St. John Neumann donor makes historic gift
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t. John Neumann Church and School in Farragut have received a historic gift to build a middle school expansion, which will include state-of-the-art educational spaces and resources for current students and accommodate the school’s growing student population. Additionally, the new expansion will provide space for parish youth and adult ministries to use. The donor, Lydia Melli, has always been passionate about the lasting impact education can make on one’s life, as it did for her, according to a St. John Neumann statement. In 2022, Mrs. Melli initiated a conversation with SJN School leadership staff about how she could support students and teachers. This led to an endowment she established to provide student tuition assistance as well as resources for teachers’ salaries and professional development. In recognition of this endowment, the
school leadership suite was named in honor of Mrs. Melli’s husband, Claude, who passed away in 2021. “Lydia’s previous contributions to our parish and school will make a lifelong impact on our students, teachers, and parishioners. This new gift from Lydia is truly aweinspiring,” said St. John Neumann pastor Father Joe Reed. “Lydia and Claude have established a remarkable legacy of sacrificial giving, service to others, and a commitment to the mission of our school and parish. I can’t overstate our gratitude for the Mellis’ generosity and the countless blessings this middle school expansion will bestow on generations of St. John Neumann students and parishioners.” The 6,000-square-foot academic expansion will entail the creation of innovative learning spaces that accommodate evolving education needs. It will include a state-of-the-
COURTESY OF STEPHANIE GREINER
Lydia Melli’s generosity will allow for a middle school expansion with state-of-the-art technology By Dan McWilliams
Lydia Melli and Father Joe Reed
Gift continued on page B2
KCHS girls basketball team wins 2nd straight title State tournament MVP Sydney Mains leads Lady Irish to 53-39 victory over rival Webb
By Dan McWilliams
DAN MCWILLIAMS
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Two in a row The Knoxville Catholic High School girls basketball team holds the gold-ball trophy after the Lady Irish won their second consecutive Division II, Class AA state championship.
hen leading scorer and Miss Basketball finalist Sydney Mains picked up her fourth foul and exited the game in the third quarter of the state-championship contest March 2, the rest of the Knoxville Catholic High School girls basketball team didn’t let that faze them. The Lady Irish led rival Knoxville Webb 33-27 when Sydney left the contest at the 4:51 mark of the period. Knoxville Catholic’s remaining players maintained the lead until the end of the quarter, going up 36-29 heading into the final frame. Sydney returned at the start of the fourth quarter and scored a team-high eight points in the period to lead the Lady Irish to a 53-39 win and their second straight Division II, Class AA state title at the Hooper Eblen Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. For the second year in a row, Sydney was named the state tournament’s most valuable player. She was joined on the all-tournament team by KCHS’s Amaya Redd and Tinsley Walker. Amaya led the Lady Irish (27-5) in scoring against Webb with 17 points as Knoxville Catholic finished the season on an 11-game winning streak. Sydney finished with 16 points. Tinsley Lady Irish continued on page B2
Lady Irish seniors have parent coaches to thank
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aroline Krueger and Sydney Mains, the only seniors on a Knoxville Catholic High School girls basketball team that won its second consecutive state championship this month, have their parents to thank for their success. The gratitude goes beyond the normal parental duties of love, support, discipline, character-building, common-sense tutelage, food, shelter, transportation, and maybe dating advice. The two girls, who led the Lady Irish to three appearances in the Division II Class-AA state-championship game in four years and placement in the state tournament in each of their four years at KCHS, were coached in basketball by their parents, who apparently got game, too. Sydney’s father, Travis Mains, is the head coach for the Lady Irish, and her mother, Missey, is an assistant coach for the team. Caroline’s mother, Mollie Krue-
ger, was Caroline’s middle school basketball coach at St. Joseph School in Knoxville for four years. And her father, Jim Krueger, coached Caroline during her early, formative years in youth league. That is a lot of parental involvement. And has it paid off? You bet it has. Caroline has received a four-year scholarship to play basketball at Milligan University near Johnson City. And Sydney, who was the Division II, Class AA tournament most valuable player in 2023 and 2024, will be playing next year when she joins Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., on scholarship. Sydney also is a Miss Basketball finalist. The Mains family relocated from Johnson City just prior to the 202021 season when the Mainses accepted coaching positions at KCHS. Their daughter was entering KCHS as a freshman. But the basketball lessons started
BILL BREWER
Caroline Krueger and Sydney Mains’ parents have coached their daughters for years By Bill Brewer and Dan McWilliams
Family moment The Mains and Krueger families stand with the gold-ball trophy following KCHS’s second straight state championship. From left are London, Missey, Sydney, and Travis Mains, and Caroline, Mollie, and Jim Krueger. long before that. “I was Sydney’s first coach in the Johnson City recreation league. She was 5 years old when that started.
I think she played rec league for three years, kindergarten through second grade. We were the Little Seniors continued on page B3