STUDENT LIFE
SAFETY & SECURITY
ATHLETICS
Athletics at Academy of Saint Paul provide students with opportunities to develop their skills, build confidence, and grow as individuals both on and off the field. Through participation in competitive sports, students learn the values of teamwork, discipline, perseverance, sportsmanship, and leadership while representing their school with pride.
Rooted in our Catholic mission, the athletic program encourages students to use their talents to honor God, support one another, and strive for personal excellence. Coaches foster an environment where effort, character, and respect are valued as highly as athletic achievement.
Whether competing in team sports or developing individual athletic skills, students are challenged to do their best, work together toward common goals, and demonstrate integrity in victory and defeat. Athletics are an important part of the Academy of Saint Paul experience, helping students grow in mind, body, and spirit while creating lasting memories and friendships.
CAMPUS LIFE
At Academy of Saint Paul, education goes beyond academics. Student Life provides opportunities for students to discover their God-given talents, develop leadership skills, build meaningful friendships, and grow in faith. Through athletics, theater arts, student government, service projects, clubs, and school-wide activities, students are encouraged to become active participants in a vibrant and supportive community.
Rooted in Catholic values, our programs help students learn the importance of teamwork, responsibility, creativity, and service to others. These experiences enrich daily life at the Academy of Saint Paul and foster the confidence, character, and compassion needed to succeed both in school and beyond.
Whether performing on stage, competing on the field, serving the community, or leading their peers, our students are given opportunities to learn, grow, and shine. The Student Life experience helps form well-rounded individuals who are prepared to lead with faith, integrity, and purpose.
COURTYARD GARDEN
School Opened (1953) • Open Courtyard Garden Dedicated to Monsignor Quinn (1960) • Completion of New Gymnasium & Enclosed Courtyard (2008) • Greenhouse and Planting Beds Installed (2009) • Green Ribbon Schools National School Garden of the Year Award (2013) • Alumnus Eagle Scout Reading Benches Project (2018) • Dedication of Enclosed Courtyard Garden to Dr. Gail Ritchie (2019)
Courtyard Garden & Outdoor Classroom
The Courtyard Garden & Outdoor Classroom at Academy of Saint Paul is a vibrant learning space where faith, nature, science, and community come together. What began as an open courtyard for prayer and recreation has evolved into an award-winning outdoor learning environment that supports hands-on instruction, environmental stewardship, and student well-being.
Today, the courtyard features a greenhouse, raised vegetable gardens, pollinator-friendly plantings, outdoor seating areas, reading benches, and prayer spaces that provide students with opportunities to learn beyond the walls of the classroom. Through the support of the Bergen County Utilities Authority Environmental Awareness Challenge Grant Program, generous donors, and dedicated alumni, the garden continues to grow and serve as a living laboratory for exploration and discovery.
Students regularly utilize the garden as an extension of the classroom, engaging in authentic learning experiences that connect science, technology, engineering, mathematics, language arts, social studies, religion, and the arts. Whether conducting scientific investigations, observing ecosystems, measuring plant growth, collecting data, journaling observations, or designing solutions to environmental challenges, students experience learning through inquiry, creativity, and real-world application.
The garden also serves as a space for faith formation and reflection. Students gather for prayer, stewardship activities, and discussions about caring for God's creation. Through these experiences, they develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world and their responsibility as stewards of the environment.
Beyond academic learning, the Courtyard Garden helps students cultivate important life skills such as patience, perseverance, collaboration, responsibility, and problem-solving. From planting seeds and maintaining garden beds to harvesting vegetables and supporting community outreach efforts, students learn the value of teamwork and service while witnessing the rewards of their efforts firsthand.
Harvested produce has been incorporated into classroom activities, cooking projects, and charitable initiatives, including donations to local food assistance programs. These experiences help students make meaningful connections between healthy living, sustainability, and service to others.
The Courtyard Garden & Outdoor Classroom reflects Academy of Saint Paul's commitment to educating the whole child by providing innovative learning experiences that nurture curiosity, inspire stewardship, strengthen faith, and foster a lifelong appreciation for the beauty and wonder of God's creation.
ENGINEERING PROGRAM
ASP Engineering Program
Cassandra Mitsinikos Receives State and National Future City Competition Alumni Awards
Completion of State-of-the-Art Science Lab (2005) • Inaugural LegoFirst Robotics Competition (2005) • Inaugural Toshiba ExploraVision Competition (2005) • Inaugural Future City Engineering Competition (2008) • Annual Science Fair Changed to Annual STEM Fair (2011) • Inaugural RCAN STEM ProjectEngin Program (2017) • Introduction to ASP Jr. Ironman Robotics Program at DBP (2017) • Library/Media Center Maker Space Renovation (2018) • Future City Competition State Alumna of the Year Award (2019) • Future City Competition National Alumna of the Year Award (2019) • Advanced Coding Program Added to the Technology Curriculum (2020) • Completion of STEM Lab (2022) • LegoFirst Team Grant (2024) • Content Creation, 3D CAD Design, and 3D Printers Added to the Technology Curriculum (2024) • TI-Nspire CX II Color Graphing Calculators (2026)
The Building Blocks of DiscoveryBy: Cassandra Mitsinikos, ASP Class of 2014
If you were to ask me what my favorite school subject was in eighth grade, I am sure I would have said math. Throughout my young life I had gone from the basics of addition and subtraction, multiplication, and division in elementary school to solving for x and graphing
functions in middle school. Since then and since there is always more math to learn, I have learned to solve multivariable differential equations and I still haven’t tired of learning about the numbers and symbols that I’ve come to find in the world around me.
The Academy of St. Paul fostered my love of learning, which has proven to be a strong foundation as I’ve continued my education in high school, college, and now in my work as a structural engineer. The way that I was taught made me curious; the assignments I was given inspired my creativity. Curiosity and creativity are important building blocks for succeeding in so many different fields, as they develop into the critical thinking and problem solving skills needed to analyze a literary argument, debug lines of code, or design the span of a bridge.
A major influence on my decision to study engineering was the Future City competition that my eighth grade class participated in. Over many months we virtually, hypothetically and physically designed a city set 150 years in the future. We researched what the future of solar power might look like, how maglev trains work, laid out roads to minimize traffic for future vehicles, (driver or driverless), and created scale models of these cities using recycled materials. This experience showed me how engineers are able to design a better world for humanity, whether that be through resilient buildings, sustainable energy systems, AI and robotics to enhance our lives, or life-saving medical devices.
When I graduated ASP, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted for my future career, but I know that I was excited to keep learning more. I had already started developing the critical thinking and problem solving skills that I would need in my higher education and beyond. Perhaps more importantly though, I also knew I wanted to use these skills to make the world a better place. Curiosity, creativity and compassion from my early years helped me become the confident and conscientious structural engineer that I am today.
THEATER ARTS PROGRAM
Quinn Burns as Max in the Academy of Saint Paul’s Production of Sound of Music 2017
Wizard of Oz (1995) • Willy Wonka (1997) • You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (1999) • Peter Pan (2001) • Kids Kids Kids Revue (2002) • Bye Bye Birdie (2003) • Wizard of Oz (2005) • Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2007) • Beauty and the Beast (2008) • Seussical (2009) • Godspell Jr. (2010) • Annie (2011) • Oklahoma! (2012) • The Little Mermaid (2013) • Into the Woods Jr. (2014) • Bye Bye Birdie Jr. (2015) • Wizard of Oz Jr. (2016) • Sound of Music (2017) • Beauty and the Beast (2018) • YouthSong Shakespeare in the Classroom (2018) • Lion King Jr. (2019) • Shrek Jr. (2020) • The Trials of Robinhood (2021) • Aladdin Jr. (2023) • Annie Jr. Summer Theater (2023) • Mary Poppins Jr. (2024) • Oklahoma! Jr. Summer Theater (2024) • Anything Goes Jr. (2025) • Frozen Jr. (2026) • Music Man Jr. Summer Theater (2026)
Theater Skills are Life Skills!
By Quinn Burns ASP Class of 2017
I started in musical theater at the Academy of Saint Paul and have performed in many shows during high school and college. I have made great friends in theater. I credit theater for teaching me important life skills during the process.
Of primary importance, being on stage teaches you to be comfortable in your own skin. From solos, and dance to improvisations and monologues, the audition process builds self-confidence and enhances problem solving skills, especially improvisation. Public speaking and effective communication skills are developed and well-honed in theater. Reciting lines reinforces elocution and enunciation, which often are lost as my generation relies on texting.
Equally important, theater has taught me to be flexible, both on and off the stage. Oftentimes, things on stage do not go the way you practiced them. Lines are forgotten, cues are missed, or musical numbers messed up, and it is especially important to be flexible when this happens. We learn to adapt and overcome, and so it is in theater and in life. I have also learned that some nights the audience will laugh at a line while other nights they will not, and it is important not to expect any particular reaction, but rather adapt and “go with the flow.”
Most importantly, theater has taught me to be a leader on and off the stage. You have to work with all types of students and adults during production. You must find a way to get along and work with everyone in order to move the production forward. Effectively working with a group is key for a successful musical number or an entire production. All these challenges will then strengthen your leadership skills and abilities so that the show is a success. Yes, theater has taught me life skills, and along the way I have had a great time learning them.
