Ice Ice Baby!
This week, our Camp STJ campers beat the summer heat with a local favorite, Nancy’s Italian Ice. We’ve had such a blast enjoying the laid-back fun, games, and educational programming at Camp STJ.
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MANE -Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrian
by: Kate McDevitt, junior
Since my freshman year I have volunteered at a place called MANE (Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrian). MANE is a place where therapeutic horseback lessons are given to riders who might have a disability. I discovered MANE in eighth grade when I shadowed an equine veterinarian who recommended I volunteer there. Now I volunteer once a week during the school year and at their camp during the summer. At MANE, I assist riders and make sure they are safe while they ride a horse. Depending on the class I volunteer with, there are different lesson plans. Some of them involve a scenery walk. However other lessons have the rider follow instructions given to them. On the scenery walks the rider usually goes to a station that has a game. Some of the games include horseshoes, darts, and throwing items into a certain cut out shape on a wall. All of these games are played while the rider is on the horse. Usually a rider is competing against another rider to see who can win the most games. There is no prize for winning except bragging rights. The scenery rides usually occur on sunny days, but on overcast days riders are given tasks or obstacles to complete in a covered arena. An example of an instruction given to a rider is to weave between poles and then turn right and stop. In these types of lessons I am responsible to see that the rider is holding onto their reins, their weight is equally distributed on the saddle, and their feet are in the stirrups. Although most of the time I do work a class, sometimes I am instructed to complete barn chores. This happens if a class does not show up, or if there are more than enough volunteers to help with riders. Some of the barn chores include mucking stalls, sweeping, cleaning water buckets, and cleaning tack. Although the barn chores might not seem very pleasant to some people, I love doing the chores because it is something new to do. However, my favorite part of MANE is the friendships I make there. I have made friends with volunteers and riders. I look forward each week to seeing the riders and the fun conversations we have.
Who Am I?
Before we dismissed for summer break, our fourth graders participated in an inspired and imaginative poetic exercise during their poetry unit. Students crafted a free-verse poem about themselves without explicitly telling who they are. Free-verse is a style of poetry that is not defined by rhythm, verse, or specific meter. It is an artistic expression that spans beyond the typical rules of poetry. Then, students drew a self-portrait of themselves using their iPad as a “mirror.” To make their work more unique, the portrait was done with a one-line drawing, meaning they couldn’t pick up their pencil during the sketch. Finally, students finished their art by coloring with unnatural or irregular colors. We loved how these introspective and creative projects tuned out.
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Gone Fishing
Our students are quite the catch! We had a blast learning about magnets and “catching” fish in our elementary science lab. Students were challenged to catch fish of all one color, in a pattern, and used fine and gross motor skills to manipulate their magnetized fishing poles. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool
It's a Great Day at Camp STJ!
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We have had the best start to our summer with fun at Camp STJ. Currently enrolled Saint James students and children from the community have been enjoying an active summer with learning games, dancing, programmed play, and lots and lots of laughter! It’s a great day at Camp STJ!
Camp ASCCA- A 5th grade Tradition
The overnight trip to Camp ASCCA is one of the most highly anticipated events in fifth grade. This annual tradition is a rite of passage of sorts for our students before they enter the world of middle school. Camp ASCCA is an inclusive year-round camp located at beautiful Lake Martin, Alabama. Students enjoy hiking, fishing, archery, nature lessons, zip-lining, canoeing, and arts-and-crafts. For many students, this two night experience is their first sleep-away trip without their parents. As a reflection exercise, upon return, students illustrated and described their favorite aspect of camp. Some students chose thrills like the rock wall and zip line. Others appreciated the nature and wildlife, but some simply enjoyed the friendships formed and fun experienced outside the classroom. Students truly look forward to this field trip every year and cherish the fun memories and camaraderie built!
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The Roaring 20s!
2021 Prom King Bradley Woodham and Prom Queen Virginia Braswell
by: Mary Rodgers Prim, junior
This year’s Prom theme was The Great Gatsby and the Roaring 20’s to commemorate this year’s graduating class of 2021. It was held at the Alley Warehouse downtown and it was a beautiful venue! The junior class came in the morning of Prom and helped to decorate the inside of the room. It turned out so pretty!
The band that played at the event was Blackberry Breeze, and they were amazing! All night the students (and faculty) were up close to the band and were singing and dancing along with them. Overall it was a super fun night, and it was a great way to celebrate the seniors!
s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g
Congratulations to our second grade spelling bee winners! Students practiced all year and were challenged with an end-of-year spelling bee. The winning word was “sentence.” Well done!
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2nd grade overall winners:
Levi Toussaint, Bethany Stanton, and Hina Aoki
"Beatles" lifecycle
Our third graders have been studying the life-cycle of mealworms. Weeks ago, when this unit began, students observed tiny, neutral colored larvae in the elementary science lab. Students had a chance to handle them, watch them move, and notice behaviors. Students selected their own worms, named their new crawly creatures, and created habitats from small plastic containers. After the pupae stage, the adult darkling beetle emerges. Students discussed the process and characteristics of the adult insect. To celebrate the end of this unit, Mrs. Gibbons, our elementary science lab teacher, facilitated a beetle release ceremony. We had fun celebrating with “Beatles” themed 60s attire, Beatles songs, and ultimately the release of Mrs. Gibbon’s adult mealworms, now turned beetles (appropriately named George, John, Ringo, and Paul).
Beetle release playlist: Hey Jude, Don’t Let Me Down, Come Together, Here Comes The Sun, and other Beatles favorites. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool
Leadership Seminar
by: Zoe Tatum, junior
A new addition to the elective choices at Saint James is the Leadership Seminar class. Dr. McLemore teaches this class, and it surrounds around encouraging, educating, and supporting students in their journey of become better leaders: school and community wide. The class includes learning about the best historical and current leaders. Each Monday starts by reading out a quote that will stick with each member as the week progresses. The class memorizes poems and writes reflection-based papers. I particularly enjoyed memorizing “If,” written by English Noble laureate Rudyard Kipling. We have the poem displayed in our classroom and it serves as a motto for our course.
Additionally, we are proud to have started a school-wide leadership project. This year’s project is “Picture This!” The goal is to showcase each member of the high school student body to enhance community. The Leadership Class is so thankful of the consistent leadership of Dr. McLemore and the opportunities we’ve had to make a difference through the school this year!
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Dr. McLemore’s leadership seminar is a selective course for high school students grades 10-12. Students in the leadership seminar develop their skills in leadership as service, practice understanding and addressing complex problems and questions, learn effective communication, identify and act on values, build character strengths, learn goal setting and about planning and implementing initiatives. The year-long course requires an application, interview, and teacher/sponsor recommendation.