A Peek Inside Saint James School
My role: School Security Officer
I've Been in this role: 1 year
Hometown: Ogwashi-Ukwu in Delta State, Nigeria
College/Degree: B.A. in psychology and visual arts from Alabama State University
Favorite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory, Friends
Favorite Food: plantains
Fun Fact: I love to cook, I am an artist, and I am 6’10!
Favorite Thing about STJ: The kids! They are very loyal to the school.
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Our second graders spent some time during the first few weeks of school creating one-of-a-kind art: themselves! First, students designed and decorated a paper t-shirt that described them, their families, interests, and anything else they wanted to tell about themselves. They then cut out and embellished cardstock hands and mini versions of themselves. Throughout the year, students will use their tiny cut-outs in various ways. In October they will dress in Halloween costumes, in the spring they will sport STJ spirit wear, and so on. We love expressing ourselves and embracing what makes us unique!
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Our kindergarteners recently read Elmer by David McKee. This delightful story teaches us to embrace our differences and find the joy in being unique!
About Elmer: Elmer the elephant is a colorful character. His heady optimism and unbridled sense of humor keep the entire community in a cheery mood. And Elmer's unusual multicolored checkerboard hide is the wonder of all the other elephants, who are characteristically gray.
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In spite of his sunny disposition, Elmer begins to feel conspicuous. He starts to believe the others are laughing at him because of his patchwork coat. When Elmer discovers a bush in the jungle with elephant-colored berries, he shakes the bush and rolls in a berry mash until he is as gray as the others. Now no one seems to notice him; for a time he enjoys his anonymity, but after a while he begins to realize just how quiet and dull things are when he's not around. Finally the practical joker in Elmer emerges, and he soon has the whole gang laughing again. McKee's gentle humor and love of irony are in full force in this celebration of individuality and laughter. Well-designed spreads are washed with stunning color and the use of textured, painted and airbrushed surfaces contributes to the powerful visual impression.
-Publishers Weekly
I teach: Biology/ Anatomy & Physiology
I've Taught for: 18 years
Hometown: Decatur, Alabama
High school: Austin High School
College/Degree: University of Alabama/ Bachelor of Science in Biology; UAB/ Masters in Education
STJ Extracurricular: Middle School Cheer Coach
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Favorite Book: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Favorite Movie: Steel Magnolias
Favorite Food: Sushi
Married to: Hunter Pappas, STJ class of 1995
Children: Izzy (7th grade) and Harrison (4th grade)
Fun Fact: I lived in Colorado for 3 years and taught snowboarding lessons.
Fourth graders in Mr. Beard’s English class became one with nature during their watercolor haiku assignment. A haiku is a form of traditional Japanese poetry consisting of three short non-rhyming lines. The origins of haiku poems can be traced back as far as the 9th century. Our students created their own poetry and beautiful watercolor paintings.
Co-curricular works like this blend a variety of subjects and arts. These activities and experiences enhance skills and compliment our overall curriculum.
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In Kindergarten, we are practicing using words that start with the first initial of our first name. As a fun first-week-of-school project, our students created adorable self portraits featuring their names. I love seeing the smiling faces and creative work of our students! My name is Kate and I love Kindergarten!
-Kate Bartlett, Director of New Student Admissions
We are in our second full week of school and everyone is embracing our new normal. We are so proud of our youngest learners who have followed our new rules so well. We also thank our students in upper grades who have taken their roles in fighting this pandemic very seriously.
When you visit our school, you’ll notice transparent partitions at our school main offices, admissions, Furlong hall, and other administration offices. We have also stationed hand sanitizer in higher traffic areas and of course our students are wearing their masks. It has been fun to see how our students style their masks- some choose school colors, some the STJ logo, and some a fun print using blue and gold.
It’s a great day at STJ!
What joy we felt on Friday, August 7th as our buildings opened their doors for the first time since March. With our new Trojan Operational Plan (TOP) in place, we safely welcomed students back to our classrooms. A school is not a school without the smiling children inside. We are so thankful for our Trojan family.
Although things looked a little different than first-days-of-school in years past, we felt the same energy and positivity from our students. We are so lucky to have wonderful teachers and staff who are working extra hard to make this year special.
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By: Kimberly Ramsey, Middle School/High School Librarian; Writing Center Specialist; Media Relations Manager
In early 2019, I found a wonderful online course offered by School Library Journal, a national publication for libraries and librarians entitled, Evaluating, Auditing, and Diversifying Your Collection. It seemed a perfect fit with the initiative already begun two years earlier to update the library’s offerings in the areas of books, ebooks, and audiobooks.
The course consisted of training in the many elements of diversity, including racial diversity, cultural diversity, and differences in physical abilities. One specific class explored OWN Voices, which concentrates on presenting novels and other works written by diverse authors about authentic lives in their communities. More simply put, this looks at ways to provide books that speak directly to our students by covering topics and feelings they experience in their day-to-day lives.
After attending the 15-hour course, I conducted an audit of the entire library’s fiction collection, which took several months. Each novel was evaluated and classified by who wrote the work, what group is represented, and if it qualifies as an “OWN Voice” work. The work was eye-opening to say the least.
Through this process, I realized our previous librarians had created a great foundation by bringing in available books that represented different groups and backgrounds. However, I also recognize that with all of the new published offerings rooted in diversity, I have a lot of work to do! This course helped me find more books that represent all of the many students at Saint James, and I am so proud of the direction we are headed.
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Flexibility and adaptability will be key components at Saint James this year as we plan to begin our fall semester on August 7. True to our mission, the Trojan Operational Plan will have us on TOP of the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff as we teach and learn. Trojans, 24/7.
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