Dear Students, Staff, Parents, Alumni, and Friends of JMC,
Choicest greetings from the Heights!
With profound gratitude to God and a deep sense of joy for what we, as a college community, have been able to accomplish together in the education and formation of our Phoenixes, it gives me great joy to announce in this month’s newsletter edition the closure of the 2024/2025 school year. 
You would agree with me that the 12th year of the college has been a great one; hence, one for which we must be grateful, especially to God, from whose fullness we have received countless blessings and graces. To God be glory and praise forevermore!
Being the last month of the term and school year, July witnessed an array of activities at the Heights chief of which is the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2025. While being an event of tremendous joy and fulfilment for the graduates, the graduation ceremony was a source of great inspiration for the rest of the Phoenixes as it gave them a peek into the beautiful climax of their JMC voyage. Notably, the graduation Mass and ceremony brought together families, friends, alumni and associates of the college in great numbers, highlighting the positive impact of the College locally, nationally and internationally. Reminiscing about the events of July 6, especially the prayerful and beautiful graduation Mass, I am filled with profound gratitude to Most Reverend Gerald Mamman Musa, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Katsina, who presided over the Mass and preached a very insightful homily. I am equally grateful to Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, Chairman, Silverbird Group, for an inspiring Keynote address, beautifully delivered by Dr. Tonte Joseph Davies, the Acting Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority. Special gratitude to the Class of 2025, on whose account the college buzzed with great excitement on graduation day. I congratulate you, dear graduates and charge you to reach far beyond a comfortable life and embrace a life of purpose and meaning in your life’s onward journey.
The weeks following the graduation day were of great calm at the Cradle of Hope Reborn, as the Phoenixes finalized preparations and took their End of Term exams, giving account of their learning this term and across the school year. I applaud their studiousness and hard work, which affirms their commitment to excellent scholarly pursuit. Meanwhile, in keeping with the vision of the college of forming men and women of compassion, Phoenixes of the Class of 2027, who will be undertaking the Service Project Program this holiday, were missioned during the Votive Mass of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the patron saint of the college, whose feast day comes up on the 31st. I commend the readiness of the Phoenixes to serve their brothers and sisters on the margins of society in the days and weeks ahead, and applaud the unwavering support and generous contributions of their parents toward the actualization of this very important program of the college.
Adding to the success story of the college this school year is the qualification of two Phoenixes of the Class of 2026 for the second stage of the 2025 InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition. I congratulate Chidiebube Emmanuel Akalonu and Naetochukwu Godwin Ochi, for this remarkable feat, wishing them the very best at this stage of the competition. Meanwhile, in recognition and celebration of their talents and accomplishments, I am pleased to designate Chidiebube and Naetochukwu our “Phoenixes of the Month,” applauding their commitment to the pursuit of excellence in character and learning.
Moreover, I congratulate and applaud the twenty-three Phoenixes who participated in the Grand Final of the 2025 International STEM Olympiad, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, from the fifth to the ninth. The impressive performance of these Phoenixes in the various categories of the competition is a testament to the incredible job done by our team of amazing and brilliant staff, to whom we are all indebted. Thank you, noble colleagues for going beyond excellence and striving for the magis. Special thanks to Mrs. Obiageli Azogu and Mr. Michael Ikpodon, S.J., for providing the much-needed accompaniment to our excellent Phoenixes for the duration of the competition. Another testament to the devotion to excellence of the members of staff of the college is the impressive result of our Class of 2028 Phoenixes in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), whom I congratulate for upholding our tradition of excellence in the said exam.
Having returned home to you for a well-deserved vacation, I am grateful to God for the safe arrival of your children, our dear Phoenixes, and their reunification with you and all those who mean the world to them. May their holiday be graced as they forge lasting bonds with you in the weeks and month ahead. Now, while it is true that the holiday is a time for relaxation and rejuvenation, it is crucial that the Phoenix engage in programs to acquire new skills and hone existing ones. Thus, I strongly appeal to you to ensure that our excellent Phoenixes do not spend their entire holiday glued to the screens of their electronic gadgets, which is detrimental to their development.
Finally, in anticipation of the 2025/2026 school year, permit me to ask that you, dear parents, to please study the calendar of the respective terms already published and make necessary plans to obtain documents that would require the physical presence of your children as there shall be no exeat granted for such purposes once the school year begins, for as the saying goes, to be forewarned, is to be forearmed. By the way, it is important to note that to register our Phoenixes for the certificate examination of both junior and senior schools, they must be in possession of the National Identification Number (NIN). On a related note, registration and sitting for the numerous foreign examinations taken by our Phoenixes requires possessing a Nigerian Passport. The said exams include: DELF, IGCSE, SAT, PSAT, University of Debrecen and Aachen University admission exam. Thus, it is imperative that you process these documents for your children during this holiday season, and not wait until they are back at the Heights.
I wish one and all a happy holiday. May this vacation afford you and yours the opportunity to share your beautiful and wonderful lives together for the good of society, our nation and the world. What is more, may each one of us, following in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, live a life with greater purpose, oriented toward God and open to serving others.
With profound gratitude,
Alexander E. Irechukwu, S.J.