duets sung by Jacob Yohr and Christian McStravick and also by Marisa Crexiell and Lauren Fogt.
            The A Capella Group sang a few songs as well, including In the Jungle which showed off their many talents in harmonization without accompaniment! Great job, Chorale!
 
Stretching to the End
 
By Elena Irvine
Layout/Design Editor
 
            The Stretch students had fun in Stretch this last quarter of school. They accomplished many different activities, like improving reading skills and becoming Junior Master Gardeners.
            The Kindergartners through third graders ended the year with reading assessments. The Kindergartners were assessed on the different sounds of vowels and consonants. They also performed short skits on The Little Red Hen. The first graders learned about vocabulary words from their Journeys books and created plays about the stories in them. The second graders read from their Basil Readers and did vocabulary activities. The third graders read Charlotte’s Web and completed vocabulary activities, too. The second and third graders also went on Razkidsreading.com and played educational games.
            The fourth through eighth grade Stretch students worked on individual activities during the fourth quarter. The fourth graders planted zinnias and harvested their potato plants in the Junior Master Gardener program. The fifth graders played the Journey North game and made graphs of different photo periods. The sixth graders entered 4-H science poster contests and won first place in the county and district competitions. The seventh graders learned origami and made graphs of the most common letters in the alphabet with the second graders. The eighth graders worked on sign language, making a picture book, sewing, taking apart a computer, and painting the second grade boys’ bathroom.
            The Stretch students stretched to the end this last quarter!
 
Service with a Smile
 
By Mariana Rivas
Senior Editor
 
            NJHS has ended off the year the same way they started it, with service. The end of tutoring marked the end to a great year! The members also finished the Linus Project, where they made blankets for teenagers in hospitals. They even finished making care bags for homeless people filled with food for homeless people.
            Mrs. Drewes said, “I hope the eighth grade members always continue to use their gifts to help others, and I hope the seventh graders grow in leadership and service as they continue NJHS next year.” Keep it up seventh and eighth graders!
 
STUCO Takes the Cake
 
By Mariana Rivas
Senior Editor
 
            The Student Council ended the year strong! Not only are the members deciding how to finish disrtibuting funds, but they will also review suggestions for next year. They even had a pizza party to celebrate all their success.
            The cake raffle at Fun in the Sun was very successful. About $1,200 was made from the cake raffle, which is about 2,500 tickets. Cash prizes were given to the people who won the overall best cake, the best cake with a Fun in the Sun theme, the most creative cake, and the best decorated. As the STUCO members finish the year, Mrs. Horstman said, “I hope the graduating members learn how to share their talents by being leaders and giving service.” Keep it up next year, STUCO!
            
Thanks Be to God!
 
By Jaiden Moreland
Photo Editor
 
            For the last quarter, Mrs. Richard has been very busy; from the last Saints Family meeting of the year to the last Mass and preparations for next year. Mrs. Richard said that her favorite event of the year was the Saints Family Mardi Gras Picnic, because it was a fun day. Fr. Sean Horrigan, a member of our school board, celebrated our last Mass of the 2011-2012 school year. Also, the second graders celebrated their First Communion, some of them receiving communion for the first time at school. They then had a party after Mass. The last Mass was not only special for so many second graders, but the eighth graders as well; it was their last Mass ever as a JPII student.
            Next year, Mrs. Richard looks forward to it being our 25^th anniversary as a school. Also, next year we will be able to use the All Saints Chapel and will be able to celebrate Eucharistic Adoration again. The All Saints Chapel will be blessed and dedicated in September of the 2012-2013 school year. The students had their last Saints Family meeting this quarter. “The kids did a great job writing letters for the eighth graders. They were all so sweet!” said Mrs. Richard.  Mrs. Richard also said that she received some great ideas for next year’s Saints Families. Thanks to God for everything He has done for us this year!