Greetings John Paul II Family!
My name is Natalie McIntyre and I am a teacher at John Paul II Junior College. Currently I am teaching Humanities 201. If I am not catching up on readings of Dante's Inferno, chances are I am working for the development and recruitment of the school. Here at JPII there is always something to do, and it has been a blessing to learn so much as I dive in attempting to help where I can.
I would like to welcome you all to our spring semester and the year 2023 with JPII! This has been a busy and grace-filled month thus far, where the semester is now in full swing.
We began this month with a staff retreat, where the Holy Spirit was inspiring many new ways to encourage participation in the faith amongst our students. On February 12th, the World Youth Day students held a Chalupa Night (the Mexican version of BINGO), in order to continue to raise money to fund their trip to Portugal this summer (if you would like to help, you can donate here!). On February 16th, 250 high school students came to our campus as we celebrated an Open Day, where they learned more about the Liberal Arts and their capacity for greatness, resulting in many new applications to our school. Praise God! Then the student council held a JPII Valentine's Day Dance on February 18th, and it was a smashing success, filled with joy, pizza, coke, and dancing.
We had an Ash Wednesday Mass on February 22nd, where many members of the community gathered to enter into an ordered time of prayer and fasting in preparation for Easter. On February 25th we hosted our 5th Annual Chess Invitational, where cash prizes and JPII scholarships were valiantly won through strategic moves and bold captures.
Lastly, we closed out the month with Roof-top Adoration, where faculty, staff, and students entered Lent prayerfully surrendering all to Christ, including this school.
A lot has happened and there is still more to do! Please keep us in your prayers, that in the midst of busy life at JPII, there is still peace and growth towards the heart of Christ. I am praying for the same in your life as well.