Activities & Enrichment

Activities

At John Paul II Catholic School, students have the opportunity to be challenged through their participation in the array of activities that build skills in leadership, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, and service outside of the classroom.

Altar Server Ministry

Students in grades 6 through 8, who are interested in serving during school Masses are instructed in the duties and responsibilities of an altar server by the pastor. The purpose of the altar server is to assist the priest and congregation in the rituals of our Catholic faith, to support a student’s relationship with God and the church, and to encourage service to the JPII community.

Band (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)

Band is open to students in grades 4-8. Band students meet twice per week. The Band will perform in the fall and spring. Instruments taught include flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, French horn, and snare drum. The purpose is to enrich and develop the musical talents and interests of the students. There is a fee of $250 to participate in band.

Broadcast Team

Students in 8th grade prepare and lead the student body in prayer and announcements daily. This activity builds self-confidence and leadership skills.

Choir

The school choir leads the singing during our school Masses, performs at Christmas and during the spring concert. The choir is open to any interested student in grades 4 through 8. Choir members practice one day a week after school with the music teacher. The choir allows those students who enjoy singing the opportunity to strengthen their vocal abilities.

Drama Club

The Drama Club is an elective for 7th through 8th grade. Each year the students will produce and perform a winter production. The production is open to a limited number of students in 1st through 8th grades. Throughout this process, students build their self-esteem, increase their confidence, and gain team work abilities.

Enrichment

The enrichment program at John Paul II is focused on creating challenging projects, activities and experiences for students who meet the requirements. Students work with the enrichment teacher two days a week for 40 minutes on various projects and activities which include the following: STEM and STEAM projects, design thinking activities, robotics challenges, 3D printing projects, engineering challenges and so much more! Students are engaged in collaborating with peers to solve 21st century problems using tools within the classroom to assist them. After completing projects or activities, students communicate their learning to make improvements and show progress. Many of the projects students are assigned incorporate subject area knowledge and creative or innovative thinking to create a solution.

Enrichment requirements are based on students’ IOWA and CogAt scores. A student should meet two of the six requirements in order to be asked to join enrichment:

125 or above on the most recent CogAT composite score
125 or above on the most recent CogAT verbal subscore
125 or above on the most recent CogAT nonverbal subscore
95th percentile (NPR) or above on the most recent reading IOWA test
95th percentile (NPR) or above on the most recent math IOWA test
95th percentile (NPR) or above on the most recent IOWA composite score

Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist

The 7th and 8th graders who have received the sacrament of Confirmation can be commissioned by the pastor as Eucharistic ministers for school Masses.

Student Council

The John Paul II Student Council includes elected individuals from grades five through eight. The mission of our student council is to build responsible leaders within our school community and promote the values that represent good character in all students. Student council members lead by example in our classrooms and community. They help others in our community by raising money and supplies for the less fortunate. They engage friends and classmates by hosting fun school wide events. Finally, they serve as a source of communication between the students and faculty of the school.

Sports Programs

Change to the following: Various athletic teams are offered to our students:

Fall: Girls’ Basketball, Cheerleading, Boys and Girls Soccer
Winter: Girls’ Volleyball, Boys’ Basketball
Spring: Boys’ Baseball, Boys’ Volleyball, Track, Girls’ Softball, Golf

Power of the Pen

John Paul II Catholic School is excited to offer our students the opportunity to participate in The Power of the Pen. Power of the Pen is an interscholastic creative writing competition in the State of Ohio.

Power of the Pen’s mission is to “empower young people to find and develop a creative voice that is uniquely their own by engaging students in interscholastic writing tournaments and providing a platform for publication.”

This year fifteen of our junior high students have given their time and effort to become better writers. They practiced after school and participated in the district tournament in January 2023.

Magnified Giving

Magnified Giving is a student-led philanthropy club where junior high students learn the value of their own time, talent, and treasure while simultaneously benefiting a Cincinnati based non-profit organization. In partnership with the Magnified Giving organization created by Roger Grein over ten years ago, John Paul II students research, meet with and represent individual non-profit organizations while fundraising money to ultimately gift to one charitable organization. In this club, we focus on educating John Paul II students in philanthropy because we want the youth in our community to see their own potential to bring about positive change in the world around them. When we plant this idea early on and teach them how to use their time, talents, and treasure, our young students can spend the rest of their lives being changemakers!

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