On to Middle School!

STJ 5th graders receiving a welcome from Dr. Shelaine Taylor, Middle School Principal.

STJ 5th graders hearing about middle school course selection from 6th grade math teacher, Mrs. Christie.

STJ 5th graders touring middle school

A favorite tradition at Saint James School is the 6th grade tour. Fifth graders trek across the quad to the middle school building to get a first-hand glimpse into the world of middle school. They check out the classrooms, science lab, library, technology lab, and the “big” gymnasium. After being the top dogs in elementary school, many fifth graders have mixed emotions about starting a new grade in a brand new space. The sixth grade class, with the wisdom and experience of a year in middle school, gave our fifth graders advice for their new venture.

Students gave advice about time management, study skills, planning and organizing. Rather than only having two teachers (plus enrichment and P.E. teachers), middle school students have four academic teachers, plus elective, exploratory, and P.E. coaches. Navigating all of those different classes, with different books and supplies required, can be an adjustment. There are also new challenges academically, with increased independent study time.

The transition to sixth grade is exciting, and with all of our grades (PreK2-12th grade) housed on one campus, experiences like this allow for a smoother transition with more confidence! We are so lucky to have such an incredible fifth grade team who have worked all year preparing out soon-to-be middle schoolers for the next steps. Likewise, we are thankful for the sixth grade team who is ready to work with students as they discover new passions and set new goals in middle school.

STJ’s middle school is a unique place for students grades 6-8. These years are a time for exploration and growth. This year, Middle School students were encouraged to be a “HERO.” This acronym stands for hardworking, empathetic, respectful, and optimistic. Students chose their favorite quote and wrote down ways to display being a “HERO” to others and practiced putting those values into action.

The Saint James Middle School has its own administration, with a designated school counselor and principal, who are experts in adolescent education and emotional/physical health for this age range. The Middle School offers academic support including tutoring and “step ahead” initiatives. Middle School also is the first time students choose an elective and have the opportunity to take advanced courses. We can’t wait to see these fifth graders take on the new world of middle school and be “HEROes” themselves. #wearesaintjamesschool

Advice to the new 6th grade class:

“Be careful with time management. Don’t forget your books and try to not be tardy. You get new freedoms in middle school. Like you don’t have to walk in a line!”
— Hanan Miller, 6th grader
“Find a good friend group. You will get really close in middle school .”
— Ellie Brooke Selbee, 6th grader
“Take World Cultures! It’s fun and we play games. We learn a lot about other cultures.”
— Wilson Aman, 6th grader
“Make sure your iPad is charged each day!”
— Gray Evans, 6th grader

We're Going on a Bug Hunt

#wearesaintjamesschool

Kindergarten wrapped up their unit on insects by going on a bug hunt around campus! Students carefully captured different insects to examine in their own bug catchers. They had a crawlin’ good time!

Did you know:

  • Insects are invertebrates, meaning they don’t have bones. Rather, they have a hard exoskeleton, or shell, on the outside of their bodies.

  • All insects have three parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.

  • Insects have two antennae.

  • Insects have six legs.

  • Spiders are not insects (they have eight legs and belong to the arachnid family).

  • All insects hatch from eggs. The babies are called larva.

Kindergarten students on their bug hunt around campus

Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Hampton Mitchell

I teach: Middle School PE

Ive taught for: 8 months (first year)

I was born: Mobile, AL but Ive lived in Montgomery since 2000

High School: Alabama Christian Academy

Education: B.S. from the University of Montevallo and a Masters of Education in Exercise Science from AUM

STJ extracurriculars: I am the head cross country coach, assistant indoor track coach and assistant girls soccer coach

My favorite book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My favorite movie: Rudy…fun fact Ive met the real Rudy!

My favorite food: pickles

My favorite thing about working at STJ: getting to know all the students and athletes I get to work with

Fun fact: Ive been skydiving 3 times!

More Than a Run

by: Keagan Cantrell, 4th grader and GOTR participant

The girls are on the run!  GOTR is a physical activity-based development program that inspires 3rd-5th grade girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident.  The program uses a fun and experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running with serving the community. The Saint James School GOTR team meets twice a week for 10 weeks. Our runners completed a community impact project this season that was extra special to our students. The STJ Commons dining staff works hard to serve over 900 meals daily to students, faculty, and staff. The STJ Girls on the Run participants made cards and treats to thank them and show their gratitude.

#wearesaintjamesschool

Last Saturday, the students ran a 5K to end their season. The STJ cheerleaders were there encouraging our runners and showing support.

STJ Girls on the Run participants with the STJ cheerleaders at the celebratory 5K on April 30th, 2022.

STJ Girls on the Run participants made cards and treats for the Commons dining staff.

“I can’t say enough positive things about GOTR. I just finished coaching my 10th season and I am continuously encouraged by these girls. I love building relationships with the students and witnessing them grow into young leaders. More than anything, I love being able to see them realize what they are capable of. As a coach, it is my role to lead and guide them, but they make a tremendous impact on me. I am so thankful to be able to be part of GOTR! ”
— Ann Aman, GOTR coach and STJ alum ('01)

Our Ancestry Quilt

by: Amelia Julian, second grader and social media intern for the day


Saint James second graders made quilts to represent our ancestry. Some of our ancestors immigrated to America from other countries. My relatives are mostly from Europe: like France, Ireland, Poland, Italy, and Germany. I also have relatives from Canada. Lots of students in my class have ancestors from all over the world. This project was fun because we could share about our families- my family is very important to me and I enjoyed learning about where they come from. I also enjoyed drawing and coloring my quilt. It was fun learning about my friends’ ancestors and telling them about mine. #wearesaintjamesschool

50 Years of The Odyssey- STJ's Student Newspaper

By : Dylan Oliver, editor 

Saint James School has provided the students, teachers, and faculty members with the school newspaper since December of 1970, when the first edition was published. The Odyssey is consisted of features in academic and athletic achievements, as well as current events and happenings. Up until March of 2020, the school newspaper was given out as a printed copy; however, when Covid-19 struck, The Odyssey was transferred to a digital copy. Although this change was a minor setback, it allowed the staff to include more pictures, information, and color to the newspaper. Ever since this change, The Odyssey has continued to improve with the help of the Journalism-Newspaper staff.

The Odyssey staff member Erin Waggoner and Ms. Cavanaugh reading an issue from the 1908s.

 The school’s newspaper is put together by the help of the current staff: Danielle Greene, Abbie Hubbard, Chelsea Johnson, Dylan Oliver, Haley Taylor, Kassidy Thompson, and Erin Waggoner. Students in grades 9-12 who choose to take Journalism-Newspaper, taught by Ms. Cavanaugh, must be A-B students with good skills in writing and English. Without the staff, The Odyssey would not be as successful as it is today. 

For each quarter of the school year, the newspaper staff publishes a new issue of The Odyssey. Each member of the staff selects two topics that are relevant to the quarter to contribute to the paper. Their topics can consist of college signings, holidays, sports achievements, academics, pep rallies, and other school related activities. Once the staff member completes their pages, they AirDrop them to The Odyssey editor to review for any mistakes.  Then, the pages are sent to Ms. Cavanaugh to be put in order for the paper. 

Members of The Odyssey staff pictured with vintage issues.

After the page topics have been chosen and completed, the page numbers are determined. The first page of The Odyssey is the cover page, which includes a table of contents and a welcoming message for the beginning of the quarter. The following pages would be the latest events and happenings around the school, and these pages are grouped based off of what “category” of the newspaper they would fit best in. For instance, all of the sports related pages would be grouped together, all of the academic related pages would be grouped together, and so on.  Once the pages have been organized in order, they are looked over one more time for final touches. Finally, the newspaper is released for the students, parents, and faculty to read.

Original issues of The Odyssey from the 1970s.

Since 1970, The Odyssey has been a lead contributor in the features of sports, academics, and events occurring around the school. With the setback due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the staff overcame adversity and was able to make The Odyssey greater than it has ever been.  This misfortune not only led to new learning opportunities for the staff, but it also allowed the newspaper to become more readily available to not just students and faculty, but to the community at large. Although the newspaper has undergone changes since the beginning, The Odyssey’s mission is to promote the core beliefs of character, commitment, courage, and community through highlighting school news. 

#wearesaintjamesschool

The Iliad: Saint James School's Yearbook

By: Erin Grigsby, senior and Iliad co-editor

Iliad Yearbook staff with issues from the 1980s.

Seeing the yearbook for the first time is very exciting at Saint James. The students look forward to it every year! However, a lot of hard work goes into the final book we all know and love.

Journalism Yearbook, one of the art electives at Saint James, requires a multitude of skills and familiarity in different areas. The class requires patience, organization, and creativity. Members of the yearbook staff use their writing skills to write the story and captions of their spreads and photography skills if they wish to capture moments around the school.

Iliad Yearbook staff working on digital spreads.

This year's Iliad is Volume Number 52, with “The STJ Life is Full of Color” as the central theme. It includes beautiful color splash templates.

I, along with my Co-Editor Dodge Prim, oversee all of the progress and work being done as the yearbook comes together. We organize pictures, create the year’s ladder, adjust layouts and templates, and proofread spreads when they are complete. We seek to include our student body on a variety of pages so everyone can be featured in the book of our school’s best memories.

Our class could not be possible without Mrs. Kimberly Ramsey, our yearbook sponsor. She works tirelessly to create a special book for our school year. Overall, this year’s staff working on the yearbook has done a tremendous job showing their creativity. The book is so close to being finished, and we cannot wait for everyone to enjoy the memories of the school year! We will debut the Iliad next fall on our annual Iliad Day, where students see the book for the first time and have it signed by teachers and friends.