Thursday, on the solemnity of the school’s patron saint, St. John Paul II Elementary hosted a celebration of the past, present, and future of Catholic education in Mitchell.

The morning began with Mass, presided by Fr. Yamato Icochea, Superintendent. In his homily, he mentioned, “When John Paul II was elected in 1978, there were groups—countries, even—against the Catholic church. In his first Mass, in his homily, he famously said, ‘Do not be afraid.’”

Fr. Yamato called upon the school to follow that same call, pointing out that, just as St. John Paul II, as pope, continued the lineage of St. Peter, the first pope, the school’s students are called to continue the heritage of the faith in the Mitchell community.

“St. John Paul II’s mission and St. Peter’s mission and our mission are the same: We are called to lead many, in the name of Jesus, to His Church. Don’t forget that, little brothers and sisters—you are called to lead many to Jesus,” he said, encouraging students to fulfill that mission.

Following Mass, at a pep rally of sorts, Fr. Yamato announced a new mascot for the school, the St. John Paul II Defenders. As he revealed the school’s first mascot, he explained its design: “We are the Defenders, because we defend the faith,” he said. “This is why education is so important. From science to math, from literature to history, everything helps us to defend the faith, because faith and reason go hand-in-hand.”

A Swiss Guard was chosen as the mascot, he said, because Swiss Guards serve as guards to the pope. The mascot uses red and blue, the school colors that were previously selected in homage to the Mitchell Catholic parishes—Holy Family is represented by the blue, while the red stands for Holy Spirit.

The mascot’s shield bears a cross, the symbol of Christianity. “It’s on the shield because Psalm 28:7 states that ‘the Lord is my strength and my shield,’” Fr. Yamato said.

Behind the cross are the rays of a star, incorporating the design from the St. John Paul II logo, which was unveiled in 2024.

“The star helps us to remember Mary, who remained by the cross of Jesus until the very end,” Fr. Yamato explained. “She is called the Morning Star because she is there before the dawn, right before the sun rises, just like she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus.”

Nicole Fuhrer, Gift Planning Officer for the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota’s Mitchell region, said the incorporation of the star in the design of the logo and the Defender’s shield also honors Mitchell’s rich heritage of Catholic education, as Notre Dame High School’s name was French for “Our Lady,” another name by which Catholics call Mary.

“For 140 years, Catholic education has played an integral role in the religious formation and academic and personal development of our students,” she shared.

Below the Defender is an inscription of a new school motto—“Nolite timere,” Latin for the line both Jesus and St. John Paul used often: “do not be afraid.”

Fr. Yamato pointed out that the staff of the school had given hints toward the mascot reveal throughout the year, including with the unveiling of the school’s Defenders of Virtue program, daily Defender Assemblies, Defender Shoutouts to recognize virtuous actions by students, and the naming of the school’s former Technology Room as the Defenders’ Den.

During the presentation, Fuhrer also announced the development of a new interactive display installed at Holy Family, on the site where Notre Dame High School once stood. The large touchscreen features a digital catalog of memorabilia from the Notre Dame era of Catholic education, which also can be accessed at bit.ly/4z8BHnY. The display called the Rocket Board will eventually feature historical information and current events for the school and parishes, as well as for the Mitchell Catholic Foundation, which facilitated this gift. 

The celebration also included a fifth grade recitation of St. John Paul II’s personal call to believers to respond with courage, faith and openness to Christ’s mission. The fifth and sixth grade band performed Open My Eyes. Music teacher Enock Abrokwah then introduced the crowd to the school’s new choir, who performed a revised version of the school song, John Paul II, We Love You. The song was originally written by a former music teacher around the time the school was built and Pope John Paul II was still alive. The school name was updated in recent years from John Paul II to Saint John Paul II. Fr. Yamato edited the lyrics to make the song a prayer for the intercession of the now canonized saint, St. John Paul II.