A Peek Inside Saint James School
This week, third graders dissected owl pellets in the elementary Science Lab to accompany their study of food chains. Finding bones and feathers of the animals the owls had eaten helped students see what prey was in the owl’s food chain. Students especially loved finding the skulls of small birds and mice, then matching them to bone diagrams.
Teaches: American History, AP US History, AP Human Geography
I’ve Taught for: 6 Years
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
High school: New Canaan High School and Rolling Hills High School
College/Degree: Vanderbilt University (BA in history) , UAB (Masters in History)
STJ Extracurriculars: SGA Sponsor, Youth in Government Sponsor
Favorite Book: The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman
Favorite Movie: Star Wars
Favorite Food: Seafood
Married to: Yes. Married to a Montgomery native. We were set up on a sorority mystery date in college.
Children: Two children. The oldest is at Auburn studying Communications. The youngest will be finishing up high school in 2020.
Church: First United Methodist Church
Hobbies: reading, Pure Barre, and walking my dog. I love everything Disney! I will be running the Disney World Half Marathon in January.
Fun Fact: I lived in England for three years.
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Happy Mole Day! National Mole Day commemorates Amadeo Avogadro's Number, 6.02 x 10^23, which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Each year, on October 23rd, schools throughout the United States and around the world celebrate Mole Day with various activities related to chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry and S.T.E.M. fields at large.
Saint James sophomores and juniors celebrated Mole Day by creating their own mole themed projects.
“I look forward to this date each year! It is rewarding to see my students use their artistic talents. I get to see a different side of them that I would not normally see in my class. ”
“Each class had a party to celebrate. It was fun to get a chance be creative in a science class.”
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Teaches: 4th grade (Reading, Writing, and English)
I’ve Taught for: 9 years
Hometown: Montgomery, AL
High school: Jeff Davis
College/Degree: Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
Extracurricular: Director of STJ TV. Check it out!
Favorite Book: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Favorite Movie: Can't choose only one, but I do love Christmas movies
Favorite Food: Pizza
Married to: The woman of my dreams. Blair Beard, she is a graphic designer for Bell Media.
Children: Yes, Jace Beard. He's 11 months old and is the most chill kid ever. He currently loves crawling like an inchworm and chillaxin in our pool.
Church: Frazer United Methodist Church
Hobbies: I love playing football, basketball, and soccer, but I mainly just watch my favorite teams do it now. I also like traveling, hiking, and camping.
Fun Fact: I love writing children's stories.
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Hello, my name is Trinity Hunter and I have the honor of serving as the SGA President of Saint James in my final year of high school.
Our Student Government Association been thriving. Since the end of last year, we have managed to double our members from thirteen to twenty-six. We have continued to be committed to serving the community and Saint James as best as we can.
Our first initiative of the year was the Booker T. Washington Magnet High School change drive. Early in the school year, BTW experienced a major fire. While it is a blessing that no one was hurt, one of their buildings was still destroyed and with it. Student art work, art tools and materials, and technology devices were lost in the disaster. Members of the STJ SGA stood outside all over campus one Friday morning and collected change from parents, students, and teachers alike. Amazingly, we were able to gain $1500 to send to BTW!!
I can honestly say that my time in the SGA has been some of my favorite memories. It has given me experience leading a group and public speaking ability from the school convocations. But most importantly, it has given me the ability to talk to people and maintain relationships with them along the way. I am forever grateful to Saint James to have gotten this opportunity. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the school year holds!
Go Trojans!
After the change drive, it was time to get to work on our annual Community Day of Service. Every year, the high school is tasked with going out into the community and spending a day volunteering. This day could not happen without the SGA. For two months, we planned for Community Day: calling businesses, assigning students and teachers alike, and designing T-Shirts. On October 5, the high school branched out across the Montgomery area to make the community a better place for all that lived in it.
Our next project is Fall Festival. It is so exciting to be able to participate in the uniquely Saint James tradition that is Fall Festival. It is a great night of fellowship between Saint James families and has become a stable in the lives of many students. Every year, SGA is in charge of the raffle. We are excited to give out great prizes this year to those whose names are drawn!
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Choo! Choo! ... All Aboard the K3 Train! Mrs. Browning and Mrs. Dickens’ Pre-K3 classes made edible trains in the Imagination Station while studying the letter “T.” They learned about all types of locomotives and transportation. This fun activity and tasty treat also reinforced recognizing shapes. STJ’s elementary Imagination Station is a fully-stocked design lab, offering a space outside the classroom to build, discover, and practice S.T.E.A.M. skills (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).
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I teach: 6th grade math, exploring math
I’ve Taught for: 30 Years
Hometown: Born in Savannah, GA and grew up in Western North Carolina
High school: Tuscola High in Waynesville, NC
College/Degree: Western Carolina University and The University of NC in Chapel Hill/ Elementary Ed and Intermediate Ed with Mathematics specialty
Extracurricular: Math Club/Team Sponsor
Favorite Book: Cold Mountain
Favorite Movie: The English Patient
Favorite Food: Shrimp
Married to: Married for 37 years to Frank, a retired college professor/administrator and United Methodist minister
Children: 2 daughters, both STJ grads: Melissa, the oldest, is married with 2 children, lives in the DC area and is finishing a PhD program; Christina, the younger, lives in Mexico City where she teaches a English and works in a theater.
Church: First United Methodist Church
Fun Fact: I have a long-haired dachshund named Franz.
The STJ 8th Grade Science and Invention Convention is constantly doing fun and educational activities and labs.
Last week, students in Ms. Whigham’s Invention Convention exploratory class participated in an Excited Elements lab. Students viewed "bright line spectrums" produced by various elements to identify an unknown element. This uses the science branch of spectroscopy! Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.
Students were able to make a real-world connection, discussing how NASA uses this same concept to identify the elemental composition of planets and stars. Hands-on application of science outside of the classroom helps students grasp concepts, all while having fun!
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I Teach: PreK-3 half day; Targeted Learning Instructor
I’ve Taught for: 8 years
Hometown: Braggs, Alabama (Lowndes County)
High school: Lowndes Academy
College/Degree: Jacksonville State University; BS in music education
Favorite Book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society; The Nightingale
Favorite Movie: Sleepless in Seattle
Favorite Food: Pizza!
Children: My 8th grader, Lizzy, loves performing and being on the stage. Her favorite subjects are English and history. My son, Jimmy, is in 5th grade and loves all sports, but especially baseball. His favorite subjects are math and science.
Church: First Baptist Church Montgomery
Hobbies: Singing - you can see me every once in a while on the stage at the Cloverdale Playhouse in one of their benefit cabarets.
Fun Fact: I was Lowndes County Junior Miss (now Distinguished Young Woman) in 1996
Elementary 5th grade students put their their teamwork skills to the test in Mrs. Simon’s classroom while participating in The Great Marshmallow Challenge.
Given only 20 dry spaghetti noodles, one yard of tape, and one yard of string, the students were challenged to build the tallest tower. Their creations would be tested to stand up, unattended, when a single marshmallow was placed on top. The timer started and groups worked quickly to devise a plan and put it into action.
Groups that used triangles and unique wide bases were successful, some with heights as tall as 21 inches! Even though a few towers fell, groups didn’t give up hope. By working together and regrouping, many pulled through and their spaghetti towers stood.
“I enjoyed this challenge because it gave us a chance to interact with each other and experience what it’s like to engineer and design a structure.”- Benjamin Green, 5th grade
This Ted Talk video was shown, which explains the challenge and dives deeper into teamwork. Mrs. Simon explained, “in Middle School there are even more team projects, so this gives elementary students some experience, all while enforcing strategy and teamwork.”
These students surely could be our future architects and engineers! Ms. Simon engages all elementary students, Pre-K3 through fifth grade, in character building lessons and core value teachings of Saint James.
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