There are plenty of teachers who have children that attend the school that they work in, but it’s not often that you see a dynamic duo quite like Jessie Blaine and her mom. When this family made the switch to Dominic at the start of this crazy year, they were determined to make a difference in the St. Dominic community, and they did just that.

Although meeting transfer students can seem new to many of our own crusaders who have always attended Dominic, the Blaine’s are totally accustomed to meeting new faces and making friends. Moving from school to school can be difficult for a lot of people, but Jessie Blaine has got it down to a science after moving from Iowa to Virginia to California just within her high school career!

“The best advice I can give to transfer students: get involved. I’m an athlete and sports have always been my gateway to an easier transition between schools. For others it may be theater, music, peer ministering or any other organization at school. This will make finding friends with your priorities and interests much easier,” Jessie said.

Clearly sports are a crucial part to Jessie’s success, but mainly because she’s a natural athlete! Jessie has dominated on both the softball and basketball teams at Dominic, but her success on the basketball team truly highlighted her athleticism. On top of bringing home the district championship, Jessie led the team in almost every stat possible with 527 points in the season, averaging just under 20 per game, all while shooting 58% from the field. At the same time, she averaged 11.4 rebounds per game with a total of 57 total steals on the season, proving that she could get it done at both ends. However, she said that she experienced one of her favorite high school basketball memories when she wasn’t sporting the Crusader uniform.

“My favorite basketball memories before St. Dominic came from the postseason run of my Junior year at San Clemente High School. Our team was dominant and had amazing chemistry. This year, my favorite memory was beating Howell Central in overtime after sophomore Anna Burcham hit a three to tie the game with seconds left on the clock in the third,” Blaine said.

But at the root of all her success is a strong, supportive mom. Mrs. Blaine has made all of the switches right alongside Jessie, so she can relate to a lot of her problems. Jessie always has lots of praise for her mom, and she feels like there are benefits to having her work in the same school.

“It’s nice to have my mom at school. We have a great relationship and we can carpool! She has always supported me in both athletics and academics. Moving us from California to Missouri and taking on St. Dominic is just one of many examples,” Jessie said.

Yet, to say that Mrs. Blaine has simply supported her daughter in athletics is putting it into the simplest of terms. Ever since she was little, Mrs. Blaine has been introducing Jessie to all of the sports that she found a passion in, and Mrs. Blaine couldn’t be more proud to see her daughter succeeding in something she loves.

“When she was about five I let her stay up late with me to watch the NCAA finals.  We love March Madness.  She was extremely interested in the players and how hard they competed at a really young age,” Mrs. Blaine said.

This early exposure to being competitive helped fuel Blaine for her future sports activities and, in this situation, the apple really didn’t fall far from the tree. Mrs. Blaine is always competing, and some may say she’s just as competitive as her daughter.

“When I’m not in school, I am most certainly playing or practicing something. Sports really are my hobby in the gym, at the softball field, in the batting cage, at a volleyball tournament, or trying to beat someone in a board game,” Mrs. Blaine said.

For the Blaines, it’s easier to adapt to whatever environment they go to, but it’s not often they can feel as comfortable as they do at St. Dominic. Both Jessie and Mrs. Blaine have grown to love the community as a whole, and they have plenty of good things to say about our Crusader family.

“The students and staff here at St. Dominic are absolutely amazing.  I have been welcomed and supported since day one.  For me, it’s always about the people I get to spend my time with,” Mrs. Blaine said.

Clearly the Blaines have made a pretty big splash in the St. Dominic community, and they’re both hoping to finish the year out the way they started. For Jessie, she’ll be hoping to graduate as a Crusader while her mom completes her first full year teaching at Dominic.