Brick by Brick

Your Shot At Immortality

Sharpen your pencils and stoke your creativity for this once in a (school) lifetime opportunity -- This year, JPII will hold a contest to write the lyrics to the school's Alma Mater Hymn.

Music to accompany lyrics will be written by Mr. Mark Girardin. The contest is open to anyone who has a connection to Pope John Paul II High School whether as a student, faculty or staff member, or friend. Please submit a typed copy of the proposed lyrics by January 15, 2011. Attach a separate card with the author's name and address.

Details, Details

•  Lyrics must be original.

• The Alma Mater should sound like a hymn, or a dignified, ceremonial piece of music. Lyrics should reflect the school’s mission/vision and should not be longer than two (2) minutes.

• Lyrics will be judged on the choice of “singable” words, metric fluidity, integrity, unity, and relevance to the theme.

• Once the winning lyrics have been chosen, the school will compose appropriate music. Lyrics may be altered or amended at this point and are the property of the school. Multiple winning entries may be selected for the purpose of combination.

• Appropriate recognition and prizes will be awarded to the winning author(s).

• All entries will remain the property of the school. Lyric writers understand that their submissions may be altered or amended.

• Anyone wishing more information may email ckeavy@pjp2hs.org

Well-Assembled From Top To Bottom

Tight, visually strong, well-acted, funny...you get the idea. Go tonight (7:30 PM) or Sunday (3:00 PM).

 
  

What It Takes

Two events this past week at JPII have caused me to think about what it takes.

After a successful first season in football and in the midst of his second (successful) campaign in baseball, JPII coach Paul 'Spanky" Demanche announced his departure to assume new duties at Harwich High School. Later, officials of the newly formed Cape & Islands League selected the graphics package submitted by Emily Fenuccio as the league's official logo image. These occurrences help us see that JPII's graphic design, football, and baseball programs have achieved success at an early age.

From these, we get a glimpse of what it takes. Programs need the right combination of factors in order to "take off" -- a lesson we learn through successes such as these (as well as the occasional slightly-less-than-success!). It takes:

• Right materials and support (Have you seen the Mac lab?)
• Right leadership (expert knowledge and strong communication, traits Mrs. Lyons and Coach Demanche share)
• Right attitude ("This is something I want.")

No guarantee yet, though, because the 'actually doing it' of a new enterprise converts vaguely dreamy notions to the work it really is ("This isn't what I expected!"). So the critical fourth component:

• Right commitment. Starting from scratch takes a stick-to-it-iveness from all involved in order to get past inevitable early struggles.

So this week I've been looking at football, graphics, and baseball and seeing what it takes. Launching new programs provides a laboratory; and for JPII students, the hard-earned knowledge of what it takes gives wisdom for a lifetime.

Great Words

"The course of love never did run smooth...

If there were a sympathy in choice,

War, death , or sickness did lay siege to it,

Making it momentany as a sound,

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,

Brief as the lightening in the collied night,

That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,

And, ere a man hath power to say "Behold!"

The jaws of darkness do devour it up.

So quick bright things come to confusion."

 

JPII Performing Arts has selected William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as it 2010 Spring production. It's a good choice and JPII thespians are excited.

Last year's production of Godspell was a huge success because of it's great music and the cast's obvious fun in presenting the show. This year, A Midsummer Night's Dream will showcase lots of zaniness and comedy -- but musical performance will take a back seat. Why, then?

Simple: It's the words. Shakespearean language is a treasure-trove JPII thespians will come to know intimately well. Theatre education requires worthy content, be it the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Godspell, or the Bard's timeless words. Mark your calendars for some great words, and some great fun: May 14, 15, 16.

"Good King Wenceslas" at JPII

Hope families and friends will be able to catch JPII Music, Dance, and Drama on Thursday, December 10 at 7 PM. Refreshments, provided by Parents Association, will follow. 

Take a look at the evening's program here: Download Christmasprogram09 3

Four JPII Visual Artists Recognized

Works created by juniors Alissa Bergeron, Greta Bieg, Michael Burlingame, and Naiemeh Hadawar will be included in Art Visions, a Cape-wide student art exhibition to be held at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. An opening reception will be held at the Museum on Friday, December 4 from 5:30--7:30 PM. Congratulations to these four artists and to Mr. Michale Giaquinto, Painting and Design Instructor, for this recognition.

Ever Been to a CD Release Party?

Friends of JPII Tripping Lily will release their first full-length CD at the school this Saturday, August 15 at 7:30 PM.

Should be a lot of fun...

Come Sing about Love!

Last night's opening of Godspell was awesome...Friends of JPII or just good theatre -- You must see this show!

Two shows left: Tonight at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Come and see the great things happening at JPII!

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

Took a little vacation from regular postings about the progress of our school -- but as you might imagine -- there's been no vacation from the literal and figurative construction of our growing school. Thanks for checking back!

Much has happened this summer to move our school forward. For example:

• A very successful Relay for Life effort (over $1500 raised!)
• A wonderful mini-production of The Music Man for over 250 guests at New Seabury Country Club
• Our 'welcome back/ meet the new teachers' barbeque for over 150 people
• The singing our our national anthem for a Cape League/ Hyannis Mets game at McKeon Park (Liz Rossi and Greta Bieg, pictured above)

And of course, there's the large-scale, literal construction taking place creating our chemistry lab, resurfacing exterior walls, and establishing the strength and fitness center/ locker room complex.

See you soon...

Growth and Growing Pains: 'It's A Wonderful Life' [12-10-07]

This past weekend, another first: It's a Wonderful Life, a joint production featuring nine JPII students, met with real success. In established schools, freshmen are not often given significant responsibility in drama productions -- mostly, frosh receive general chorus parts and are told to watch and learn. Not so in this case: JPII students, most of whom had little or no prior theatre experience, had some heavy lifting. And they did great.

It's a hard and necessary lesson for young people to learn what it really takes to be successful and what real effort is all about. Our young students and even families chafed under the demands of a full production schedule. Coming into final dress rehearsal, the show's overall success was by no means assured. These are the growing pains. A terrific final result, on consecutive evenings following the Hyannis Stroll, is the growth. I'm proud of our thespians for rising to the challenge.

My name is Chris Keavy and I am the Principal/ Head of School of Pope John Paul II High School. Welcome to Brick by Brick, a new blog sharing news and perspective from Cape Cod's new and only Catholic high school. So many across Cape Cod have been following our story with interest that I welcome the chance to give a glimpse of our growth, challenges, and accomplishments. Your responses, suggested topics, and questions are most welcome.

Today is day #65 in the life of our school, having opened for our first classes on September 4, 2007. Much has been accomplished getting us to this point. So much more is still to come. Go Lions!