By: Samuel Gold’23 and Benjamin Barousse’23

There have been many accomplishments throughout this year at Saint Paul’s. Each month has plenty to highlight. From Blue Ribbons to District Championships, the 2021-2022 school year has been one to remember.

August- Saint Paul’s opened on August 4th for the 110th year of Saint Paul’s education. Football season kicked off with a massive win against Rummel in the Christian Brothers Jamboree. At the end of August, Louisiana residents prepared for the worst. Hurricane Ida made landfall on August 26th and left a devastating path of damage in its wake. The school was closed for two weeks as Saint Paul’s recovered from hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damages.

September- With a return to classes, Wolves football returned too. The football team had some tough home matches, but we are proud to say that we kept the Brown Jug (Trophy from the Covington rivalry game) and made it to the State Semi-finals. Not only is this the farthest our team has ever been in the playoffs, but the Wolf-Nation student section has never been as energized.

October- To start the Fall, We held the first all-school Mass of the year to celebrate the Feast of the Saintly Brothers of Turon. The month of October every year marks the birth month of Saint Paul’s School. Brother Ray held a President’s Assembly, and the student body paraded around the neighborhood to celebrate the school’s 110th birthday. Saint Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper’72 and Covington Mayor Mark Johnson’76 joined us to celebrate their alma mater.

November- To kick off the month, Spanish teacher Mrs. Liz Brett led a Day of the Dead celebration in which students could write passed loved ones’ names on pieces of paper as prayer intentions. Also, in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Saint Paul’s held a food drive to help feed the less fortunate of Saint Tammany Parish over Thanksgiving.

December- On December 1st, the Saint Paul’s community celebrated the school’s second straight National Blue Ribbon Award by holding an assembly displaying the achievements of Saint Paul’s and how they contributed to the school’s Blue Ribbon Awardee status. Of course, December marks the beginning of the advent season. On December 3rd, Luminarias was held with Agape as the word of the year. Luminarias is an event held by Saint Paul’s every year to allow the surrounding community to celebrate the Advent season. Once the first semester exams were finished, the whole school took a well-deserved Christmas Holiday.

January- Students returned to campus from Christmas Holidays on January 4th. The Student Council represented Saint Paul’s at the annual Louisiana Association of Student Council conference on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The council members came back full of ideas and with a new sense of leadership. Basketball and soccer seasons also began and thus started two seasons full of success, with both teams reaching the State Semi-finals.

February- This month was full of preparations for the spring! Track, Lacrosse, Bowling, Ultimate Frisbee, Baseball, Rugby, Golf, and Tennis all started their seasons full of accomplishments and reached new heights as athletic programs. In a surprise visit, Saint Paul’s seniors were honored to hear Brother Gale Condit talk about his life of discernment and what made him want to become a Brother.

March- March saw the return of a traditional Saint Paul’s Grandparents Day celebration after a two-year absence due to COVID-19. Also, the Saint Paul’s student body donated over 40 units of blood during one of the biannual school blood drives.

April- April kicked off with the annual Stuff the Bus food drive with Saint Paul’s donating thousands of pounds of canned ravioli and other much-needed foods for the less fortunate. Leadership week was an absolute hit with the student body as they were treated to Leadership Breakfast, Challenge Night, and an all-school mass to celebrate the Feast of our founder Saint John Baptist de La Salle. April also saw a return of some familiar faces as the Class of 1972 had their Jubilarian Celebration and former Saint Paul’s teacher Mr. Mark Richards gave the current student body an address about his time as a student here.

May- As May rolled around, the school year started winding down. AP students began taking their exams, and the class of 2022 finished their courses. Excitement is abundant about what this upcoming summer will hold, and the 2021-2022 year is looked back upon fondly for its ups and downs. As the Seniors graduate, the Class of 2023 fills their new roles as the leaders of the school. In the words of Brother Jeffrey Calligan, FSC, “The Seniors are the adults of the school community. Caretakers. Mentors. They are to balance the privileges with the responsibilities of adulthood; to assist the youngest in their first steps into the identity and life of Saint Paul’s; to listen to the sophomores, helping them move through their adjustments; to dream and build with the juniors; to assist the administration and staff as they govern and guide the school in fulfilling its mission; to solidify their own identity as ‘men of Saint Paul’s;’ to dream of their own futures beyond Saint Paul’s School.” In Brother Ray’s final president’s assembly of the year, he asked if the class of 2023 if they were ready to fill in the role of the senior class. His question was met with a resounding “Yes Saint Paul’s I’m ready!”