Saint John School—Ashtabula’s only diocesan Catholic School, which serves students in pre-K through grade 12—unveiled a new Student Center on Saturday, August 16. The new center houses a variety of updated classrooms, tutoring and engagement centers, a high school cafeteria and renewed campus ministry.
Together with staff, teachers, parishioners and clergy, Bishop David Bonnar said the new addition to Catholic education helps Saint John School continue to serve as “a beacon of light to children and families, both Catholic and non-Catholic.”
Saint John School is part of a long-standing Catholic history in Ashtabula County. Since the 1800s, the Humility of Mary Sisters played a vital role in the academic and administrative operations of the schools in Ashtabula. Sister Zoe Reiter, a graduate from Saint John’s class of 1959, was one of many Humility of Mary sisters in attendance at Saturday’s ribbon-cutting event.
The current location of Saint John, the former Saybrook Public School, opened its doors in August 2012. Sister Maureen Burke, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame, is in her 16th year as president of Saint John, where she carries out the mission of the school, ensuring financial stability, building community relationships and maintaining relationships with alumni.
Sister Maureen said she looks forward to the opportunities the new Student Center will bring to students in all grades—especially the high school students who now have their own cafeteria. “I think the expanded space will allow for more opportunities for all of our students, and also have an impact on high school students because they will have their own space,” she said.
The teachers of Saint John emphasized this as well. Jenean Kile, an elementary Spanish teacher and director of the drama department, said that the student center helps to accommodate the number of students enrolled: a total of 636 as of October 2024.
The Student Center emphasizes the importance of new technology in STEM subjects through updated biology and chemistry labs. Other additions include tutoring rooms, updated campus ministry and office space for a variety of casual peer and teacher interaction, something that Dr. Steven Jones, superintendent, emphasized as crucially important.
“Informal interactions with teachers make students far more likely to ask a question because they feel like they know their teachers,” he said.
He also mentioned that students have the power to be peer support systems for each other, and the open rooms in the Student Center serve as a safe space to build these critical relationships.
The Student Center is dedicated to the Brace and Louis and Ann Vettel family, the Richard Kovach family and the Cosmo and Ida Laurello family. The cafeteria is dedicated to the Kinicky Family. Burke said each of these families play or have played a critical role in the school’s operations, and they have all attended Saint John or have family members who have attended.
“They’ve all been strong supporters of the school,” she said.
The evening ended with tours of the Student Center, located to the left of the Vision Street hallway. Bishop Bonnar mentioned that the name of the hallway is fitting for what Saint John School embodies.
“I love that this hallway is called Vision Street,” he said. “It continues a vision of developing scholarship, deepening faith and inspiring tradition … thank God for this spirit-filled community whose yesterdays laid a strong foundation for today, and whose todays offer a vision, voice and vitality to our tomorrows.”
Learn more about Saint John School and its new Student Center.
