St. John Paul II School Southern Pines, NC

A Message from the Principal

Welcome to Saint John Paul II Catholic School!

We are delighted to welcome you into a community united by a shared commitment to the values and philosophy of Catholic education. At Saint John Paul II Catholic School, our faculty, staff, and administration are dedicated to partnering with families to foster academic excellence, spiritual growth, and the development of each child in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

We believe every child is a unique gift from God and will flourish through a nurturing environment that provides love, guidance, and age-appropriate academic rigor. Together, we strive to help our students grow in faith, knowledge, character, and service.

We are also proud to share that Saint John Paul II Catholic School is fully accredited by Cognia and is the first, and currently the only, Newman Guide Recommended Catholic School in North Carolina. These distinctions reflect our unwavering commitment to providing an authentically Catholic education of the highest quality.

We welcome your family into our school community and look forward to working alongside you under God's guidance. May Christ be our Light as we strengthen this partnership and seek His blessings throughout the school year. We pray that God will continue the good work He has begun in each of us and bring it to completion for His glory.

Christ Be Our Light,

Marian V. Kajfez Principal

Mission

St. John Paul II Catholic School, named in March 2025, as a Regional School of the Diocese of Raleigh, supported by both St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, serving students in Pre-K through Grade 8, is dedicated to preparing the hearts and minds of our students for spiritual growth, academic excellence, personal responsibility, and service to others according to the teaching of the Roman Catholic faith.

Mrs. Marian Kajfez

Principal

mKajfez@jp2catholicschool.org

Mission

St. John Paul II Catholic School, a mission of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, is dedicated to preparing the hearts and minds of our students for spiritual growth, academic excellence, personal responsibility, and service to others according to the teaching of the Roman Catholic faith.

Faith

Saint John Paul II Catholic School is a traditional Catholic school faithful to the teaching magisterium of the Church. We provide a quality education instilling moral and intellectual virtues in a safe, nurturing environment for students in preschool through eighth grade.

We foster the development of the whole child and provide an education integrating academic instruction in the message of Jesus, Catholic doctrine, values, moral standards, and attitudes. On this foundation, students will build the moral, spiritual, and intellectual character necessary to meet the challenges and opportunities they will face in a complex world.

Academics

Our academics are rigorous and challenging. SJPII follows the curriculum of the Diocese of Raleigh Catholic Schools Office, which incorporates both the National Standards and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The staff works hard to get to know each child well and, subsequently, provide a quality learning experience tailored to each child’s needs. We participate in the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and class scores indicate that our students score above the national average in all subjects. All students participate in music, art, Spanish, physical education, and health. Our middle school students may take up to two high school-level mathematics courses.

Extracurricular

Saint John Paul II Catholic School believes in encouraging students to participate in activities beyond the school day. Doing so, allows children to interact with their peers and adults outside of their classroom environment, pursue interests, and develop new skills. We offer a wide range of activities for all ages. The athletic program offers running club, for grades K and up, middle school golf, soccer, cross country, basketball, girls volleyball, and boys baseball. Some of our clubs include: Lego Robotics, Jr. (Grades 1-3) Lego Robotics, (Grades 4-8), drama, Girls Who Code, MathCounts, Homework Club, ukulele, and others.