In the spirit of the “Best of” lists so common at this time of year, here are the “Best Moments for St. Michael during the 2021 school year.” It was an incredible year for the school, despite dealing with Covid throughout!
(Let’s not take these rankings too seriously, as they are not meant to provoke arguments as to which was more or less important! But this does make for a fun game for Cardinal fans: how many can you guess without looking further?)
10. Paving Higbee Road all the way to Highway 181 and renaming it “St. Michael Way.”
What a blessing for those who live north of St. Michael and can now avoid the 104/181 intersection! And what a beautiful, peaceful commute it is, winding through Baldwin County farmland! We look forward to putting a sign on 181 for St. Michael once 181 construction is complete! (January 5, 2021)
9. Ninety-Two Cardinals Recognized for Performance on National Language Exams and Forty Nine A.P. Scholars Recognized by College Board!
Literally over one-third of the student body received recognition in the national language exams, a reflection of the strength our language program For more, go here. (April 27, 2021).
49 Scholars were named by the College Board as “A.P. Scholars,” which also represents one-third of those eligible, since it’s only possible to be named a scholar in junior and senior year. 11 of these students were name “Scholars with Honor” and 9 were named “Scholars with Distinction,” the highest honor that the College Board gives A.P. students. For more, go here. (July 27, 2021)
8. St. Michael Football Team Upsets Jackson High School
This was our football program’s first-ever region win, and felt like a kind of “culmination” of the hard work from the spring and summer workouts under Philip Rivers, as well as the building of the program by our earlier teams under Coach Phelps and Coach Knapstein. (September 2, 2021)
7. Our First Christmas Concert in Two Years!
It was a wonderful night of Christmas music performed by our choral and band programs! Both students from our high school and from Baldwin County’’s three Catholic elementary schools, presented. This was also the debut of our new band director, Mrs. Melanie Gonzalez (seen above) and our new choral director, Mr. Ethan Bennett. There was a great "family feel" to the evening. (December 8, 2021)
6. St. Michael Cheerleaders Named State Champions!
Our fantastic cheerleaders were voted best in 4A, our second “state championship” team. For more, go here! (February 19, 2021)
5. Cardinals in the Courtyard Gala!
It was literally our first Cardinals IN the Courtyard gala, and what made it special was it felt like for the first time in over a year, we were able to gather together and enjoy each other’s company. Aaron Weber, a professional comedian who is son of our principal, entertained us and made us laugh,. Oh What a night!
4. Our First School Mass Together in Over a Year!
For 18 months, we were not able to gather together as a whole school for Mass. One-half of the school attended, while the other half watched on line. But with s creative grouping by our campus ministry program, which paired siblings with each other on the gym floor, we were “made whole” again to celebrate as a school. (September 15, 2021)
3. Announcement of Philip Rivers as our New Football Coach (Tie)
Rivers announced his retirement and his intent to become our head coach, a story that made national headlines. He arrived in March, worked all spring and summer with our team, and led us to a 6-3 record in his first year with us this fall. Here's a season recap. We’re excited about the future of the program! (January 20, 2021)
3. Rusty Cowles Field House Dedicated! (Tie)
It was a special day for us, opening up a new “home” for our student-athletes, dedicating this home to Rusty, son of Terri and Gary Cowles. Archbishop Rodi blessed the building, whereas Superintendent Byrd spoke of the special place that St. Michael was becoming. Rusty’s 8th grade class was also in attendance and are now freshmen at St. Michael. For pictures go here. (February 24, 2021)
2. Face mask requirement lifted!
After a full year and a half of distance learning and face-masking, we found out a few things. First, teaching when physically present is vastly superior to zooming! Second, effective teaching is a soul to soul connection, and when we can’t see each other’s facial expressions, we lose something precious. Our first day without masks felt like a kind of liberation! (October 18, 2021)
1. Graduation of the Class of 2021
It was a beautiful evening as we said goodbye to the Class of 2021, our school's third graduating class. Andrew Fouty, now a freshman at Columbia University, gave the valedictory address on behalf of his classmates. (May 20, 2022)
May. God continue to bless St. Michael as we head into 2022!