Check out the latest news with SJA and read about what our alumni are up to. If you’d like to share about an experience you’ve had, or about your job, vocation, etc., we would love to hear from you here!
Alumni Serving in the Time of Covid-19
St. James Academy has always placed high value on serving the community and instilling the importance of Christian stewardship in students. It is so inspiring to see alumni serving in many different ways throughout this Covid-19 Crisis. Below are some of those that...
Why We Love Working at SJA – Alumni Staff Members
SJA is an exceptional community to get to be part of as a high school student. So many continue to consider this place “home” after graduation. The following alumni are grateful that their paths have led them back to SJA as staff members! Sam...
Taking Part in Patients’ Journeys as Child Life Specialists
Megan (Montolio) Johnson and Kim White graduated together from St. James Academy in 2009 and currently work together as certified child life specialists at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. Megan attended Saint Louis University and earned a degree in Social...
The Beauty of Opera – Hope Dedrick ’17
Singing has been a major piece of my identity for as long as I can remember. I started singing in my parish children’s choir at the age of six, and never looked back. Though I always loved to sing growing up, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up...
From SJA to NASA – Ethan Cafferty ’15
What led you to your current job? After high school I went to Neumont College of Computer Science in Salt Lake City Utah because I wanted a three year degree program. I graduated there in August 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Information Systems after discovering...
The Love of the Game – Steven Enna ’14
Interview with Steven Enna, SJA Class of 2014, Professional Soccer Player for FC Fredericia in Fredericia, Denmark. What led up to you becoming a professional soccer player? I would say what led me to become a professional soccer player is how I fell in love with the...
Living the Rule of St. Benedict as Oblates – Kristen (Oswald) Farnet ’09 and Michael Farnet ’10
Oblates are lay men and women who want to exemplify the Benedictine way of life in their everyday lives. They are not religious and not the same as monks. They do not take vows but make a proclamation to God or “oblation” saying they will commit their lives to living...
Sharing the Love of Jesus in the Classroom – Abigail Donart ’12
As the school year started this fall, I couldn’t believe that I was starting my 4th year of teaching; I still have vivid memories and great friendships from my time at St. James. Teaching is something I wanted to do for a long time and I can undoubtedly trace...
A Semester at Sea – Madison Oyler ’17
What led you to want to participate in a Semester at Sea program? I have always wanted to travel and I am constantly looking for opportunities that will push me out of my comfort zone. I had heard about Semester at Sea and learned more about it through my aunt and...
Faith in the Field of Nursing – Bethany (Smith) Loosbrock ’11
I knew I wanted to be a nurse after a parish mission trip to Guatemala in high school. We visited the sick throughout the community and brought them supplies and medication. It was there I learned that the best way I could ease suffering and impact others was to...
US Marines – Chris Spencer ’18
I’ve known since I was 7 years old that I wanted to join the military. Reading a copy of the Last Stand of Fox Company when I was 10 years old was an eye-opener for me into the world of the Marine Corps. This is the true story of Fox Company, a company of...
Serving with St. Paul’s Outreach – Mary Khadivi ’12
What drew you to work as an SPO missionary? The desire to become a missionary has been on my heart since I’ve been young – I remember thinking about it often since probably around 5th grade. However, my deep love for animals and pursuit of vet school led...
Giving the Basics – Madison (Nearmyer) Hamilton ’12
In the Spring of 2017, my daughter was just born and I was looking for a meaningful, part time job. When I first heard about Giving the Basics, I was shocked to learn that hygiene products are not covered by government assistance programs. Especially as a new mom, the...
Nine SJA Grads start Nursing School at KU!
Nursing may be the #1 profession of SJA Alumni! Nine alumni ladies recently started in the nursing program at the University of Kansas and had their nightingale ceremony. Many more are in other programs or are graduates and working in the field! What a wonderful...
2019 Alumni Scholarship Recipients
The Alumni Memorial Scholarship was created in 2018 in honor of students who have passed away since the school’s opening in 2005. Seniors are given the opportunity to apply their Christian Stewardship Projects towards the SJA Memorial Fund Scholarship application. ...
Class of 2009 10 Year Reunion
The Class of 2009 celebrated the first 10 Year Reunion in St. James History on Friday, July 19 at No Other Pub in KCMO. Thanks to all who joined in for the fun! Images by Kathleen Straub Photography.
Robotics in Rome – Grace Schippers ’16
This semester, I’ve been studying abroad in Rome, Italy in a mechanical engineering program through the University of Notre Dame. While here, myself and some of my classmates had the opportunity to volunteer with the Pontifical Academy for Life. Founded by Pope John...
SJA Grads at SEEK 2019
“SEEK is an invitation to college students everywhere to explore life’s bigger questions: who we are, where we’re going and what we seek along the journey. As FOCUS’ (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) national conference, SEEK encourages all students...
Class of 2013 Reunion
The Class of 2013 celebrated their five year reunion on July 28! From records and conversations, we know that this class has at least four married or engaged couples with both spouses as alumni of SJA, four babies, two grads in seminary/religious life, one in the...
2018 Homecoming Recap!
It was great to see so many alumni at Homecoming on Friday, October 5! Thanks to all who came to enjoy the game and post-game social. Future Thunder enjoyed face painting as well! See more pictures...
Braxton Lewis (’15), Big 12 Defensive Player of the WeeK
Check out this awesome article about Braxton Lewis (Class of 2015) being named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week! Read it...
Alex King drafted by Arizona Diamondbacks
Former St. James Academy baseball standout Alex King was selected in the 35th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday as the 1,059th overall pick. via Shawnee...
Welcome New Alumni!
The Class of 2018 graduated last Thursday, May 10! Welcome to our 235 new SJA...
SJA Alumni Nursing Students – Rockhurst University
Five 2014 SJA Graduates are all members of the Rockhurst University/Research College of Nursing Graduating Class of 2018, as well as scholarship recipients. These alumni include Maddie Thornhill, Anna Boucher, Katie Kerner, Kaitlyn Klein, and Caroline Lipp. Katie...
Katie Coens (’17), International Collegiate DECA Competition
“Katherine Coens, a Lenexa, KS native, recently participated in the International Collegiate DECA Competition, an opportunity for budding professionals to put their business acumen to the test, with a group of fellow Belmont students. During the competition,...
