First CSW celebration in new building

SPARTA  When ground was broken for Pope John XXIII Middle School in the summer of 2016, it began an exciting new venture in Catholic School education in the Paterson Diocese. A part of the Catholic Academy of Sussex County, the two-story middle school opened its doors last March to students in grades 5, 6 and 7. For the beginning of the 2016-2017 year, students went to classes on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School as the new school building was under construction. This school environment is one of a kind in the Paterson Diocese, different from many of its Catholic Schools, which have the traditional school setting of grades pre-k to 8 in one building.

Now as Catholic Schools Week begins on Sunday, the 18-month-old school will celebrate this weeklong celebration in its new building.

Susan Santore, principal of Pope John XXIII Middle School, said, “Mid­dle school is a critical time in a student’s life and it’s a very developmental time in which young people are experiencing lots of changes — physically, emotionally, socially. Our school really fits into the Catholic mission of developing a whole person. Having a separate middle school really gears toward this. We get our students to start thinking more globally and more about community, not just about themselves. Our goal is for them to have a better understanding of how to live out their faith before reaching the next step in high school.”

The middle school offers a similar educational experience to high school, in which students change classes and have different teachers for each subject. Vincent Bello, assistant principal and athletic director of the school, said, “We definitely have the mission of a middle school in which we develop the whole student so they are ready for the rigors of high school. When you have the opportunity to bring Christ into the mission it definitely helps. Our school model is what has attracted so many parents to send their children here. They believe in the values we teach and instill in their children.”

The school uses the latest technology to engage its students through one-to-one computing and each classroom has smart TVs and Wi-Fi connectivity along with tech books and online resources used in most content areas.

The middle school offers fine and performing arts as well as several clubs as extracurricular activities. The school also hosts several sports teams for students to participate in, unique from other middle school grades in the Diocese. The sports offered are football, soccer, basketball, cross country track, wrestling, bowling and cheerleading. Community service is also an integral part of the school environment in which it’s more than just an extracurricular activity.

Kristin VanBenshoten advises the Leadership Council along with Mary Ellen Russell, who both teach science at the school. The Leadership Council meets once a week during the school day to develop ideas, plan and lead community service projects for the entire school to do.

During Catholic Schools Week, the students will collect new or used shoes for an organization called Soles for Souls. “A theme we have is ‘Walking in the Footsteps of Christ.’ We want the students to have a sense of global awareness. One of the projects we have done is to contribute to the Sussex County Food Pantry creating weekend bags for families with children, who get free or reduced lunch during the weekdays at school,” VanBenshoten said.

The most important subject in a Catholic school is religion and teaching the faith to this age group living in today’s society is a challenge that Anne Mallozzi, religion teacher at the school is happy to do. Mallozzi said when it comes to teaching religion to her students she wants them “to take what they’re learning and live it. An ‘A’ on a test is a wonderful thing, but living your faith is the true challenge and reward. I hope my students come out of my classroom and are never embarrassed to say they are Catholic or think it’s not cool to pray, something a lot of their friends may think. I want them to be comfortable in who they are as a follower of Christ. You can always see the results in just their behavior and the way they treat each other.”

While learning about religion is a timeless tradition in a Catholic school setting, the Pope John XXIII Middle School is also very timely in areas of technology as an educational tool and its STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum.

Sandy Roberts, engineering design teacher at the school, instructs this unique class and said, “Not many schools are able to offer on a middle school level this class. With the use of technology, the students design projects, which enhances their critical thinking and problem solving.”

In May, the whole school will be participating in Picatinny Arsenal’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Office’s Junior Solar Sprint, which challenges students to design, build and race solar powered cars using hands-on engineering skills and principles of science and math. “Every one of our seventh-grade students will be participating,” said Roberts.

With a background as a biochemical engineer, Roberts is also committed to fostering the idea of STEM careers to her students as the world continues to become more advanced in these areas and for generations to come. “As a Catholic school, we have to be stewards of our world and we need to make our community stronger,” she said. “A lot of our projects focus on sharing what we have with others.”

For Kerry Marino, English/language arts teacher at the school, there’s a personal connection to the Pope John community. She was graduated from Pope John XXIII High School and is a Pope John parent. “There’s a strong sense of community here that you get in a Catholic school and I love teaching middle school-age students,” she said. “They are at such a critical point in their lives. They are no longer young children and not yet teen-agers. This is a time when they discover who they want to be.”