The St. James Science Olympiad team competed Saturday, February 27, at the NE Kansas Regional Tournament and placed 1st overall in a field of 20 teams from throughout northeast Kansas.  The team medaled in 21 of 23 events and defeated local rivals Olathe East and Olathe North by 20 and 50 points, respectively.  The win is the first in St. James Academy history and was a fitting placement following a year-long season of successes in five previous invitationals.

Please congratulate the team on their accomplishments…

Anatomy: 5th, Abril Negrete, Catherine Rockey

Chemistry Lab: 3rd, Katie-Grace Burk, John Castro

Disease Detective: 1st, Kelsey Clary, Abril Negrete

Dynamic Planet: 6th, Andrea Buechler, Max Grisnik

Ecology: 1st, Andrea and Brian Buechler

Egg-o-naut: 2nd, Nick Meyer, Cody Hearn

Elevated Bridge, 1st, Jack Bredemann, Brian Buechler

Environmental Chemistry: 5th, John Castro, Laura Stringfellow

Experimental Design: 3rd, Brian Buechler, Kelsey and Sean Clary

Forensics: 6th, Katie-Grace Burk, Rebecca Thornton

Fossils: 5th, Max Grisnik, Rebecca Thornton

It's About Time: 1st, Cody Hearn, Nick Meyer

Mission Possible: 1st, Nick Meyer, Sean Clary, Brian Buechler

Mousetrap Vehicle: 4th, Andrea and Brian Buechler

Ornithology: 1st, Cody Hearn, Abril Negrete

Physics Lab: 1st, Jack Bredemann, Catherine Rockey

Picture This: 1st, Andrea Buechler, Sean Clary, Laura Stringfellow

Remote Sensing: 5th, Sean Clary, Laura Sringfellow

Technical Problem Solving: 2nd, Andrea Buechler, John Castro

Trajectory: 2nd, Nick Meyer, Sean Clary

Write It/Do It: 6th, Katie-Grace Burk and Kelsey Clary



The team has advanced to the State Tournament which will be held on Saturday, April 3, at Wichita State University.  Earlier this season, the team defeated reigning state champs and runners-up Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Wichita Collegiate at two different tournaments, giving the team hope that they can earn a bid to nationals.

It is with great excitement that we are announcing the selection of the next President of St. James Academy. Tim Wilson, Chair of the Board of Trustees has announced that Archbishop Naumann, in accord with the recommendation of the Search Committee, has selected Sister Christa Marie, FSGM to the position of President.

Archbishop Naumann stated, “I am grateful to Mother Regina Pacis of the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George for allowing Sister Christa Marie to apply for the position of President of St. James Academy. Sister Christa Marie brings a unique blend of qualifications, talents and experiences that I am confident will serve St. James Academy very well. Most of all, she brings to St. James her deep faith in Jesus and strong love for His Church.”

Sister Christa Marie is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at La Crosse, Wisconsin. Since assuming the position of Executive Director in September of 2003, Sister Christa Marie has overseen the construction of numerous religious portions of the Shrine grounds and, most significantly the construction of the Church, which is the heart of the Shrine. The high point of her service to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe was the Mass of Dedication of the Church, on July 31, 2008. The entire five-hour event was telecast live by Eternal Word Television Network.

In addition to Sister’s experience with the Shrine, she served eight years at Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, Illinois, including time as Vice President of Human Resources. For approximately sixteen years Sister worked for the GTE Corporation (now known as Verizon) in various management level positions. Upon graduation from college, Sister was a teacher of High School English Literature for over eight years, and focused on college preparatory classes for juniors and seniors. Sister has a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Master of Arts in English and a Masters in Business Administration, all from the University of Rhode Island. The St. James Academy community will benefit greatly from this dynamic combination of business management and academic background.

On Friday, March 5^th Sister Christa Marie will be formally introduced to the faculty and administration at St. James Academy. Sister will be spending the day at St. James, including being introduced to the students at the pep assembly that afternoon.

Mr. Wilson, on behalf of the Board to Trustees, commented “As we continue to move St. James Academy forward into the future, we are excited to have Sister Christa Marie continue the legacy that has already been built in the first five years of the school. Sister’s experience, combined with the excellent faculty and administration that are part of the St. James community, will continue our culture of faith and academic excellence that were the original pillars that St. James was built upon.”

The Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, President of the Board of Directors of the Shrine, in the name of the Board of Directors and of the many pilgrims who visit the Shrine every year, expressed profound gratitude for her most generous and outstanding leadership of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe during the period of its greatest development thus far. Archbishop Burke also expressed deepest gratitude to the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr Saint George who have given Sister Christa Marie to the service of the Shrine for nearly seven complete years and who have been committed to the spiritual work of the Shrine from its beginning.

Sister Christa Marie will complete her service at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and begin her service at St. James Academy during the coming month of June. Planning is already underway for a St. James community-wide event to welcome Sister to our family and the Board is excited for you all to meet her in the coming months.

St. James Honors Choir Selected to Sing at Women’s Big 12 Conference

The St. James Girls Honors Choir has been selected to sing the National Anthem at the Championship Game of the Big 12 Conference Women’s Basketball Championship.  The choir was chosen after submitting a video of their National Anthem to the WIN For KC Contest.   They will perform at Municipal Auditorium on March 14^th.    Congratulations to Choir Director Sheri Cook-Cunningham and the members of the choir: Audrey Amor, Maura Boerner, Jenna Bruegger, Lindsay Butterfield, Maggie Cunningham, Amy Feldkamp, Stef Ibarra, Abigail Kaplan, Megan Kelly, Danielle Leikam, Olivia Leno and Kim Peterson.

Music Department Sends Four Pianists to State Competition

Four pianists advanced to state competition after receiving I ratings at District Competition on February 6^th.    Freshmen Michael Quinn and Alexa VanLerberg, sophomore Grace Tomelleri and junior Anthony Sabatino all traveled to Wichita on February 20^th to compete at the state level.  Grace Tomelleri received a II rating at state and Michael Quinn, Alexa VanLerberg and Anthony Sabatino all received I ratings, the highest you can achieve.

St. James Musical, Once on this Island, is a Big Hit

Over 45 St. James Academy Students took to the stage on February 18^th -21^st to present 5 performances of the musical Once on This Island.    Audiences were moved by this heartwarming story in which the power of love conquers death.  The non-stop Caribbean style singing and dancing was enjoyed by all those who attended.

Sheri Cook-Cunningham, Musical Director, said, “This year, Whitney Coulson, (Director) and I wanted to try something different.  In the past, we’ve always chosen comedies and well-known musicals.  We wanted to try something that would expand the students’ abilities to act, sing and communicate.  This musical definitely fulfilled that mission and resonated with the students.  Said Whitney Coulson, “There were many parallels between our faith and the message of this show.   It provided a wonderful opportunity to explore our faith as cast, crew and directors.”

Thank you to the many parents and students who helped make the show a success.