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Christian Service

We are called by our faith to serve, and this calling shapes all that we do at McNicholas High School.

Students at McNicholas are immersed in a service-oriented culture and challenged to put their faith into action in our school, our city, our nation, and our world. Students find that their experiences of service through McNicholas greatly impact their sense of purpose, shape their understanding of their vocation, and form them to be people who embrace Christian service as a way of life.



Our students have the opportunity to serve in several McNicholas service and social justice-minded organizations, including the McNicholas St. Vincent de Paul Youth Conference, the Student Philanthropy Project, Hands Across Campus (HAC), and Catholic Relief Services Club.

They serve through ministries like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, and Su Casa Hispanic Ministries. They serve those in our backyard by feeding the hungry at the SEM Food Pantry and tutoring at Mt. Washington Elementary and Sands Montessori. Some have answered God's call to serve in Tennessee and New Mexico and even Peru. 

Our students practice the corporal works of mercy by welcoming the stranger at Bethany House Services and caring for the sick at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. 

They have built a culture of welcome and inclusion through May We Help, danced with elders at the SEM Haven Senior Prom, and honored those that come before us through their stewardship at local cemeteries. 

Our students serve over 15,000 hours each year, consistently answering God's call in the spirit of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:41: “ Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.”
 

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Service Opportunities

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 “As Christians, we are called to be salt and light for the earth, and at McNick we are called to strive to grow in full stature towards Christ. SVDP encourages students to do that actively in our community, which has a positive effect on the whole of our society.” 

Audrey, Class of 2024

Military History Club encourages faithful citizenship

McNicholas is proud of our active Military History Club that honors our country and our veterans in the classroom and beyond. Students have worked to restore the graves of Revolutionary War veterans, earned national recognition on the Americanism & Government Test competition, and learned from the stories of American soldiers.

Rockets join with CancerFree KIDS to fight pediatric cancer

Over 60 Rockets participated in the CancerFree KIDS Night for the Fight, raising money for pediatric cancer research and honoring families affected by cancer.  As part of the Leadership Team, juniors Addy Must and Ellie Suttles helped lead hundreds of high school students in this inspiring all-night event.

Student pours dirt into garden

McNicholas students celebrated Catholic School Week with a school-wide Day of Christ’s Love in Action. Each academic department facilitated a different service project so that students had an opportunity to touch many lives as they worked their way through their class schedules.

CREW Program takes Flight

McNicholas is excited to officially launch our Flight Program, an extension of the CREW program that was established in the fall of 2020. 

Portrait of Principal Bob Noll

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Bob Noll as the Principal of McNicholas High School. Mr. Noll officially begins his tenure at McNicholas on July 1, but he has already been hard at work learning about the McNicholas community and paving a smooth transition from Mr. Dave Mueller’s tenure to his. He describes the energy at McNicholas as “live-giving.”

Front of the Capstone Symposium invitation

Members of the Class of 2023 presented their social justice service-learning projects to a standing-room only audience during the 2023 Capstone Symposium. Using the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching as inspiration, students researched and explored ways to use their God-given brilliance to actively love God and their neighbor.

Front of the Capstone Symposium invitation

All members of the McNicholas community are invited to the Capstone Symposium on April 27 at 7 p.m. to hear members of the Class of 2023 present their Social Justice Capstone Projects. Over the past year, members of the Class of 2023 worked collaboratively to discern and implement a passion projects aimed at making a difference in the lives of others.

McNicholas celebrates and says goodbye to Sr. Judi Keehnen, CSJ

Sr. Judi Keehnen ‘59 received a special blessing from Fr. Jan Schmidt ‘72 as her ministry in Cincinnati and at McNicholas draws to a close. Sr. Judi has been a part of the fabric of McNicholas High School since she entered McNicholas as a freshman in 1955. Since her graduation in 1959, she has served her alma mater as a teacher, coach, school board member, alumni board member, archivist, and volunteer.

Senior leads city-wide CancerFree KIDS Night for the Fight event

As a member of the Executive Leadership Board for CancerFree KIDS Night for the Fight, senior Shelby Highfield is working to “knock out cancer.” Her heart and hard work as a member of the board helped CancerFree Kids to raise over $245,000 for cancer research. Seven teams of students from McNicholas participated in the event as well, contributing to that total.

McNicholas student tutors student at Sands Montessori.

More than 40 McNicholas students are skipping study hall for a good reason: They’re tutoring kids at Sands Montessori, Mt. Washington Elementary, and St. Joseph Catholic School. Through a program launched in the 2021-22 school year, our students provide reading enrichment at Sands, math and language arts support at Mt. Washington, and homework assistance at St. Joe’s.

Fr. Kevin Scalf, C.PP.S. teaches a theology course.

Since becoming school Chaplain and Theology teacher in 2021, Fr. Kevin Scalf of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood has woven himself into the fabric of McNicholas through his wit, sense of humor and ability to make anyone he meets immediately feel valued.

McNicholas freshmen laughing together

The Theology Department held their annual Heritage Week, a mini course for the freshman class highlighting the history, legacy, culture and vision of McNicholas High School. Students learned about our founders the Sisters of Saint Joseph, our namesake Archbishop John T. McNicholas, and the values and mission we continue to strive toward today.

McNicholas HAC Youth Justice Award honorees

McNicholas student organization Hands Across Campus (HAC) was honored for their compassionate leadership by the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC).  At their annual gathering, IJPC awarded the first Youth Justice Award to HAC for their work to promote justice, diversity, and inclusion at McNicholas and in the community.  

Group photo at Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center

During a six-day service immersion retreat, 12 seniors visited eastern Tennessee to serve the rural poor and build a community both among themselves and with the people in the Appalachian Mountains. This marks the 41st year that McNicholas has traveled to areas in Appalachia in conjunction with Glenmary Home Missioners, a Catholic organization dedicated to serving the poor and establishing a Catholic presence in rural areas of the United States.

McNicholas students gardening at Narrow Ridge

The McNicholas Mission & Ministry Team wants to remind and encourage students to walk with the two feet of love: charitable works and social justice. As the video "Two Feet of Love in Action" by the USCCB reminds us, “God gave us two feet. If we don’t use both, we don’t get very far.” As such, McNicholas expects students to walk with both feet during their four years as Rockets, requiring at least 40 hours of Christian service prior to graduation.

Group photo of students from Barcelona

McNicholas welcomed 5 students from Collegi Casp, a sister school in Barcelona, Spain, for a 3-week study abroad program. During their stay, Ariadna, Ana, Andrea, Biel, and Abel lived with McNicholas host families, explored Cincinnati, and experienced life as a Rocket. They participated in clubs, cheered from the Launch Pad, attended a full class schedule, and even helped in our Spanish classes.  

McNicholas student shares during Leadership McNick seminar.

McNicholas is excited to unveil Leadership McNick, its newest initiative in the development of compassionate leaders. Leadership McNick is a four-year, intentional growth experience that combines high-quality leadership training with small-group relationship building, retreat programming, vocation and career exploration, and formal and informal mentoring.

McNicholas students pack hygiene kits to send to Manna from Heaven Outreach.

Partnering with Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, members of the RLC collected and packed hygiene kits to send to Manna from Heaven Outreach, a group working to support the people of Eastern Kentucky who were devastated by the recent flooding. With a focus on Community, Curiosity, and Creativity, the RLC provides students with the opportunity to learn through community engagement.

McNicholas students work cooperatively during leadership retreat.

The Class of 2025 grew in compassionate leadership this week as they bonded together during leadership formation. This day of formation laid the groundwork for the Leadership McNick program, a joint venture between McNicholas and the Xavier University Leadership Center (XLC), that will officially kick off next school year.

McNicholas students lead Angels through CANabiliites Program

As part of the Guardian Angels School’s CANabilities Program, McNicholas hosted the eighth grade class from GA, leading them through a morning of witness, reflection, and activities fostering kindness and compassion.

McNicholas senior poses with his rescue dog.

Around McNicholas, you will often hear the phrase, “Once a Rocket, Always a Rocket.” So when one of your own is about to play on football’s biggest stage, we don’t just cheer (though we’ve been doing a lot of that!).  We act. To support 2004 McNicholas graduate Kevin Huber, senior Grant Must designed and marketed a “Rockets show their stripes” t-shirt whose proceeds benefit Huber’s FUR Foundation.

McNicholas celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a bilingual Mass

Over the past month, Hands Across Campus (HAC) has led our community in the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, a time dedicated to recognizing influential Hispanic Americans and their positive impact on society.