Pope John 23rd School

📚🎭 This year, our 3rd graders brought stories to life through Reader’s Theater performances for our younger students! From building reading fluency and confidence to sharing their talents with others, these young performers made reading fun and memorable for the entire school community. A favorite memory from a wonderful year of learning, growing, and leading! 💙💛 💙💛

🇺🇸 Happy Flag Day! At Pope John XXIII School, we are proud to honor a longstanding tradition of student leadership through our daily flag-raising and flag-lowering duties. Each year, students in 8th grade take on the responsibility of serving as flag bearers, demonstrating respect, discipline, and reverence for our nation’s flag. This tradition not only helps our students learn about patriotism and civic responsibility, but also fosters leadership and teamwork as they ensure the flag is properly and respectfully displayed each day. We are grateful for all of the students who have served in this important role throughout the year. 💙💛

📚☀️ Summer Reading Reminder! As we head into summer, we encourage all of our students to keep reading throughout the break! Reading just a little each day helps students stay sharp, build vocabulary, and continue developing a lifelong love of learning.
This year, our students also benefited from our Book Buddies program, where parishioners met with students each week to practice reading skills, build confidence, and share the joy of books together. We look forward to seeing our Panthers return in the fall ready to share all the great books they enjoyed over the summer! 💙💛

🎉💙 Preschool End-of-Year Celebration 💛🎉 What a joyful way to close out another wonderful year in our preschool program! We celebrated all of our preschoolers and the incredible growth they’ve made, learning routines, building friendships, exploring early literacy and math skills, and discovering the world through play, creativity, music, Spanish, and movement. Thank you to our amazing preschool families and teachers for making this such a warm, nurturing, and joyful beginning to school life.

🎓 Congratulations to our Kindergarten Class! We celebrated a very special milestone as our kindergarteners graduate and prepare for their next adventure in first grade! At this important developmental age, students benefit from individualized attention, strong relationships with their teacher, and opportunities to grow in confidence both academically and socially. Here at PJ23 every child is known, supported, and encouraged to learn at their own pace while building the skills they need for future success. Congratulations, Kindergarten! 💙💛

🌹✨ June 9 | Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Grace
In the month of May, our preschool students took part in their own tradition of the Crowning of Mary. 🌸👑 These beautiful moments help our youngest Panthers grow in their understanding of devotion and community as they honor Mary throughout the school.

🏐💙 Faculty vs. 8th Grade Volleyball Tradition 💛🏐 One of our favorite end-of-year traditions at Pope John XXIII School is the friendly volleyball match between our faculty and 8th grade students! Students and teachers came together for a fun final celebration before graduation. Congrats to our students who came out victorious this year!

📣 PJ23 families are invited to help represent our school at Evanston’s Juneteenth Walk and Celebration on Friday, June 19, 2026!

Join us as we honor Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and celebrates freedom, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of equality. We hope to see many of our Panther families walking together in this meaningful community event as we celebrate learning, unity, and hope.

Thank you to our Opal Supporters Pope John 23rd School for your sponsorship!

Opal’s Walk For Freedom, is an Emmy award-winning live-streaming TV special and community event that has garnered national and global recognition.

Opals Walk for Freedom is a TV broadcast production that commemorates significant historical events. In 2026, the event will honor both the 161st anniversary of Juneteenth and America’s 250th birthday, both in person and virtually.

As Illinois' host city, Evanston will represent the entire state. Participants will walk 2.5 miles along our beautiful lakefront to symbolize the two-and-a-half years between the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the moment freedom was finally enforced in Texas on June 19th, 1865. The walk is a powerful reminder that freedom in America has often arrived unevenly — and that justice requires collective action to move it forward.

Grand Marshal Announcement 📣 We are proud to name Mrs. Dione Sims, President and Founder of Unity Unlimited and the "Granddaughter of Juneteenth," as Grand Marshal of Opal's Walk for Freedom in Evanston.

Register to walk with the granddaughter of Juneteenth here: https://raceroster.com/events/2026/114555/opals-walk-for-freedom-evanston

Full registration, route, press release, volunteering, and sponsorship details: https://www.kemonehendricks.com/juneteenth-celebrations

Opal Lee Barbie Giveaway:
In a nod to Dr. Opal Lee’s recognition as part of Mattel’s Inspiring Women Barbie collection, three registered walking groups will be selected to receive an Opal Lee Barbie doll. Winners will be announced during the after-celebration.

🎨 Colors of Juneteenth Coloring Contest: Color the poster in The Colors of Juneteenthbook, photograph it, and email to [email protected] with subject line "Colors of Juneteenth" by June 18th. Two winners announced at the celebration! Get your copy at a.co/d/009nuXnj

All Are Welcome to a Youthful, Inclusive Juneteenth Dawes Park, Arrington Lagoon
City of Evanston
12-4 PM

Local Multi-Cultural Artisans, Face painting, Games, Music, and More! Hecky's BBQ, Claire's Jamaican Korner, C&W Ice Cream Truck, Fire House Grill, 4 Suns Fresh Juice, Taste of Aliya Catering

DJ Corey Bless 12:00 PM / All Day

Opening Ceremony & Welcome 12:20 PM

GreenTTea & The Tempos 1:00 PM

Black Pearl Dance Ensemble 2:15 PM

NAJWA Dance Corps 2:30 PM

Black Pearl Majorette Team 3:15 PM

☀️🎉 Field Day Fun at Pope John XXIII! What a fantastic way to wrap up the school year! Our students enjoyed an exciting Field Day filled with laughter, teamwork, and friendly competition. Activities included water balloon tosses, relay races, capture the flag, and so much more, ending the year on a high note! 🏃‍♀️💦🏃‍♂️ We wish all of our Panthers a joyful first weekend of break filled with rest, fun, and time with family and friends. 💙💛