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Calling All Dads/High School Volunteers Let the moms enjoy the event - sign up to volunteer!
Contact Kori Loftus at koriloftus@me.com or Nathan Mathieu at nm_311@yahoo.com with any questions about the event.
When: Sunday, March 24, 1:00-3:00pm Where: Lower School
Join us this Sunday, March 24 for some friendly competition with mom-son teams including field day-type activities, an obstacle course, and the second annual Mom vs. Son Kickball Game. We'll have a Kona Ice truck and snacks available, and DJ Word providing some entertainment. No athletic ability is required! Just wear your favorite team's jersey and come have some family fun competing for great prizes.
Cost $35 per mom-son team $15 for each additional son $65 cap per family
Tickets are available online until Friday, March 22. After that, tickets will be available at the event for $40 per mom-son team; $15 for each additional son.
When: Saturday, April 6, 6:00pm-10:00pm Where: Lower School Cafeteria
Price $45 for one daughter $90 for two daughters $125 max per family
When: Saturday, April 13, 7:00pm-11:00pm Where: McDonough Hall
Never played poker? No problem. Are you a black jack wiz? Wonderful. Join us for Casino Night on Saturday, April 13 in support of our athletics programs. We bring in a professional poker tournament and blackjack company to keep the play running smoothly for the seasoned player as well as teaching the beginners.
This year, we expect to replace the locker room flooring and invest in a new trophy case for all the state championship trophies we keep bringing home!
Cost $55 per person $100 per couple $35 faculty/staff
The 2018-2019 yearbooks are now on sale! The yearbook is a timeless book documenting the life of the school from preschool through 12th grade, archiving memories your student will love to pore over now and thirty years from now!
Now until day of Yearbook Signing - $90
Online yearbook sales will close April 20. After April 20, students may purchase a yearbook on distribution day, while supplies last.
HOW TO ORDER Click here to order your yearbook or go to www.YearbookOrderCenter.com and search for the school name or by our job #14803. This is the same link for purchasing senior ads as well. Buying online is very easy. The site will lead you through each step. You’ll select the student’s name via a search function, and then buy a book or ad for that specific student. You may also call the Order Center if you’d rather make the transaction over the phone. The number is (866) 287-3096.
Yearbooks will be distributed on the last day of school, Thursday, May 23, and students will have the opportunity to have their friends and classmates sign them at a signing party. If you have yearbook questions, you may email the yearbook advisor at cbentley@holyspiritprep.org.
Seniors receive a complimentary yearbook; you do not have to place an order for your 12th grade student.
Email Brian Plati at bsplati@hotmail.com if you plan on attending this service project! All volunteers will receive a t-shirt, so please include your size in your email.
Yesterday, we had 34 students celebrate confirmation among their friends, family, and school community. The students had been preparing for this day all year, through the teachings in their theology classes as well as retreats in the fall and spring prior to spring break. The spring retreat reminded the students of the meaning of the sacrament, that "Christ the Lord has confirmed you and placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your heart."
Each student chose a patron saint and a sponsor, ranging from grandparents and relatives to teachers and older classmates. The celebrant Bishop Konzen offered students an opportunity to explain why they chose their patron saint and/or sponsor during the Mass. The candidates then were confirmed by the Bishop with their sponsors close by, showing their support of our students as they took their first steps to follow Christ as adults in the Church.
Confirmati Allison Benedict Michael Cabrera Bradley Casillo Olivia Centola Haile Chin Charles Cohen Benjamin Cumbie Paydn Devine Ann Fox Samantha Gregory McCarthy Harlow Ainsley Hillman Julia Jackson Olivia Jones Maddalena Jones Leah Krupczak Gilberto Lajara Alexa Lambert Jiarong Li James Martinez Catherine Moran Andres Murcia Sofia Oliver Hector Padilla Alexander Plati Patrick Radosta Juan Rubio Ernesto Ruiz Dominic Sanchez Marie Sautre William Schulman Adonai Tesfamariam Kaley Turpin Robert Williams
Over spring break, 26 students and 3 brave chaperones took a whirlwind tour of Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid.
Day One After arriving in Paris, the group met their tour guide at the airport. She was impressed with how lightly our students had packed! At her suggestion, the group grabbed a quick sandwich from the nearest shop, hopped on the metro, and spent the afternoon touring the Musee D’Orsay, an impressionist art museum. They attended the evening vigil Mass at the Madeleine followed by dinner in the church's crypt, courtesy of a gracious American pastor.
Day Two The next morning was spent touring Paris by bus, hitting key monuments like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, and ending at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. After lunch near the cathedral, chaperones split the students into teams. Some toured Paris by boat ride, others finally enjoyed a gourmet lunch they had long been planning, and another group explored the Catacombs. Some also managed to sneak some shopping in, though not enough, according to a few! The day ended with a nice dinner at a tiny restaurant overlooking Notre Dame, with a stop by a creperie on the way home.
Day Three Still in Paris, our group of students and chaperones spent most of the third day walking the streets. The morning started with a brisk walk from the hotel to the Louvre, where students viewed the Mona Lisa, among countless other pieces. From the Louvre, the group walked to the Champs-Elysees for lunch and a little shopping. A cooking class followed, where students learned how to make croque monsieurs and ratatouille. They then hiked up the hill to the bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre where they toured the Sacre-Coeur basilica.
Day Four Arriving in Barcelona, our students and chaperones dropped off their bags at the hotel and made for the Gothic Quarter, where students lunched at a local café or a kiosk at the Santa Caterina Market, toured the Cathedral of Barcelona, and wandered the narrow, shop-lined streets around the cathedral. Then, they toured Barcelona by bike, seeing the Arco de Triunfo, Parliament, the Citadel, some Olympics-related sites, and everyone’s favorite stop – the beach. That night, the group dined at a cute bistro called Bosco and wandered the streets of Barcelona, stopping at a gelateria along the way.
Day Five The group started their day with Mass at the Cathedral of Barcelona in observance of Ash Wednesday. The celebrant told Mrs. Askins afterward how delighted he was to see a group of young students in attendance at his morning Mass. On the following tour bus, they saw historic landmarks and neighborhoods along the way to Parc Guell, a failed 19th century housing development converted into a gorgeous, curious public park. The tour ended at Sagrada Familia, the towering and breathtaking basilica in the heart of Barcelona still under construction since 1882. After lunch, students split into two groups: one group toured the Roman ruins at the Barcelona History Museum, and the other group toured Barcelona’s Picasso museum. They closed the evening with a tapas dinner, hopping from restaurant to restaurant to restaurant to sample small plates.
Day Six Traveling to Madrid by train, the group grabbed lunch on the Gran Via after checking into the hotel. After lunch, our students took a bus tour of Madrid, ending with a guided tour through the Museo del Prado, Spain’s national art museum housing pieces by El Greco, Velasquez, Bosch, and others. For dinner, students enjoyed paella and closed the evening with a guided, walking tour, passing monuments like the Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace. The group enjoyed some churros and hot chocolate before heading back to the hotel.
Day Seven On the final day of the trip, the chaperones were nice enough to let students sleep in a litte before leaving to tour Madrid’s Reina Sofia, a former monastery converted into a museum of modern art. Afterwards, students explored Retiro Park, Madrid’s largest public park. There, they reunited not only with Beth Van de Voorde, now serving in Madrid, but HSP alum Stephanie Perez, who happens to be studying abroad there this semester! The group stopped for lunch at Plaza Mayor and San Miguel Market. After lunch, we split into two groups: one toured the Royal Palace, the other opted to spend their last afternoon on the continent shopping. They ended their night with an Italian dinner - veggie pasta for a Lenten Friday - and one last cup of ice cream before returning to the hotel.
Congratulations to Watson Casal, who was just recognized as HSP's STAR Student for earning the highest SAT score in his class (and for other academic achievements). He picked Mr. Cole to be his STAR teacher and share his recognition.
Watson is also a National Merit Finalist! Out of 1.6 million high school students who applied, Watson is one of the 15,000 recognized as a National Merit Finalist. He was selected on the basis of his skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Last week, we had three Upper School students compete at the GISA State Literary and Music Competition. Sophomore Samantha Gregory placed 1st in the piano, a repeat of last year's competition. "I'm hoping to get 1st all four years of high school," Samantha said. Junior Sophia John placed 1st in spelling. She spelled 72 out of 125 words correctly, surpassing 2nd place by 13 words. William Arnold also competed in the argumentative essay category.
The Upper School Performing Arts Department will be performing Little Women this spring, and we are in need of some props for the performance. If you have an item you can loan or donate please contact Patty Turpin at pcturpin@comcast.net for pick-up or drop-off instructions:
Varsity tennis started their season last week with matches against The Heritage School and Dominion Christian Academy. The boys picked up wins against both opponents, handling Heritage and sweeping the competition from Dominion Christian.
In both match-ups, seniors Scott Jackson and Ben Ambo dominated in their singles matches. Another senior Ben Mangum shut out his singles opponent at the Heritage match, and helped the doubles teams to victory against Dominion Christian. "I have been favorably impressed by the senior boys as a group," said Coach Tom Cole.
The girls also had their first match last week against The Heritage School, but they were not successful overall. Freshman Erin McGrath won her singles match, shutting out her opponent 8-0.
Over the past few weekends, our varsity soccer teams have been competing in tournaments. Varsity boys traveled to John Milledge Academy where they came back champions. Both boys and girls played in the Under the Cross tournament at Sherwood Christian Academy where they both finished as runner-up.
The boys team played some tough games at the John Milledge Academy tournament against the host school, Deerfield Windsor Academy, and Lake Oconee Academy who they defeated in the championship game with a final score of 2-0.
At the Under the Cross tournament, both boys and girls each played four games. The boys team handled their first opponents: Coastal Georgia, 4-0, and Westover, 8-1. On Saturday, the boys raced passed their third opponent Calvary, 5-1, and onto the championship game. At the end of regulation against Halo Wolfpack, the game was tied and the boys were unsuccessful in penalty kicks.
The girls have a similar story from the Under the Cross tournament. They also handled their first three opponents: First Presbyterian, 6-3, Halo Wolfpack, 6-2, and Sherwood Christian, 2-0. Their winning streak was ended in the final game against Coastal Georgia, 0-3.
Slideshow Picture Request: Donuts with Dad and Muffins with Mom For both of these special events there is a video that plays featuring our fabulous dads, wonderful moms, and special friends. Please send a picture of you and your special child for each upcoming event - dad and child; and mom and child. We prefer to have them saved as large as possible (300 kb or larger). Send the pictures to Nancy O'Gara at nogara@holyspiritprep.org.
The Pilgrim Queen of the Family’s Catholic tradition consists of a traveling image of Our Lady visiting one home at a time, so that families receive many blessings when they get together to pray, and multiplies the blessings towards the HSP community of faith! As we all know, there are many ways to pray and bring our hearts closer to Jesus.
How It Will Work There will be one Pilgrim Queen of the Family available to visit the families at the Preschool. Every other Wednesday at carpool, the Preschool friends led by Mrs. Clara will sing the “Immaculate Mary” song while the traveling Our Lady passes from the family being visited, to bless the following family who signed up, thus creating a community of faith and continuous prayer.
Congratulations to our 3rd-7th grade "mathletes" who won their first tournament this week! The competitive student team began as a Cougar Hour club earlier this year, called Mathletes and focused on math competition. Results from the tournament, hosted by Perennial Math and hosted at Shiloh Middle School in Snellville, include:
Individual awards: 3rd grade: 1st place, Luke Sacco 5th Grade: 3rd place, Joseph Reger; 1st place Olivia Casal 6th Grade: 3rd place, Grayson Ciprari; 1st place tie, Dylan Craig and Tristen Lewis Team awards: 3rd Grade: 1st place, Luke Sacco, Rachel Sande, and Lindsey Baradel 6th Grade: 1st place, Luke Craig, Dylan Craig, Tristen Lewis, and Adam Young Also, our parent team won the parent math test as well!! This team was made up of Jennifer Sande, Matthew Reger, Ola Browne, and Aracelli Sanroman.
Last Wednesday, March 13, Fr. John, Mr. Schultz, and the Lower School Boy's Club were on 1160AM The Quest to talk about bringing Christ to others. The boys talked about their school club (which they've nicknamed "the Transformers") and the virtues they learn about. Mr. Schultz talked about the ways that HSP forms its students, particularly on the Lower School's regular Rosaries.
The Catholic radio station is in the middle of a spring fundraising drive: https://thequestatlanta.com.
The Pilgrim Queen of the Family's Catholic tradition consists of a traveling image of Our Lady visiting one home at a time, so that family receives many blessings when they get together to pray. As we all know, there are many ways to pray and bring our hearts closer to Jesus, and one of them is the Rosary. The image of Our Lady comes with a Rosary and a booklet that explains how to pray the Rosary, that have all been blessed at the Basilica of Guadalupe.
How It Will Work At the end of a school Rosary, the image of Our Lady will visit and bless a family, and after the following school Rosary, it will come back and visit a different family, thus creating a community of faith and continuous prayer. There are four Pilgrim Queens of the Family at HSP, so four families can be visited simultaneously.
When: Saturday, March 30, 7:00pm-10:00pm Where: Upper School Library
Get ready for the Spring Dance next Saturday! Tickets are $20 and can be purchased from Mrs. Askins. Starting next week, you can also buy tickets during lunch.
Holy Week is coming, and what better way to celebrate than joining us for Holy Week Missions! Our campus minister Ms. Fontaine is organizing a group of students to participate in Mercy Missions Atlanta's Holy Week Missions from April 18-21. This is a great opportunity to earn some service hours over the Easter break.
Visit the Mercy Missions Atlanta website or contact Ms. Fontaine at yfontaine@holyspiritprep.org for more information.
This is a friendly reminder to our students and parents that the deadline for service hours is approaching! Please send all service hours to Ms. Fontaine by Wednesday, May 1.
Click here to download the Service Hours Form
The Student Handbook on Service Hours Upper School students are expected to complete 25 (9th-12th graders)/15 (8th graders) hours of community service each year. Students who neglect to complete their yearly service requirement may be asked to forfeit certain school privileges. Final report cards, transcripts, and diplomas will be held until a completed service hours form is received by Campus Ministry.
The Knights of Columbus Council 6517 invite all graduating seniors to participate in their Scholarship Essay Contest. The Council will choose one male and one female to be awarded a $500 scholarship to their matriculating school. Students are to write a 400-500 word essay on the topic of “The Importance of Maintaining Your Catholic Faith in a College Setting.” All submissions are to be received by Monday, April 22. Please include name, address, email, and contact number with the essay submission.
For additional information and essay submissions, please contact David Labbe at dlabbe@holyspiritprep.org.
The Pilgrim Queen of the Family's Catholic tradition consists of a traveling image of Our Lady visiting one home at a time, so that family receives many blessings when they get together to pray. The image of Our Lady comes with a Rosary and a booklet that explains how to pray the Rosary, that have all been blessed at the site of the apparitions in the Basilica of Guadalupe.
How It Will Work At the end of the monthly Connections Rosary, the image of Our Lady will visit and bless a family, and after the following Connections Rosary, it will come back and visit a different family, thus creating a community of faith and continuous prayer. There are four Pilgrim Queens of the Family at HSP Upper School, so four families can be visited simultaneously.