Career Week 2024: 8th Grade Students Peek Into Professions

by: Waylon King and Grace , class of 2029

Waylon and his mom, who is a medical aesthetician.

I am so grateful that I had the amazing opportunity of being able to get an inside peek of the jobs of my choice for 8th grade career week 2024. My name is Waylon King and one of the professions that I shadowed was a medical aesthetician. I actually got to shadow my mom, Michela King, who runs her own aesthetician business. I started shadowing around 11:00am and was shown what her daily schedule looks like. She then showed me what kind of tools she uses to complete procedures and what their purposes are. We then had our first patient, who wanted a chemical peel, I was amazed by how fast the products started reacting. For the rest of the day, I was able to watch the many different procedures an aesthetician completes on a day to day basis. It was a blast to be shown the astonishing and exciting day of a medical aesthetician.

Grace with Deputy General Counsel for the Alabama Secretary of State, Meredith Blackburn.

Career Week was such a great experience for the class of 2029. My name is Grace Sykes and I shadowed the Deputy General Counsel for the Alabama Secretary of State. Her name is Mrs. Meredith Blackburn and is a close family friend of mine. I drove with her to the state capitol at 7:30am and took a small tour of the building. I got to meet the Secretary of State and go in his office. When I got back to Mrs. Blackburn's office, I went right to work. Mrs. Blackburn has many official duties and tasks she had to complete, so I helped her by putting previously used case files away and updating her code books. I had so much fun at the state capitol and would love to have a career as special and exciting as Mrs. Blackburn's.

Saint James middle school students have been shadowing careers during the 8th grade year for many years. Shadowing helps students explore potential career paths early, helping them identify their interests and strengths. It also provides real-world insights into various professions, connecting classroom learning to practical applications. This experience can inspire goal-setting and better decision-making for future education and career planning. Eighth grade career week is something Saint James students look forward to every year! #wearesaintjamesschool

Circle Your Wagons on the Oregon Trail

Quilt squares depicted scenes from the “Oregon Trail” journey

by: Olivia Patrick, class of 2026

After learning about the Oregon Trail and the Gold Rush, Mrs. Hughes introduced the game The Oregon Trail to the junior history classes! Each class period had around 5 “wagons” with 3-4 “wagon riders” that were given a certain amount of money to decide on what supplies they would need. They would consider which wagon they wanted, the amount of food they would need to survive the 6-month journey, and which weapons and tools would be useful, all while staying under budget. Students would then roll dice to see which scenario, defined in Mrs.Hughes’s slideshow, applied to their wagon. The wagons could encounter hostile enemies, rabid animals, treacherous storms, and deadly

diseases that would impact their journey. One of my favorite aspects about playing the game was that everything was left up to chance. At the end of the game, some wagons survived with hardly any issues in their journey, while others had completely lost all wagon members. A few days later, students were asked to color in a quilt square that described their journey on the Oregon Trail. They created symbols with definitions that represented the events they encountered. Mrs. Hughes then judged the quilt squares and put the best ones in the hallway to create one big quilt! Overall, this was such a fun way to interact with history and help us to understand the hardship that pioneers went through to form our great country. #wearesaintjamesschool

Alabama National Fair Art Winners 2024

Congratulations to the 2024-25 Alabama National Fair High School and Middle School Winners in Art and Photography:

Alabama National Fair High School Art 

Opaque Painting: Honorable Mention: Emilee Alexander (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults)

2024 High School art award winners

Transparent Painting: Honorable Mention: Mae Puckett (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults)

Color Drawing: 1st Place: Grace Kim  (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults)

Black and White Drawing: 3rd Place:  Mae Puckett (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults), Honorable Mention: Alice Chen (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults)

Mixed Media: 2nd Place: Alice Chen (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults)

Printmaking: 1st Place: Yuha Shin (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults), 2nd Place: Lillian Archer (Teacher: Evelyn Shoults)

Alabama National Fair Photography

Animals: 1st Place- Aryan Patel (Teacher: Aimee Bentley)

 Floral: 3rd Place- Brenna Gregory (Teacher: Aimee Bentley)

People: 1st Place: London Milton (Teacher: Aimee Bentley), 3rd Place: Erin Richardson (Teacher: Aimee Bentley)

2024 Middle School art award winners

Non-Flowering: 1st Place: Olivia Patrick (Teacher: Aimee Bentley), 3rd Place: Olivia Patrick (Teacher: Aimee Bentley)

Alabama National Fair Middle School Art 

Photography:2nd Place: Hazel Clinton (Teacher: Aimee Bentley)

Opaque Painting: Honorable Mention: Violet Park (Teacher: Aimee Bentley)

Creatures of the Sea

For their 5th grade STEM project, students researched various sea creatures, exploring their habitats, behaviors, and unique features. They then created beautiful watercolor art to visually represent their chosen creatures, enhancing their understanding of marine life. To complete the project, students wrote informative paragraphs, summarizing their findings and reflecting on the fascinating world of ocean biology.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) marries scientific research with creative expression. Through the research component, students apply scientific inquiry skills, analyzing the anatomy, behavior, and ecosystems of sea creatures. The artistic element of creating watercolor illustrations fosters creativity and helps students visually communicate scientific ideas. STEM promotes collaboration and hands-on learning, helping students connect abstract concepts to real-world applications. #wearesaintjamesschool

Your Vote Counts! STJ Elections 2024

Saint James 5th graders hosted the 2024 elementary school election to decide who will win this year’s dress down day theme. Candidate Nellie Night campaigned for pajama day while Duffy Day is for cozy clothes day. These mock elections are a fun and engaging way to introduce our young students to the concept of voting, democracy, and civic engagement.

Our candidates created campaigns and presented their ideas on STJ TV prior to Election Day. Our 5th graders worked hard to set up a polling station where students cast their votes anonymously. They designed ballots and even set up a registration table. Students learned about the importance of making their votes confidential and respecting others’ opinions.

Once all votes are cast, students will use math skills to tally the votes and determine a winner. The announcement will be made on STJ TV this Friday. After the winner is announced, we will have a class discussion about the importance of voting and the election process, as well as fairness, respect for others' choices, and how elections work in the real world. People may have different opinions, and that’s okay!

Mock elections not only introduce students to the voting process, but also teaches responsibility, decision-making, teamwork, and lifelong interest in civic engagement!

From Farm to Yarn!

Pre-K3 students study a different letter of the alphabet each week. In addition to identifying and writing the letters, students learn context in playful and fun ways! Preschoolers enjoy applying what they have learned in the real world.

“Y” is for yarn!

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Did you know? Sheep’s wool is called fleece, but an alpaca’s fiber is called a "blanket."

Did you know? Sheep’s wool is called fleece, but an alpaca’s fiber is called a "blanket."

Mrs. Dana demonstrating how to spin alpaca fiber into yarn using a spinning wheel from her native Argentina.

For “Yy” week, Pre-K3 teacher assistant, Mrs. Marisa Dana, taught her class how to spin yarn. With fiber from angora goats and alpaca, the children spun their own piece of yarn to wear home home as a bracelet. Angora sheep are known for their curly, lustrous hair known as mohair. #wearesaintjamesschool

Students passed around Angora goat and palace fibers- so soft!

Going Overboard in APUSH

Mrs. Hughes’ AP United States History class captured the pirate booty during pirate week.

by: MaryEllis Killough, junior

As a way to celebrate finishing summer reading and to take a break from the constant note taking, Mrs. Hughes gave the junior history class a pirate day! Each class period of students came together as a single “crew” to complete an assortment of tasks under the watch of their trusted “captain”. Soon after choosing who would command our “ship”, which we named La Skibita, we divided into groups to work. Some students immediately teamed up to complete the complex math problem together, while others grabbed atlases and tried to map out various coordinates. One of my favorite activities was defining some of the notorious pirate vocabulary words like “scallywag”, “marooned”, and “seadog.” The most challenging tasks were definitely listing questions about a typical pirate’s life. We wrote out what we thought might be the typical ship’s rules and punishments. We also had to list what might’ve been a man’s reasoning for becoming a pirate. After completing all of these tasks, we reported back to our captain. The captain handed in our answers to Mrs. Hughes, who will compare them to the other classes, or “ships,” answers. Whichever team scores the highest is sure to get some booty tomorrow! Overall, it was an enjoyable day, filled with community and fun! #wearesaintjamesschool

Invention Convention in Real Life: Civil Engineering

Mr. Brad Williams is the Deputy State Construction Engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation

The future engineers of Saint James School learned about the field of engineering from a real life civil engineer! Mr. Brad Williams is the Deputy State Construction Engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) with over 20 years of experience and holds a bachelor’s degree of Civil Engineering from Auburn University. He has over 13 years as a Bridge Designer and 7 years as a Bridge Construction Engineer. In his current role, he assists in the general supervision of all contract construction work of ALDOT’s construction program currently in excess of over 300 active projects at a contract amount of approximately $2 billion dollars.

In addition to his Civil Engineering occupation, Mr. Williams is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Alabama Army National Guard with over 28 years of experience and serves as the Battalion Commander.  He is also a UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot with over 2,200 total flight hours and over 650 combat flight hours.

Students tested the weight capacity of their bridges

To put their new knowledge to use, students paired up to compete in a bridge building activity. Using various materials, students designed and crafted trusses, arches, and beams. The bridge that held the most weight won top prize! This was a fun, hands-on activity that applied engineering principles.

Invention Convention bridge building champions

Mrs. Whigham’s Invention Convention class enjoyed hearing from Mr. Williams and asking questions about engineering. This exploratory class is all about problem solving, brainstorming ideas, and learning hands-on. Engineering is one of the many fields these students will explore during the semester. Activities emphasizing the integration of science, technology, engineering, art, and music are included. Invention Convention is one of the many electives offered in middle school.

#wearesaintjamesschool

Developing Core Values that Resonate with Your School Community

Saint James was featured in the Southern Association of Independent School’s October e-newsletter, Signals. The article titled “Developing Core values that Resonate with Your School Community,” discusses the intentional extension of core values. We are so grateful to be featured in this national publication!

by: Amber Irizarry, SAIS Director of Brand and Communications

Independent school mission statements often stretch beyond student academic gains to focus on developing the whole child. Yet, shaping students’ character, while admirable, is difficult to measure.

Dr. Larry McLemore, head of school at the Saint James School in Montgomery, AL, considers, “How do you live out character? How do you develop it?” For Saint James, which serves students in Pre-K2 through grade 12, everything the school does stems from the mission and core values. By employing concrete activities that guide students in living out the school’s core values, Saint James is helping students build character to ultimately impact their school, their surrounding community, and the culture at large.

Crafting Core Values

Through its mission, Saint James has been committed to challenging and assisting students in realizing their individual potential and preparing them for lives of responsibility, service, and achievement. “You’re part of something positive at Saint James,” McLemore shares. “We care about you and your heart and focus on character over the relentless pursuit of achievement. While achievement is a part of the school’s culture, it’s not central to who we are as a school community. Rather, it’s an extension of the core values and is the result of consistent habits that are formed when the values are prioritized.”

Just how did Saint James craft authentic core values? Through an interactive process, they considered their mission and the elements unique to their school culture, then gained feedback from their stakeholders. By taking the long view, Saint James did not rush the process. In 2018, the school devoted a year to developing core values, following a theme of building a community of character to develop the whole child, inspired by articles written by David Brooks. 

The process of choosing and refining the core values involved the entire school community, seeking feedback from all constituents. An informal survey was distributed to faculty and staff, as well as middle and high school students asking several key questions: What do we want to see in our students? What values transcend academic achievement? What traits and principles do we value most? 

After collecting hundreds of responses, the results were distilled, revealing several common themes that have been refined into the school’s current values: character, commitment, courage, and community. These simple and succinct values help students connect the mission to their everyday choices. 

Notably, Saint James makes a concerted effort to continually revisit the values. Kate Bartlett, director of communications, marketing, and engagement, says, “We keep asking ourselves, are these values authentic, relevant, and lasting?”

Drafting core values and executing on them is not without its challenges. For Saint James School, such challenges included making the values concrete and putting them into practice. The school had to focus on messaging that would be relevant across all grades levels, from lower to upper school. They also had to prioritize allowing planning time for meeting with faculty and staff. Finally, follow-through is critical for success so that core values become woven into school culture, rather than a task to complete.

For schools seeking to begin the process of crafting core values, McLemore reminds school leaders to “start where you are. Don’t judge your school by another. Instead, be true to your community.” Creating core values and being intentional about focusing on them through service, curriculum, and programming is worth the effort. “Authentic core values that are lived out daily change the context of everything, strengthen your school community, and give students and faculty a clear sense of purpose,” attests McLemore.

Service as Extension of Core Values

A focus on service is an intentional extension of both the Saint James School’s mission and all four core values. To lay the groundwork and reinforce these values for middle and upper school students, the school hosts quarterly “Values Assemblies” focused on one of the four core values. McLemore shares, “The more students see the core values lived out in the day-to-day, the better it is for their well-being, helping them to reach their potential. There’s a focus on helping students become their best self.”

Trojan Character, Trojan Commitment, Trojan Courage, Trojan Community

Through diverse extracurricular activities, community service initiatives, and special interest clubs, Saint James encourages students to play a role in something greater than themselves and to discover a sense of confidence in their abilities. Further, the school emphasizes community engagement and promotes meaningful learning experiences for students while strengthening partnerships within the community. From the youngest learners in elementary school to high school seniors, students grow through giving, stewardship, and connection.

The Saint James mission and values are an integral part of the day-to-day life on campus. Bartlett says, “Our mission guides every decision we make, and classroom lessons and daily interactions help bring the core values to life for our students.”

#wearesaintjamesschool

A Great Start to a Great Year: Freshman Retreat

by: Emily Trock, 9th grade

Camp Butter and Egg was one of the best bonding experiences I have ever had at Saint James School. The retreat is an annual activity for freshmen, along with their peer leaders, to travel to Camp Butter and Egg. We had a great time with all the activities including: team building activities, competitions, ziplining, and canoeing in the lake. It was an amazing field trip that I will never forget.

The zipline was a favorite!

At 8:00 we boarded the bus and headed to Troy. Once we arrived, we were sorted into groups based on our advisories and played games against each other. With our teams, we had to work together to complete the various tasks. We threw bean-bags into small pillars, teamed up with a partner and used a magnet to move a ball into a hole, and unscrambled words to make sentences, to name a few. My favorite activity was a blind matching game, which consisted of team captains instructing their teams on how to position the objects correctly. The twist was that only the captains could see the desired position however, they couldn’t position the objects themselves. It was all competitive, which really made it exciting! 

Then, once we had broken the ice, my advisory headed over to complete team building exercises. This was a great way to bond with my class. Some activities included: playing the floor is lava, using pool noodles to transport balls at a rapid pace, and describing pictures to put them in order. These games helped us improve our relationships with each other and we had fun along the way!

Students enjoyed team building and bonding!

Lunch was delicious burgers, baked beans, chips, and sugar cookies. After lunch we headed to go ziplining! This was definitely my favorite part of the retreat. There were three ziplines. The first one was a smooth-sailing ride. The second one was through trees and was set at a much faster pace. The third one was my favorite. It went over the lake and had an incredible view of the whole camp! I even got to see some of my friends canoeing under me. Then we went down to the lake and got to chat with friends while on canoes and paddle boats. A couple of people got wet but we all had fun just the same.

High Ropes provided a great bonding experience.

This trip to Camp Butter and Egg was a wonderful experience which I won’t forget anytime soon! I look forward to an amazing freshman year; Camp Butter and Egg has been a great start!

The Saint James Peer Leaders are a group of seniors who serve as mentors to the freshmen for the first half of the year. The Peer Leaders meet with their assigned freshman advisories once a week to lead lessons on how to acclimate to high school. This program not only helps with the social and academic transition to high school, but builds relationships and enforces our Trojan Core Values. #wearesaintjamesschool