JPII Alumni Page

Hey alums with little future Knights, come on over to campus tomorrow morning for the Easter Egg Hunt!

https://share.google/FAezyYPlMuH4bVO9J
May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in eternal peace.

Obituary for Charles Joel Vaughn at Crawford Funeral Home Charles Joel Vaughn Joel was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 12, 1951. He passed away of natural causes on February 28, 2026, in Wayne, New Jersey. Joel grew up in Little Rock, where he went to Catholic High School for Boys. He went on to graduate from Rhodes

Big moves made by two alumknight athletes! Congratulations, best wishes, and prayers for much success and continued blessings! Your JPII community is cheering you on!

Once a Knight, always a Knight...and in some cases, right back in the classroom! 👨‍🏫 👩‍🏫 Earlier this fall we started this series about our 2025-26 faculty & staff who are also alumni! Meet this week's alumKnight, as we officially wrap up this miniseries!

Thomas Koen '11 returned to his alma mater in 2021 as a Theology teacher. 📚✝ Thomas is currently teaching 11th grade Theology and a Humanities Research Elective. During his time as a student at JPII, Thomas participated in Teen Read Advisory, Science Olympiad, School Council, and National Art Honor Society. His senior year, he was voted "Most Unique"...likely due to his long standing penchant for his creative use of DuckTape. After graduating JPII he traveled west to Hendrix College, where he earned a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies before pursuing graduate degrees in Theology and Education from Villanova and Vanderbilt, respectively.

Outside of the classroom, you can often see Thomas either engaging in deep conversations in the halls or wandering around reading a book, interspersed with supporting his students' passions and having fun. 🎉For example, he stayed up all night with the Class of 2025 at their Project Graduation celebration at Pickleball Kingdom...though it is unclear whether or not he ever actually picked up a paddle himself.

It’s that time of year again - time for the Tate Family Coat Drive! We are collecting new and slightly used clean coats, hats, and gloves this Wednesday and Thursday. Please drop to JPII front office. ALSO - this week’s varsity football game is on Thursday, October 30th! Come out to cheer our Knights on to victory AND say hello to alumnus Golden Tate!

AlumKnights, mark your calendar and purchase your tickets for this year’s gala - Celebration 2025 - “A Knight Under the Stars”. You won’t want to miss this special event complete with an upscale dinner, bar service, casino and arcade gaming, a live and silent auction and plan to dance, dance, dance the night away! You can purchase tickets here: https://fly.causepilot.com/popeprep/celebration2025
Questions? Contact Director of Advancement, Michelle Barber at [email protected].

IT'S GAME DAY! 🎉 Join us TONIGHT as your Knights compete for the Bishop's Cup against rivals Father Ryan! 🏈 Hopefully all alumKnights received Wednesday's email from Andrea Stilwell with ALL the details, and here are the reminders for alumni:

🏈 Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m., but festivities will begin much earlier!

🏈 Alumni Tailgate Tent - (thanks to Veronica (Vicente) Ford ‘08!) is proud to sponsor this week’s alumKnight tailgate tent! Starting at 5:30, we encourage you to stop by our tent near the main gate to enjoy snacks/beverages from Birdie Bros ahead of the game, pick up JPII Alumni swag, and visit with our staff & fellow alumKnights. As an FYI, Tailgate Row opens at 4:30 p.m. and is located in the upper top two rows of the main parking lot.

🎟 Game Tickets - All fans ages 7 and older will need to purchase a ticket through GoFan. Please note that no cash will be accepted at the gate. You can also scan a QR code at the entrance to purchase electronically.

The forecast looks PERFECT tonight, so come cheer on your Knights against the Irish! 🏆

We’re SO excited for this week's Bishop's Cup and the home football game against rivals Father Ryan THIS Friday, 9/26! 🏈 Hopefully all alumKnights received today's email from Andrea Stilwell with ALL the details, but here are the basics for alumni:

🏈 Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m., but festivities will begin much earlier!

🏈 Alumni Tailgate Tent - (thanks to Veronica (Vicente) Ford ‘08!) is proud to sponsor this week’s alumKnight tailgate tent! Starting at 5:30, we encourage you to stop by our tent near the main gate to enjoy snacks/beverages from Birdie Bros ahead of the game, pick up JPII Alumni swag, and visit with our staff & fellow alumKnights. As an FYI, Tailgate Row opens at 4:30 p.m. and is located in the upper top two rows of the main parking lot.

🎟 Game Tickets - All fans ages 7 and older will need to purchase a ticket through GoFan. Please note that no cash will be accepted at the gate. You can also scan a QR code at the entrance to purchase electronically.

The forecast looks GREAT for Friday night, so come cheer on your Knights against the Irish! 🏆

SAVE THE DATES, alumKnights! We have some REALLY SPECIAL events planned for 2025 Homecoming week...and we're thrilled to welcome back former heads of school Hans Broekman, Faustin Weber, and Karen Phillips for an event on 10/23! 🎊🎉

Hopefully you received an email this week from JPII's Andrea Stilwell with this same info to hold these dates, and watch for email invites (and more full details!) starting next week! 📧Hope you see you there!

Once a Knight, always a Knight...and in some cases, right back in the classroom! 👨‍🏫 👩‍🏫 A few weeks ago we started this series about our 2025-26 faculty & staff who are also alumni! Meet this week's alumKnight, and we'll continue to highlight other staff member alumni in the Wednesdays ahead!

Emily (Mills) Clavin '09 returned to her alma mater in 2018 and has fulfilled a variety of roles during her tenure. Emily is currently the Community Development Manager at JPII, and teaches one section of 8th grade theology. She coaches the middle school girls' lacrosse team and manages the Summer Camps program for JPII. During her time as a student at JPII, Emily was a four-year member of the lacrosse team. 🥍 She was involved with theater and yearbook during her time at JPII, in addition to helping with campus ministry. In her senior yearbook, Emily's future plans included "living in New Zealand with four dogs." 🐶 While she does have a dog currently, we're blessed she's local and working at JPII (instead of oceans away!). In addition to her fur baby Tully (pics 5-6), she and husband Kevin Clavin '11 are the proud parents of three-year-old Jack (pic 7). She attended Centre College, where she earned a Bachelor's in Religious Studies, and Bellarmine University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Teaching. 📚

We’re SO excited for our first home football game TONIGHT (Friday, 9/5)! 🏈 Hopefully all alumKnights received yesterday's email from Andrea Stilwell with ALL the details, and weather-permitting, here are the basics for alumni:

🏈 Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m., but festivities will begin much earlier!

🏈 Alumni Tailgate Tent - Michael Twilbeck ‘08 ( ) is proud to sponsor this week’s alumKnight tailgate tent! Starting at 5:30, we encourage you to stop by our tent near the main gate to pick up JPII Alumni swag and a snack/beverage ahead of the game, while visiting with our staff, fellow alumKnights, and current families. As an FYI, Tailgate Row opens at 4:30 p.m. and will be located in the upper top two rows of the main parking lot.

🎟 Game Tickets - All fans ages 7 and older will need to purchase a ticket through GoFan. Please note that no cash will be accepted at the gate. You can also scan a QR code at the entrance to purchase electronically.

Prayers that the weather cooperates for us to have a wonderful night of fellowship at tonight's game! 🙏🚫🌩