09/02/2026
SJI NOVA braved the darkness of an area power outage yesterday and pressed on to enjoy a productive and enriching orientation day! Fr. Donelan, pastor of St. Philip’s, opened our day in prayer, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist visited from the nearby convent to greet our students with St. Francis prayer cards in honor of this Jubilee Year of St. Francis. Headmaster Schuler introduced students to the vision of our liberal arts education. Dr. Andrew Shivone offered a glimpse of the Socratic method, asking students what makes a friend, what is required for good friendship, and emphasizing that we are here to make such friendship manifest. Headmaster Schuler then led students in their first seminar, studying the poem “Ozymandias.” A few seminars later, seniors from the DC campus visited to provide fellowship and guidance to our incoming class. They spoke of having courage, receiving this education as a gift, and growing in humility within the seminars. Finally, the DC campus seniors joined our NOVA students in the Punic Wars game, concluding the day with a striking Roman victory over Sicily!
It was a good beginning.
We are incredibly grateful for all who came together to make our inaugural orientation a success: for the resilience of our team and incoming students, who remained unfazed even in the shadows of low light; for the spiritual leadership and support of Fr. Donelan and the Franciscan Sisters; for the eagerness of our DC campus friends to share their time and wisdom; and to all our NOVA families, for raising such wonderful young men and women to serve as our first class.
