Schools

Konopka breaks swim record

GREENVILLE - Katrina Konopka, a sophomore at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, set a new national record at the YMCA Short Course Nationals held in Greensboro, N.C., recently. Her time of 22.55 in the women’s 50-yard freestyle broke the previous record of 22.68 established in 2010 by two-time NCAA individual champion and current Arizona Wildcat Margo Geer. It is also the top time in the country amongst her age group this season. Katrina is a member of the Middle Tyger YMCA Swim Team and St. Mary Magdalene Church in Simpsonville.

Barrow captures chess title

GREENVILLE - Joshua Barrow, a fifth-grader at St. Mary, won first place in his age bracket at the South Carolina Scholastic Chess Championship held in Columbia recently.

Winning with science

GREENVILLE - Middle school students from Our Lady of the Rosary competed in the Regional Science Fair at the TD Convention Center, which hosts hundreds of science projects submitted by Greenville County and private schools. Sophia Shinas and Noah May placed fourth in the biology category and received a special award from the Greenville Medical Alliance. Emma Fletcher and Maggie Barr placed third in the environmental category.

McKay nets tennis award

CHARLESTON - Fred McKay, principal of Charleston Catholic, was one of several tennis coaches in the Charleston County School District to receive the first annual “Game Changer Award” for his contributions as head coach for the CCS Saints. He received recognition on center court during the Family Circle Cup’s Kids’ Day on April 1.

Climbing high

SUMTER - Students from St. Francis Xavier High School attended a retreat at Camp Kanuga in Hendersonville, N.C., in March, where they enjoyed snow, rock climbing, orienteering, high ropes, and more. The theme was “The Compass; A Guide for the Soul” which focused on the necessity of teamwork in their outdoor activities, in daily life, and in staying on track with the ultimate goal of reaching heaven. Photo: Nick Doyle, a senior from St. Francis Xavier, and Stephanie von der Thannen, a  junior exchange student from Austria, cheer as they make it across the high ropes course.

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BEHS players and coach earn best of year

CHARLESTON—Bishop England's Mary Harriet Moore was selected as the All-State basketball player of the year by the South Carolina Association of Coaches.

Also, senior Emma Schaafsma earned the A/AA tennis player of the year award while Kristin Fleming was chosen as the tennis coach of the year. They were selected by a panel of judges representing the High School Sports Report. Two other players, Kelly McManus and Liza Arruda, joined Emma on the All-State Tennis team.

St. Paul wins the brain battle

SPARTANBURG—Students from St. Paul the Apostle earned a first place award and $1,000 for their school in the Upstate Battle of the Brains competition. The team of Rebecca Funderburk, Geoff McVey and Perry Sykes won the championship round 74-70 against Dawkins Middle.

St. Joes takes chess title

GREENVILLE—The middle school chess team from St. Josephs Catholic School won the State Scholastic Chess Championship March 23 in Columbia. Team members include Morrigan Dearman, Charlotte Gayle, Elias Longenecker, Ben Ragan, Joey Schmidt, Brendan Cummings, Charlie Henderson, Andrew Armstrong and Chris McCune. Individual honors: Ben Ragan, eighth-grade champion; Morrigan Dearman, top female player; and Elias Longenecker, third place.

Cardinals win state title

COLUMBIA—The Cardinal Newman boys’ basketball team won the 2013 South Carolina Independent Schools Association AAA Championship, beating Hammond 61-45 in the finals of the tournament held in Sumter.

Spreading faith to Fiji

SUMMERVILLE—Summerville Catholic raised $264 for the Propagation of the Faith. Inspired by a sermon from Msgr. Ed Lofton about a village church in Fiji that needs a new roof, student council hosted a dance and donated the proceeds to the evangelizing ministry.

3 girls earn faith award

SPARTANBURG—Anna Mallen, Cadence Hayes and Linsey Douthat, all fourth-graders at St. Paul the Apostle School and members of Junior Girl Scout Troop 2678, earned the “I Live My Faith” Scout award. Their pastor, Father Timothy Gahan, presented the awards at Mass on March 10, Girl Scout Sunday.

Silver reels in honor

COLUMBIA—Marie Silver, a senior at Cardinal Newman, earned an honorable mention award in the Reel Art Competition sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Reel Art is a competition where students create artwork centered around South Carolina fish species and their habitats. Marie’s medium was watercolor and pen and ink.

A lotta love at St. Joe's

GREENVILLE—The Love of Giving Club at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, which provides books, blankets and stuffed animals to children in the hospital, received over 680 books and 250 stuffed animals from Kohls department store. Club members added ribbons and bookmarks and took them to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville.

Keep your eye on the cross

GREENVILLE—Students at St. Mary participate in Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent. Pictured are servers Drew Nichols, Will Harmon and Thomas Williams.

Ajukwa breaks record/Darby earns double honors

COLUMBIA—Austin Ajukwa, a senior at Cardinal Newman, was honored as the school’s all-time leading varsity basketball scorer with 1,723 career points, breaking the record held by Doug Calvert with 1,617 points.

Griffin Darby, another senior, was awarded the Presidential Scholarship to Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. Over 200 students applied with only seven earning the top honor. Griffin was also named to the 2013 South Carolina Independent Schools Association Bowling Team.

Mehl commits to Princeton

GREENVILLE—Justin Mehl, a senior at St. Joseph’s Catholic, committed to swim for Princeton University. Justin swam for St. Joe and the Y-Spartaquatics Swim Club and holds three under-16 state swimming records. He also participated in Y-Nationals and the USA Swimming Speedo Junior National Championship, where he placed in the top eight.

BE athletes sign to play

CHARLESTON—Signing day at Bishop England High School saw many athletes commit to colleges, including: Ellie James, volleyball, Mercer University; Nick Theos, football, United States Naval Academy; Adam Dobbins, football, Wheaton College; Zach Richter, football, North Greenville University; DeAngelo Stephenson, football, Towson University; Kevin Herbst, football, Brevard College; Taylor Lott, soccer, Belmont Abbey College; Joseph Terry, soccer, Regis University; and Molly Moriarty, soccer, Queens University.

St. John alumnus helps out

NORTH CHARLESTON—A St. John alumnus, who wishes to remain anonymous, launched a fundraising campaign for the school in which every dollar donated — up to $10,000 — will be matched by the alumnus from now until May 31.

Students win bridge awards

CHARLESTON—Charleston Catholic won nine awards across five categories at the 14^th annual Celebration of National Engineers Week held at The Citadel in Charleston. The award-winning bridge builders are Joseph Riley, Sam Tuttle, Will Donnellon, Akela Allen, Janeya Johnson, Finian Butcher, Noah Cormier and Darian Lopes.

Four sing in honor choir

SUMTER—Ashauna Leverette, Lila Floyd, Alyssa Law and Andrea Clark, students from St. Anne, sang in the South Carolina Elementary Honor Choir at the North Charleston Convention Center recently. They were among 200 of the best singers chosen from around the state.

Scouts earn top medals

MOUNT PLEASANT—Rey Robinson, a seventh-grader at Christ Our King-Stella Maris, earned the Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) Boy Scout award. Also, Girl Scouts in Troop 482, comprised of seventh-grade girls from the school, earned Mary, the First Disciple religious emblems. They were all honored by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone at the Scout Convocation in Columbia recently.

Pictured are: (top row, left to right) Fionna Ennist, Bishop Guglielmone and Makena Roe; (middle row) Lauren DeMarco, Rey Robinson, Morgan Jackowski and Sophie Crosby; (bottom row) Helen Schertz and Anna Tortorici.

Burnikel signs with Clemson/Rogers leads stewardship drive

GREENVILLE—Austen Burnikel, a senior at St. Joseph’s Catholic, signed to play soccer for Clemson University. Austen was recognized by the South Carolina High School League (1A) as an All-Region and All-State player. He played with Carolina Elite Soccer Academy at state, regional and national levels and was on the Southeast Olympic Development Program team.

Natalie Rogers, a junior, spearheaded a stewardship project by the school’s math team, which collected 376 pairs of socks for United Ministries to help the homeless keep their feet warm this winter.

Beta Club winners

The Junior Beta Club’s state convention was held in Myrtle Beach recently, with about 3,800 middle school students participating.  Here are some of the winners from local schools:

GREENVILLE—Anna Marchek, an eighth-grader at St. Joseph’s Catholic, placed second in the T-shirt Design Competition. She was invited to submit her design to the national convention in Mobile, Ala., in June.

COLUMBIA—Several students at Cardinal Newman earned honors at the convention. Paige Miller won second place in language arts and will compete at the national level in June. Also, McCarley Maddock won third in math, Helen Williamson second in recyclable art, Katie Sneigon top 10 in spelling, and Mary Pickler top eight in overall special talent for dance.

Students collect 778 cans

ANDERSON—The second grade at St. Joseph challenged each class to collect 100 canned food items to celebrate the 100th day of school. This year, 778 cans were collected by the students and donated to the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen.

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Scouts earn top medals

MOUNT PLEASANT—Rey Robinson, a seventh-grader at Christ Our King-Stella Maris, earned the Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) Boy Scout award. Also, Girl Scouts in Troop 482, comprised of seventh-grade girls from the school, earned Mary, the First Disciple religious emblems. They were all honored by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone at the Scout Convocation in Columbia recently.

Pictured are: (top row, left to right) Fionna Ennist, Bishop Guglielmone and Makena Roe; (middle row) Lauren DeMarco, Rey Robinson, Morgan Jackowski and Sophie Crosby; (bottom row) Helen Schertz and Anna Tortorici.

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Burnikel signs with Clemson/Rogers leads stewardship drive

GREENVILLE—Austen Burnikel, a senior at St. Joseph’s Catholic, signed to play soccer for Clemson University. Austen was recognized by the South Carolina High School League (1A) as an All-Region and All-State player. He played with Carolina Elite Soccer Academy at state, regional and national levels and was on the Southeast Olympic Development Program team.

Natalie Rogers, a junior, spearheaded a stewardship project by the school’s math team, which collected 376 pairs of socks for United Ministries to help the homeless keep their feet warm this winter.

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Beta Club winners

The Junior Beta Club’s state convention was held in Myrtle Beach recently, with about 3,800 middle school students participating.  Here are some of the winners from local schools:

GREENVILLE—Anna Marchek, an eighth-grader at St. Joseph’s Catholic, placed second in the T-shirt Design Competition. She was invited to submit her design to the national convention in Mobile, Ala., in June.

COLUMBIA—Several students at Cardinal Newman earned honors at the convention. Paige Miller won second place in language arts and will compete at the national level in June. Also, McCarley Maddock won third in math, Helen Williamson second in recyclable art, Katie Sneigon top 10 in spelling, and Mary Pickler top eight in overall special talent for dance.

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Students collect 778 cans

ANDERSON—The second grade at St. Joseph challenged each class to collect 100 canned food items to celebrate the 100th day of school. This year, 778 cans were collected by the students and donated to the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen.

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Cardinals win state title

COLUMBIA—The Cardinal Newman boys’ basketball team won the 2013 South Carolina Independent Schools Association AAA Championship, beating Hammond 61-45 in the finals of the tournament held in Sumter.

Spreading faith to Fiji

SUMMERVILLE—Summerville Catholic raised $264 for the Propagation of the Faith. Inspired by a sermon from Msgr. Ed Lofton about a village church in Fiji that needs a new roof, student council hosted a dance and donated the proceeds to the evangelizing ministry.

3 girls earn faith award

SPARTANBURG—Anna Mallen, Cadence Hayes and Linsey Douthat, all fourth-graders at St. Paul the Apostle School and members of Junior Girl Scout Troop 2678, earned the “I Live My Faith” Scout award. Their pastor, Father Timothy Gahan, presented the awards at Mass on March 10, Girl Scout Sunday.

Silver reels in honor

COLUMBIA—Marie Silver, a senior at Cardinal Newman, earned an honorable mention award in the Reel Art Competition sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Reel Art is a competition where students create artwork centered around South Carolina fish species and their habitats. Marie’s medium was watercolor and pen and ink.