Last Week at JPII - 02/09/26

Engineering Club students placed 3rd in the Bridge Building Contest hosted by the Army Corps of Engineers. They competed against more than 150 middle and high school students from across the State of Nebraska.

February 9, 2026 - It’s been busy at St. John Paul II Academy! Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from last week, capturing the heart of life at JPII.

We started off our week with a beautiful celebration of Candlemas, the traditional end to the Christmas liturgical season. At morning assembly, Father blessed candles made by the 1st-4th graders out of old altar candles. These were lit and carried over to Holy Ghost Church for morning Mass by the Upper School students.

Level 2 CGS this week - Students reading the account of the Resurrection from different gospels, looking at the Mustard Seeds, copying beautiful religious art, and two students working with the Presentation in the Temple.

A peek at art classes! 7th and 8th grade learned to utilize grids to increase accuracy when replicating art. The high school conducted an art study, hotly debating which figure is *actually* St. Matthew in Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew.

The 7th and 8th grade researched different areas of World War II history, and created a history museum in the gym for the rest of the school.

The 5th and 6th grade enjoyed a field trip to the Luminarium. Among other things, students enjoyed a presentation about mass and displacement, and were able to experiment with the physics of light and sound in a hands-on way.

And to finish out the week, JPII was excited to receive a visit from two groups of religious sisters - The Missionary Benedictines (Norfolk) and The Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (South Sioux City). Students enjoyed getting to know the sisters and playing blind volleyball, poisoned dart frog, apples to apples, and vocations jeopardy with them. We are so grateful for their presence in our classrooms and the joyful witness of their vocation!

Hope you enjoyed this week in the life of JPII. Stay tuned for more glimpses in and out of the classroom as we continue to form saints, fully alive!