How to Catch a Gingerbread Man

After reading the classic folktale, The Gingerbread Man, first grade students were challenged to build a trap to catch him.  They eagerly accepted!  First, they brainstormed ways they could trap to catch the Gingerbread man. They then planned and built their designs using a variety of manipulative materials from around the classroom.

Hands-on STEAM activities like this make learning fun and exciting.

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A capella: Blending Voices Without Accompaniment

by: Selina Sun, junior

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STJ now has its own a cappella group: Fortissimo! What started as just a fun idea for an extracurricular activity has become a special opportunity for those who love to sing to come together and perform beloved songs with the beautiful harmony of just their voices, no instruments. Right now, a number of students and I are rehearsing “Mary, Did You Know” by Pentatonix, an a cappella classic that tugs at the heartstrings of Christmas spirit believers. Every Monday afternoon, we head up the stairs to the choir loft and annoy each other with our aca-jokes (“Don’t we just sound aca-awesome? Aca-scuse me??” are classics) and warm up our voices. When we first started the song, we realized that we had to become our own backup singers and make some interesting sounds; there are “ooo”s, “hoo”s, “dum”s, and “ah”s all over the sheet music. Tenors/baritones/basses have to deal with some high notes, altos have some difficult low notes to master, and sopranos have their own challenges to overcome. When we begin to sing; however, it all becomes okay, and it is simply magical to hear our voices blend the way they do. I get goosebumps after almost every run-through. “Mary, Did You Know” is the perfect song to showcase our talents: everyone gets the chance at the melody, and each section supports one another in every measure of the music to create this a cappella Christmas classic. As Dr. York guides us with her expert ear and musical gifts, we work out our challenges and enjoy each run-through as an opportunity to make our voices sound better together. By the time of the winter choral concert in December, our hard work and passion for music will have made something truly wonderful. I can’t wait for our a cappella debut in December; it will be the beginning of something that will surely last a long time. I cherish those Monday afternoons in Dr. York’s room where our amazing group gets to do what we love most: sing our hearts out—this time, without accompaniment.

Gobble Gobble

We have Thanksgiving on the brain in elementary school at STJ! Students in lower elementary, grades PreK3-2nd grade, have been working on crafts and art projects for the Thanksgiving season. Students built turkeys out of construction paper, which reinforces fine motor skills, following multi-step directions, and identifying colors, numbers, and shapes. We have so much to be Thankful for and this holiday reminds us of the blessings in our lives.

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Blessings are Bountiful with Senior Buddies

Seniors went on a Thanksgiving letter scavenger hunt with their Kindergarten buddies last week. They followed clues to lead them to letters placed all around campus. Working together and problem solving, he teams eventually were able to spell “give thanks.”

We certainly are thankful for the special friendships our Kindergartners and seniors have!

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From Garden to Table

Cristian Pintovidal, STJ Commons Dining Coordinator, harvesting herbs from the community garden with our Kindergarten students.

Fresh, fragrant herbs can really elevate a meal. It is a special privilege to have on-campus grown produce at Saint James School. For the first time this year, students were able to see (and taste!) their hard work!

Earlier this fall, Kindergarten students planted 50 herbs, including basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano, and rosemary in a special “Kinder-garden” bed within our school garden. Each kindergarten class took part in digging holes in the soil and planting all of the herbs.

Cristian Pintovidal and Travis Humphrey from the STJ Commons taught our Kindergarten students about harvesting fresh herbs.

After about seven weeks since the initial planting, the Kindergarten classes joined the school’s FLIK dining coordinators in the garden to harvest their herbs. The FLIK team was able to make a special connection between planting, growing, and harvesting plants. The FLIK team then prepared a delicious fresh basil and tomato salad with herbs harvested by our students as part of that day’s lunch selection. This project has truly been a joy! Memories have been made along with deep, hands-on learning connections that we can enjoy! #WeAreSaintJamesSchool

More Than A Garden

by: Jeremy Turner, Community Garden Co-Coordinator

The Paideia School in Atlanta, GA

This fall, Saint James garden co-coordinator Carissa Gibbons, middle school principal Dr. Shelaine Taylor, and I traveled to Atlanta to visit the Paideia School. The purpose of our trip was to tour their farm and see how they were able to use their farming and gardening areas to enhance the curriculum taught at their school. This trip also helped us see what ideas and methods we as STJ faculty could incorporate into our own garden at school.

Our farm tour guide was Tania Herbert, a 20 year teaching veteran. She was able to make the farm a place where both students and the community could work together. She explained how sustainable farming was the key to the continuation of a community as well as offering skills to others that could be implemented into their own daily living.

gardening tools at Paideia’s on-campus garden

One thing that we saw at the school was how the farm not only helped others, but also worked with the community to bring in foods and items that were shared across the board with those outside of the school. They kept track of what they grew, how much was harvested, and how much was donated to others within their shared garden storage. They had on-site refrigerators to store any crops that were harvested and planned to be given out to the community.

We also learned how the school utilized the farm in their curriculums. For example, Paideia’s AP Biology students raise a chicken and as part of their final exam, students process the chicken utilizing the information they learned while going through the course.

Ms. Gibbons and Mr. Turner, Saint James Community Garden Coordinators, with Paideia’s goats on their school farm

One thing that was heavily stressed was the link with the community on the farm. Mrs. Herbert discussed how they worked with food-insecure communities as well as local prisons to assist in distributing healthy foods. She discussed how many in their region may not have good access to nutritional, healthy food so she wanted to find a way to help them learn their own growing skills but also turn around and donate the food to others who might also be in need.

They also invited children from nearby local schools to plant and engage in the process of growing food. Everything about their farm and garden was about working together to ensure that whenever things were left to the next generation, they would have items in place to continue this wonderful endeavor.

We are excited to evaluate the wealth of knowledge shared with us and work to implement new initiates with our own community garden. We are in the early stages of our garden journey, but we know Saint James School has the potential to “grow” our program to be just as impactful.

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Military Families: "Pride and Honor"

by: AJ Kavlick, class of 2023

AJ with his parents at age 4

Veterans Day is about honoring the sacrifices of those who have served in the United States military. Being part of a military family requires sacrifices as well, such as moving around often and acclimating to new environments. Both of my parents served as colonels in the United States Air Force, as well as my grandfather, and my great grandfather, who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Saint James not only has a significant military community, but much of our student body is made up of military “brats.”

living in Greece, age 9

These are students who have had to jump from school-to-school, state-to-state, and even between countries after their parents’ reassignments. Many students at Saint James have had the privilege of staying in one city and going to one school kindergarten through graduation. Military children don’t have this type of stability. I, for one, can speak from experience. I first came to Saint James in the 3rd grade, having previously lived in Washington D.C. Before I could establish myself in this school, I moved abroad to Greece. In Greece, my dad served as the Air Attaché in the Embassy, representing the U.S. Air Force overseas. Living in a foreign country came as a shock for me, and it was not long before I missed my life in the U.S. However, I learned some valuable lessons while in Greece.

living in Azerbaijan, age 12

visiting Dubai, age 12

First and foremost, I learned how to adapt to new environments, even though I knew that my time there was limited. But more importantly, I gained a newfound appreciation of my country, which many of us might take for granted. I was glad to have returned to Saint James, which offered me some sense of stability after an exciting, but turbulent year. Even though I had begun to develop roots in Montgomery, I took up the offer to live another year overseas, this time in Azerbaijan. I could have stayed in Alabama,

“Being part of a military family was no longer a mere inconvenience, but a source of pride and honor.”
— AJ Kavlick, STJ junior

where I would not have to risk starting from scratch again. Even to this day, I ask myself whether I should have stayed behind. Yet, I was honored to be an “ambassador” for America in a country that most Americans cannot find on a map. This time, my father was representing the entire military as the Defense Attaché. This gave me a sense of responsibility, since my classmates’ impression of me would inevitably be their impression of the United States. From that moment on, I sought to better understand the United States’ relations in the world. Through my experience with Azerbaijani culture, I learned how to refine my own. By the time I arrived back home, I was changed for good. Being part of a military family was no longer a mere inconvenience, but a source of pride and honor. The next time you thank members of our military, also take the time to thank a military “brat” for the sacrifices they’ve had to make. You could even learn a thing or two about their unique experience. After all, it takes a team for the military to protect the freedoms we know and love.

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AJ serves as a student ambassador, runs on the Trojans cross country team and track team, is a member of Latin club, is a member of the National Honor Society as well as Mu Alpha Theta. AJ also takes numerous AP, honors, and advanced classes at Saint James School. After graduation, he plans to plan to attend college out of state, major in aerospace engineering and possibly follow in his parents’ footsteps and pursue a military career. No matter where his adventures take him, he will always be an excellent representation of Saint James School.