A Living History Lesson:Jerry Hernandez Visits U.S. History Classes Mrs. Katie Hernandez Krajcer’s U.S. History and Advanced Placement U.S. History students recently had the opportunity to experience history beyond the textbook. Jerry Hernandez, a United States Marine Corps veteran and Mrs. Krajcer’s father, visited campus to speak with students about his service in the Vietnam War. Mr. Hernandez served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 for a period of 13 months. During his time overseas, he worked as a translator and also served on patrols, giving him firsthand experience in both communication and combat operations. During his presentation, Mr. Hernandez shared insights into the geographical challenges of fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, explaining how terrain and climate impacted military strategy and daily life for soldiers. He also discussed the guerrilla warfare tactics used by the North Vietnamese Army, helping students better understand the complexity of the conflict. Beyond military strategy and logistics, Mr. Hernandez shared personal stories about serving his country. These stories brought humanity and depth to the historical events students have been studying in class. Hearing directly from a veteran who lived through this pivotal period in American history allowed students to connect classroom lessons to real-world experiences. It was a powerful reminder that history is not just dates and documents. It's the lived experiences of courageous individuals.  We are grateful to Mr. Hernandez for his service and for sharing his story with our students.

Exploring the Physics of Music in Mrs. Blackburn’s Lab In Mrs. Blackburn’s lab, science isn’t just something you read about — it’s something you build, test, and hear. As part of their latest unit on the Physics of Music, students are discovering how sound and science work together by creating their own musical instruments. Through this hands-on activity, lab students built both a pan flute and a rubber band guitar, transforming everyday materials into tools for scientific exploration. Sound in Motion The project focuses on understanding how sound is produced through vibrations. With their rubber band guitars, students observed how plucking a stretched rubber band causes it to vibrate, producing sound waves that travel through the air to our ears. By adjusting the thickness or tension of the rubber bands, they could hear how changes in physical properties affected pitch and tone. When building their pan flutes, students explored how the length of air columns impacts frequency. Using straws of varying lengths, they discovered that shorter straws produce higher frequencies (higher pitches), while longer straws create lower frequencies. Seeing (and Hearing) Science in Action Rather than simply memorizing formulas, students experienced firsthand how physics explains everyday phenomena — even something as universal as music. By connecting vibration, frequency, and pitch to instruments they built themselves, the lesson reinforced key scientific principles in a memorable and engaging way. Mrs. Blackburn’s lab continues to show that physics isn’t just equations on paper. It’s the rhythm, sound, and science all around us.

$8 MILLION IN GIFTS RECEIVED FOR INCARNATE WORD HALL Decades of dedication to our mission have allowed us to now dream bigger than ever before, and today we are so excited to announce a milestone in fundraising for Incarnate Word Hall. Through the generosity of our donors along with a $3.5 million gift from The Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, we have reached over $8 million dollars in gifts towards Incarnate Word Hall. This accomplishment has allowed us to begin the next phase including: demolition of the round building, planning for a new two-story storage facility, and to begin the preparation of a temporary chapel. While we are on track for success, we still need your support to make this dream a reality! Our total gift goal for Incarnate Word Hall is $10 million dollars and raising the remaining 20% will be a community wide effort. We are happy to share that we still have some major gift recognition levels available, but also please know that donations of any size will directly impact the success of the overall project. To view major donor list, learn more about the project, and help us reach our fundraising goal:

Alumna Spotlight: Leann Lomongo Vinson ’08 Leann Lomongo Vinson ’08 is a proud member of the Chapelle sisterhood whose faith, leadership, and heart for service continue to make a meaningful impact. Leann lives in Mandeville with her husband, Grant, and their two sons, Wells and Trace. She is currently in her 13th year in education and serves as an instructional coach in St. Tammany Parish, where she supports and guides teachers in their professional growth. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching from LSU. Throughout her career, Leann has taught: - 5th grade at Chateau Estates in Kenner - 5th and 6th grades at her alma mater, St. Philip Neri - 3rd grade at Pontchartrain Elementary School in Mandeville Beyond the classroom, Leann finds great joy in serving her community. She is the Secretary of the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics , serves on the Coach Advisory Board for Girls on the Run of South Louisiana , and acts as Recruitment Chair for the Junior League of Greater Covington . Most meaningfully, Leann and her sister founded the Mongo Forever Smiling Foundation in honor of their brother, Christopher Lomongo, who unexpectedly passed away in 2022. The nonprofit provides scholarships to deserving Christian students pursuing higher education while upholding their faith and making a positive impact in their communities—just as Christopher did throughout his life. When reflecting on her time at Chapelle, Leann simply says she thinks of family. Her sister, Christie Lomongo Jones ’98, attended Chapelle, and their legacy continued with her niece, Malaya Jones ’23. She also shared the Chapelle experience with her grammar school best friends—women she considers sisters to this day. During her years at ACHS, Leann developed strong academic discipline and deepened her faith, learning to rely fully on God. She continues to live by the Chapelle motto: “God Will Provide.” In both joyful seasons and challenging ones, she believes He always does.

What an unforgettable weekend for our Chapelle Choir Chips! Joined by 160+ students from 4 schools across the country, our singers performed at the iconic Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 20, 2026 — an experience of a lifetime! Through Manhattan Concert Productions, they had the rare opportunity to learn from and be conducted by world-renowned composers René Clausen, Andrea Ramsey, and Rosephanye Powell. But the magic didn't stop on stage. From the top of Rockefeller Center to the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral, from Times Square to Central Park, our students soaked in everything New York had to offer — including Broadway's Hadestown, famous pizza, and New York cheesecake!  The perfect ending? An impromptu performance of God Will Provide inside St. Patrick's Cathedral on their last day. Our Choir Chips came home with new skills, professional inspiration, and memories that will last a lifetime. We couldn't be prouder!

ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT: KAYLA GIARDINA ’24 Chapelle proud! Kayla Giardina ’24 delivered a performance for the record books this weekend for Southern Miss Softball — throwing a perfect game to complete a conference sweep over South Alabama! Final Score: Southern Miss 8, South Alabama 0 (6 innings) - 6 perfect innings - Just 60 pitches - 70th strikeout of the season - Improved to 17–7 on the year Giardina’s dominant outing marked: - The first perfect game at the Southern Miss Softball Complex - The fourth perfect game in program history - Part of Southern Miss’ first conference series sweep of the season - Head Coach Natalie Poole’s 100th win at Southern Miss Her determination, precision, and competitive spirit were on full display as she retired every batter she faced and led her team to victory. We are so proud to see Kayla continuing to excel at the collegiate level and representing Chapelle with excellence. The future is bright!

The Science Behind the Pop 🍿 In Mrs. Judy Homes’ Chemistry class, students recently explored a big concept using a very small (and very tasty) example: popcorn. But this wasn’t snack time...it was science in action! Why does popcorn pop? Each kernel contains a small amount of water (about 13–14% of its mass) trapped inside a tough outer shell. When heated, that water turns into steam. As the steam expands, pressure builds inside the kernel.  Because the shell is so strong, the steam can’t escape right away. The pressure keeps rising until — POP! — the kernel bursts open, and the starchy inside puffs out into the fluffy popcorn we recognize. The chemistry behind it all: This simple snack connects directly to core chemistry concepts: - Phase change: Liquid water turns into steam when heated. - Percent composition: Students calculate how much of the kernel’s mass is water. - Conservation of mass: The mass lost after popping equals the water that evaporated. - Gas laws: Expanding steam creates the pressure that causes the pop. Students measured kernels before and after heating to determine how much water was present — applying stoichiometry in a hands-on, real-world way. Why the water percentage matters: The sweet spot for popcorn is right around 13–14% water. - Too little moisture? Not enough pressure to pop. - Too much? The popcorn turns out chewy instead of light and fluffy. That tiny percentage makes all the difference. In Mrs. Homes’ classroom, chemistry isn’t just something students read about. It’s something they can see, measure, calculate… and occasionally smell like movie night.