Society of Jesus Welcomes 48 New Novices   By Doris Yu

 September 13, 2016 — This fall, 48 new Jesuit novices joined the Society of Jesus in Canada, Haiti and the U.S., the largest group of novices in the last 10 years.

 The journey to becoming a Jesuit priest or brother can take from eight to 12 years, and it begins with two years in the novitiate. The formation process follows a detailed plan that was laid out by St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus. Follow the link to read the rest of the story.

http://jesuits.org/story?TN=PROJECT-20160906120127

John Weinandy-Bowling Green, Ohio

John, 25, attended St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy in Toledo, Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s in biology at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. After trying out the field of medical research, he returned to St. John’s, first as an alumni volunteer and then as a staff member, working in the campus ministry and Christian service departments. John enjoys reading, cooking, playing games and exploring God’s creation. (Chicago-Detroit Province)

Christopher “Topher” Kandik ‘89, a high-performing English language arts teacher at The SEED School of Washington, DC, was named the 2016 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year.

“Those who know Mr. Kandik’s teaching practice refer to him as transformative, endlessly creative, and deeply engaged,” State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang said.

As the 2016 DC Teacher of the Year, Kandik received a cash prize of $7,500 and is entered into the National Teacher of the Year competition.

“What makes Mr. Kandik's classroom special isn't just that his students score above average on state assessments,” said SEED DC Head of School Adrian Manuel. “It's that his students develop a real joy for learning and intellectual engagement that will help them become not just strong students, but intelligent and engaged adults."

A former fundraiser in the DC arts community, Kandik decided to become a teacher when he saw the transformative effect the arts can have on students while volunteering in an after school program that focused on writing plays.

Kandik soon enrolled in a program at the George Washington University that trained educators to teach literacy skills to students living and learning in an urban environment.

A 2013 recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award, District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities Teacher of the Year, Kandik created the SEED African American Read-In, an annual open mic celebration in conjunction with an invited guest writer. Kandik also co-founded DC Miscellanea, a youth writing organization that provides DC area youth an opportunity to build community through writing projects focused on art and aesthetic experiences.

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Steven M. Barth '95, founder of Barth & Associates, has been named to the 2015 Top 50 Pittsburgh Lawyers. The Top 50 list includes those attorneys who received the highest point totals in the 2015 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® nomination, research, and blue ribbon review process out of all of the attorneys practicing law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.

Cody Riffle '10 broke the University of Michigan's school record in the shot put last weekend in a dual meet victory over Michigan State.

Riffle set a new standard with a throw of 19.25 meters (63-2).

Read more about Riffle's achievement...

Miami Dolphins punter Brandon Fields '02 has been nominated for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, annually bestowed to honor a player's volunteer and charity work as well as excellence on the field.

Fields, along with his wife Katie, created the Brandon and Katie Fields Youth Fitness Fund in 2010. With a focus on health, fitness and a positive attitude, the mission of the Brandon and Katie Fields Youth Fitness Fund is to promote physical activity and good health to children in the community.

Fields can often be found on his off days during the NFL season volunteering with children and speaking at schools.

For the last three summers, Fields has also returned to SJJ to put on a football and cheerleading camp, as well as starting a fitness camp. Recently, the Fields partnered with Broward Health to start the "Fields Fitness Fest" in South Florida.

Fields has been one of the top punters in the NFL since joining the Dolphins in 2007. This season, Fields ranks first in the AFC and second in the NFL in punting average with 50.3 yards per punt.

Congratulations to Dan Mills ’11 and Emannuel Dzotsi ’11 who are busy this summer with regional drum and bugle corps performances. Both former were former members of the SJJ Marching Band.

Dan was a member of the drum line, and Emmanuel was the former Drum Major. Dan, who attends Ohio University, serves as the videographer for the Cavalears Drum Core. Emmanuel is playing mellophone with the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps. 

The U.S. Senate today voted to approve the appointment of Jeffrey Helmick '78 to a vacant seat on the U.S. District Court in Toledo.

Judge Helmick is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. He is a principal in the law firm Gamso, Helmick & Hoolahan in Toledo.
(From the Toledo Blade)

Timothy Matheney '85 has been named New Jersey's Director of Educator Evaluation. His appointment was approved by the New Jersey Board of Education on Wednesday, June 6.

In July, Matheney will assume leadership of an initiative called "Excellent Educators for New Jersey."

Matheney most recently served as the Principal of South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, N.J.

Shane Hegde '09, left, Josh Konieczny '09, middle, and Chris Ulrich '08
at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship in Camden, N.J. 

Four St. John's Jesuit alumni combined for the best finish collectively in school history at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship last weekend in Camden, N.J.

Keith Dauson '11 finished seventh with Princeton's Freshmen 8, Shane Hegde '09 finished sixth with Stanford's second varsity 8, Josh Konieczny '09 finished second with Dartmouth's lightweight varsity 8, and Chris Ulrich '08 took fourth as part of Georgetown's lightweight varsity 8.

Evan Bechtel '11, who helped lead St. John's Jesuit to a state tennis title and also won the Division I state singles championship last year, has signed a national letter of intent to play tennis at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

"I just felt it was a really good fit for me overall," Bechtel told The (Toledo) Blade. "They have good academics, a good tennis team, and the coach had been recruiting me before my ranking started going up. I had a lot of respect for him doing that."

Bechtel has spent the last year training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. In 2011, he become SJJ's first singles champion since Erick Iskersky '76 won titles in 1976-77.

Dan Kennedy ’08 has been selected to receive the Edward H. Finnegan S.J. Memorial Award – the most prestigious award that Boston College gives to a graduating senior.

A theology and philosophy major, Kennedy has spent a multitude of hours working with Campus Ministry, St. Ignatius Church, the PULSE Council and the Church in the 21st Century Center Advisory Committee, among others, as well as tutoring at Nativity Preparatory School in Jamaica Plain and twice going on service trips — the second as leader — with the Arrupe Service and Immersion Program at Boston College.

Kennedy plans to enter the Society of Jesus in the fall.

“When it comes to vocation, I think there are two kinds of people,” he says. “There are people who jump in, and people who wade in. I am the latter. It’s something I’ve been contemplating for a while, because I have been fortunate to have great models of Jesuit life in high school, and in these four years at BC. I have been able to know great men of faith, good humor and joy — and I can’t stress enough the ‘joy’ part.
 
“My service experiences made me understand myself and what I could do, and my mentors and friends helped affirm this. I felt I could be a man for others, and so the question became, ‘Where do I feel God is calling me?’”

Read more about Kennedy in the Boston College Chronicle.

UPDATE: Kennedy was also profiled in the Boston Globe on Sunday, May 20.

Andrew Schaetzke '08 has received an invitation to the Cincinnati Bengals Rookie Camp on May 10 and could be signed as an undrafted free agent.

"It is a tremendous opportunity and I feel blessed to have the chance to participate in the Bengals mini-camp," Schaetzke said. "I plan to go into camp and work as hard as I possibly can in order to secure a spot on the team."

Schaetzke recently wrapped up a stellar four-year career with the Georgetown University football team. He was named a consensus All-American at defensive end following the 2011 season and the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year.

He also will graduate this month with a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Georgetown's McDonough School of Business.
Information for this article and photo courtesy of Georgetown Athletics

Ron Siebenaler '09 is one of three students at Ohio State University who have been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program as a 2012 Goldwater Scholar.

Ron, a junior majoring in biomedical science, is conducting research with Dr. Kelsie Bernot in Dr. Michael Caligiuri’s lab studying experimental therapeutics and developing personalized therapies for patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

An Honors student and two-time recipient of the Pelotonia Fellowship, Ron plans to obtain an MD and a PhD in Hematology and Oncology, before he pursues a career researching experimental cancer therapeutics and practicing oncology at a university medical center.

The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious national award for undergraduate researchers in science, math and engineering.  Goldwater Scholars receive a one year award to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500. 

Scholarships were awarded to 282 sophomores and juniors on the basis of academic merit from a field of over 1,100 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.
Information for this story and photo courtesy of Ohio State

Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Sargeant, a Defiance, Ohio, native, retired from military service Jan. 1 after a 33-year career that took him to England, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sargeant was a fighter pilot who flew A-10 and F-16 aircraft, according to a release from Joint Hometown News Services.

The major general's final command tour was as the commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. He reported directly to the Air Force chief of staff regarding the test and evaluation of more than 76 major programs, including the Joint Strike Fighter.

During his career, Sargeant served as the commandant of the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and commanded the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. He served in numerous joint and coalition assignments including deputy chief of staff, strategy for Combined Joint Task Force 7 and deputy chief of staff, strategy, plans and assessment for Multi-National Force - Iraq in Baghdad.

He also served in various positions in the Pentagon, including military assistant to both the deputy secretary of defense and secretary of defense, and he was the deputy executive secretary to the National Security Council in the White House.

He spent his final year on active duty as the special assistant to the commander of the Air Education and Training Command, assisting in the establishment of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter training capability at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

Sergeant is a 1974 graduate of St. John's High School. He received a bachelor's degree in 1978 from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo., and earned a master's degree in 1984 from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
(From the Toledo Blade)

Daniel J. Endrizal III, Esq., has been selected to receive The Florida Bar President’s Award for Pro Bono Service. Endrizal was nominated for the award by Florida Rural Legal Services and the Lee County Bar Association as the outstanding provider of free legal representation to qualifying citizens within the 20th circuit.

The award was presented in a ceremony on Jan. 26 at the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee. In October of 2011, Endrizal also received to honors by his peers for his pro bono service, having accepted more legal cases than any other attorney in Lee County the previous year.

While not limited to guardianships, many of the free cases he has accepted in the recent years consist of representing people who are unable to represent themselves, including the handicapped, institutionalized, infirmed, or aged clients in Lee County. The unique nature of the many guardianship cases undertaken by Endrizal require the attorney to remain as the legal representative for the client for the life of the client, making the gift of accepting pro bono cases more of a lifetime commitment than most other legal representations. Given that in 2010 he took on 10 pro bono cases and in 2011 he took on 10 more pro bono cases, it is easy to see how the folio of free legal representation grows larger in every passing year.

Mr. Endrizal spent 12 years in the U.S. Army on active duty and 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a retired major.

A graduate of St. Thomas University School of Law, 1999 and University of Miami School of Law, LL.M Taxation 2001, Endrizal practices in downtown Fort Myers, Fla. His practice areas include real property, probate and trust law and tax law, fluent in Spanish, he also offers language translation services for legal issues. He was admitted to The Florida bar in 2000 as has been a member of the Lee County Bar Association since 2001. Endrizal sees pro bono service as his duty to honor the profession, as well as being a privilege in serving his community. He believes this to be one of the easiest ways attorneys can connect to the true meaning of upholding the rule of law. He believes in the principle he quotes from author David Frost: “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in and it will come naturally.”
(From the Daniels Parkway Seabreeze)

Name: Phil Campbell

Year Graduated: 1991

College/University: Northwestern University

Family:  Married nine years to Emily Hall, an editor of publications at the Museum of Modern Art. Father to a precocious 4-year-old son named Mungo.

Current Residence:  Brooklyn, NY

What is your current occupation?
My true passion in life is writing. My first book was a memoir -- Zioncheck for President. It was adapted to film last year; Jason Biggs from “American Pie” plays me, a guy struggling with the toughest year of my adult life, as I tried to manage a political campaign for a friend of mine who was running for city council. I’m waiting to hear what kind of distribution deal the film (titled Grassroots) is getting. While I wait, I’m finishing work on my second book, my debut novel, Memphis Del Mar. I call it “the world’s first global-warming comedy.” I think people will be surprised by the book, how sophisticated it is underneath all the plot and character and comedy. It took five years to write, but I don’t regret that; I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Right now I have to find a new agent to sell it, though.

What made you decide to pursue your occupation?
I started out as a journalist fresh out of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, but after six years of covering police, city hall and other stories I burnt out on journalism. Deep in my heart I knew I always just wanted to tell stories, whether it’s fiction or memoirs or screenplays, I just wanted to entertain people with smart, funny stories. I had to leave traditional occupations in order to see my ambitions realized. I had to write.

How and why you were recently featured on Oprah’s OWN?
Well, that’s a pretty long story, but I’ll keep it short: I organized a relief effort of men named Phil Campbell (and women named Phyllis Campbell) from around the world to help the tornado-devastated town of Phil Campbell, Alabama. We raised enough money ($40,000) in six weeks to build a Habitat for Humanity home for one of the families displaced by the tornado. Originally we Phil Campbells were all going to go to Phil Campbell – a real town! – as a bit of a stunt, but then the tornado hit and I organized a relief effort instead. I saw an opportunity to help people in need, so I helped. And it wasn’t just OWN that covered it; it was on ABC Nightly News and the NBC Nightly News on the same night. It was also on NPR, the BBC, in The Atlantic and The New York Times…the media coverage has been endless!

I’m excited to announce that the entire story is soon going to be a full-length documentary called “I’m with Phil.” We – me and the filmmaker; I’m the producer – will be taking “I’m with Phil” to film festivals all over the country and maybe even the world. Plus, the documentary will also give us another opportunity to raise more money for the town, which is still in really bad shape.

How did you wind up choosing to attend St. John’s Jesuit?
My parents were always passionate about the importance of a solid Catholic education, and the Jesuits at St. John’s offered the best of the best for a young man growing up in the Toledo area. And since my brother, Tom, went to St. John’s ahead of me there wasn’t much question that I’d go there, too.

Can you share some memories/stories about SJJ?
I remember being a reporter for the student paper when I was assigned a story about the six Jesuits who were murdered in El Salvador by the country’s right-wing military (this was in 1989). The Jesuits at St. John’s had strong connections to a community of social activists in Central America, and my conversations with them about the murders opened up my eyes to life outside my safe suburban existence. Those conversations definitely helped put me on my initial path of journalism, and to a lifetime of trying to understand how people can achieve social justice through a mixture of awareness and an active engagement in politics.

Who was the most influential teacher/faculty member for you while at SJJ?
That’d be a dead tie between Tom Harms and Carl “Doc” Demarkowski, whom I’ve heard is now retired. They both got me incredibly excited about learning in general and literature in particular, about literature’s power to explain, even transform, culture. There are times, as I sit down every night to write, after my kid’s been put to bed, that I look at a sentence and think, “But would that impress Mr. Harms? Or Doc?” I can’t understate their impact on my life, really.

What life lessons did you take away from St. John’s Jesuit that has helped you get to where you are today?
A St. John’s education means an education that is both morally and intellectually inquisitive. St. John’s gave me the tools to critique the world and myself in ways that have allowed me to grow as a person. Not many high schools can say they provide that kind of environment.

How has the motto “Men for Others” remained a part of your life personally and professionally?
“Men for Others” is a profoundly important motto, primarily because the teachers and administrators who talk about it at St. John’s really live that motto, and wanted their students to live it, too. It didn’t make it into the OWN story, but at one point the OWN reporter asked me if my Alabama relief work “woke me up to some values I never had.” I quickly corrected him, “No, it reminded me of the values I was raised with.” Of course I meant my parents, but I was also referring to all the times at St. John’s we talked about what “Men for Others” really means.

What is something that most people would not know about you?
Nothing comes to mind. I’m pretty much an open book to anyone who takes the time to try to see the world from my point of view.

Name: Thomas A. Campbell, Ph.D.

Year Graduated: 1987

College/University: Vanderbilt University – B.E., Mechanical Engineering with Honors; University of Colorado at Boulder – M.S., Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering Sciences

Family: Phil, Deborah, Veronica – siblings; John & Mary Campbell - parents

Current Residence: Blacksburg, VA and Evergreen, CO

What is your current occupation?
Research Associate Professor and Associate Director for Outreach at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) at Virginia Tech

What made you decide to pursue your occupation?
Unique opportunities in interdisciplinary research

Can you elaborate on what the ICTAS program is, and what your role with program is?
From our website – www.ictas.vt.edu:
Our Purpose: The Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech supports and promotes cutting edge research at the intersection of engineering, science and medicine.
ICTAS stimulates, catalyzes and promotes growth of research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. ICTAS provides a collaborative atmosphere designed to stimulate and promote creativity, a place where intellectual capacity can be explored and challenged to reach areas previously explored in isolation.
Through continuous pursuit of the ICTAS mission to enable and engage in path-finding interdisciplinary research at the intersections of engineering, the sciences -- physical, life, and social-- and the humanities, the institute advances the frontiers of knowledge, promotes economic development and enhances the quality of life in the Commonwealth, the nation and the world, while simultaneously enhancing the educational experiences of the students at Virginia Tech.

How did you wind up choosing to attend St. John’s Jesuit?
I applied and was accepted from St. Joseph’s elementary school in Maumee.

Who was the most influential teacher/faculty member for you while at SJJ?
Father Sweeney!

What life lessons did you take away from St. John’s that has helped you get to where you are today?
Study hard and keep learning lifelong.

How has the motto “Men for Others” remained a part of your life personally and professionally?
I work in interdisciplinary research – it’s all about collaboration, so “Men for Others” is right in line with what I do for a living.

What is something that most people would not know about you?
I lived in Germany for almost two years after getting my Ph.D. I am fluent in German and travel back to Europe frequently for collaborations there.

John Knight '75 was recently named the 27th President of Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. He will assume the office of President effective July 1, 2012.

Mr. Knight has a rich academic background covering a variety of experiences in Jesuit secondary education. He is currently the President of Canisius High School, a Jesuit school in Buffalo.

Mr. Knight is a native of Toledo, where he attended St. John’s Jesuit from 1971-75. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in special education. In 1983, he entered the Society of Jesus and, from 1983-1989, was a novice and then a scholastic serving at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.

He remained at University of Detroit Jesuit High School after deciding not to pursue the priesthood. During his 14 years there he served as a teacher and coach (basketball and tennis) and worked in campus ministry until 2001. He left to serve as associate head of school at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Michigan and then as President of Catholic Memorial High School in Wisconsin before taking the helm at Canisius where he is in his 4th year as President. Along the way, he earned his Master’s degree in religious education at Loyola University of Chicago and his educational specialist postgraduate degree at Oakland University in Michigan.

Mr. Knight will move to the Bay Area along with his wife, Susan, and daughters Alexandra (11) and Elizabeth (9). He is the brother of former SJJ Academy Principal and current Catholic Schools Superintendent Christopher Knight '78.
(From Saint Ignatius College Prepatory)

The St. John’s Jesuit community lost an inspirational alumnus and a friend to many, Daniel William Butler, age 44, in August 2010.

For the Class of 1984, Dan Butler was one of its most well-known and memorable students.  The caption next to his senior picture describes his activities:  Student Council President, Salutatorian, Cheerleader, Campion Hall, Dance Committee, Homecoming Committee, Welcoming Committee, Special Action Committee, Intramurals, Volunteers, and TV-4.   

SJJ faculty remember Dan for his keen sense of humor and for the vision to revolutionize a very staid TV-4 making it more current and beloved by students who would look forward to daily morning broadcasts of skits and side-cracking commentary led by Dan and the TV-4 crew.  Read More