2022 Freshman Retreat - A Bonding Experience

The zip lines were a favorite

By: Haley Hust, 9th grade

Haley and her classmate on the low ropes course.

The 2022 Freshman Retreat was a fantastic bonding experience for everyone. The Freshman Retreat is a Saint James tradition where all the new ninth graders and senior peer leaders take a day trip to Camp Butter and Egg in Troy, AL. It is a day full of team-building activities and outdoor adventures! From ziplining and canoeing to many more fun activities, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Our trip was one of the most fun field trips to date. 

Team-building exercises

We boarded the bus to Camp Butter and Egg at 8:00 am. Everyone had their fingers crossed it would not rain, but Mother Nature had other plans. When we arrived, the clouds were thick, and the sun was nowhere around. Thankfully, we participated in a few team-building activities before the rain decided to fall. While split into our advisory groups, we went to different games in the woods. We started with the mini-game titled “Minefield,” where we had to work around wires without touching them. Teamwork and patience were essential to complete the challenge. We moved to an activity with one wooden plank we all had to stand on to balance it. To make the challenge harder, we had to sing “Row Row Row Your Boat” twice before the wood hit the ground again! It took trial and error, but we eventually did it. We completed a few more activities, but we could not finish all of them before the rain began to pour. 

One of my favorite memories from camp was running through the woods as the rain poured. My friends and I sprinted, laughed, and danced through the downfall. By the time we reached the indoor facility, everyone was soaking wet! Inside, we ate a snack before doing more mini-games. We played with tarps and tennis balls, cards, and charades! By the time the rain stopped, it was time for lunch. Lunch was a delicious hamburger, beans, chips, and homemade brownies! The kitchen staff outdid themselves. After lunch, we returned to the indoor facility to split up and go to our next activities. 

Team-building exercises

The camp leaders let us play a game of rock-paper-scissors to pick where everyone would start their main outdoor activities. My group began at the waterfront. I chatted with friends on canoes and raced on pedal boats. A few people may have gotten wet, but everyone was having a great time. Soon enough, we were allowed to explore the camp without being in specific groups. My friends and I put on our harnesses and helmets and headed for the ziplines! I was afraid of heights, but I was excited to conquer that fear. The first zipline was slower and was an excellent warm-up for the next two. My friends cheered me on as I flew through the air. The second zipline was my absolute favorite! It went through the woods and was super fast. My adrenaline was high, and my fear was gone. I was having the best time. The third and final zipline was over the lake. The view was incredible, and I waved to my friends on the canoes. I have not heard of anybody at camp who did not love the ziplines. Sadly, after many more adventures, it was time to board the buses to go home. 

Team-building exercises

After a great day of camp, we were all tired, but sad to leave. Camp Butter and Egg was a wonderful experience, to say the least. I bonded with so many great people, and I will never forget the memories I made. I am so glad our class got to experience this wonderful tradition! 

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

STJ Arts in the Summer:  Exploring and Inspiring

by: Dr. Sallye York, Arts Department Chair

Senior Natalie Magee in Savannah, GA learning acrylic painting techniques and fashion design at SCAD.

Junior Austin Oh at the University of Montevallo’s week-long Young Musicians Camp.

At Saint James School, the arts are a part of every student’s path.  We are truly proud of our visual and performing arts programs and all they have to offer the whole child education.  STJ Arts not only educate, but they also inspire!  The arts programs at Saint James School inspire so much that students further their art exploration into their summer breaks!  Many STJ students spent their time off from school attending arts camps and programs throughout the Southeast.  

Senior Natalie Magee spent a week at the Savannah College of Art and Design learning acrylic painting techniques and fashion design.  Students from around the nation come to SCAD for this summer program where they receive instruction from professors who are truly experts in their crafts.  Students also get to enjoy dorm life and spending time getting to know new friends from all over our country!

Junior Erin Waggoner at the Washington School of Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program.

Junior Austin Oh spent a week at the University of Montevallo’s Young Musicians Camp where he furthered his studies in choir and vocal performance.   At YMC, Austin was able to perform in the camp’s choir, receive instruction from college professors, and attend music seminars.  Austin was also able to enter a composition competition with fellow campers in which he was one of the winners!  He even was selected to sing a solo in the final camp concert.  

Sophomore Lily Everett in Memphis for the Orpheum Theater’s Summer Camp Intensive.

Junior Erin Waggoner danced in the upper division of the Washington School of Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program.  She stayed on campus at American University, danced 6 hours a day, and got to explore nearby Georgetown and the District with new friends!  Classes she attended were technique, pointe, flamenco, partnering, and variations under the instruction of Kristina Windom, Cece Farha, Tamás Krizsa, Françoise Thouveny- Doyle, Nancie J. Woods, and Rafael Bejarano.  Truly an amazing experience!

Sophomore Lily Everett applied for and was accepted to the Memphis Orpheum Theater Summer Camp Intensive.  She spent a week in their "Technical Theater Strand" and spent each day in a different realm of the backstage operations of the theater.  Lily spent a day in each of the following intensives: set design, lighting, sound, costuming, and stage management.  She is so excited about bringing the new things she has learned back to the Saint James Theater Program!

Eighth grader Abigail Roark performed at Summer Show Offs and attended The Red Mountain Theater’s Acting Out Academy.

Eighth grader Abigail Roark attended the Acting Out Academy at the Red Mountain Theater in Birmingham.  During this week of young actor training, Abigail studied with some of the country’s best acting coaches.  The week ended with a showcase that was attended by agents, managers, and casting directors.  In addition to this camp, Abigail also attended the beloved Summer Show-Offs here in Montgomery with many more STJ students at the elementary and middle school level!

These are just a few examples of our amazing arts students here at Saint James School.  Be sure to check them out in action this coming school year as they perform and create!

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Summer Professional Development - Never Stop Learning!

Mr. Will Reese with a puppet telling the story of Peter and the Wolf from a character’s perspective.

Ms. Studdard and Dr. Ousley in Salt Lake City serving as AP Exam readers

Ms. Ramsey at the Nuts and Bolts Symposium in Mobile, held June 9-10.

  • Elementary music teacher, Mr. Will Reese, led the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts Music Institute in June. This summer institute is held on the STJ campus each year.

  • High School English teacher Mrs. Brittnee Ward attended the inaugural “Teaching The Great Gatsby” conference at Huntingdon College on July 15th and 16th. Attendees from all over the U.S. learned about Fitzgerald’s novel and the history of the 1920s, including the people in Scott and Zelda’s lives.

  • High School AP teachers Dr. Amanda Ousley and Ms. Michelle Studdard served as AP Chemistry and AP Government readers in Salt Lake City, Utah. Grading AP exams allowed these faculty members to see the other side of the AP Exams process and were able to offer their expertise in their subject fields.

  • Kindergarten and first grade teachers, along with targeted instruction teachers, completed 30 hours of Orton-Gillingham training over the summer. Orton-Gillingham is an explicit multi-sensory approach to phonics and reading.

  • Mrs. Venna Everett, middle school history teacher, presented “Are There Any Humanities Growing Among the STEMs?” at the Making Schools Work Conference in Orlando, FL.

  • Shelly Taliaferro, new Anatomy and Physiology and AP Biology teacher, attended a four-day AP Summer Institute for Biology, held at Auburn University. At this training, participants learned about the College Board's Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Learning Objectives for AP Biology, as well as instructional resources available to teachers. Participants discussed course content, format of and preparation strategies for the AP exam, and they engaged in many hands-on and lab activities. 

  • Middle School English teacher, Ms. Annie Ramsey, attended the Alabama for the Nuts and Bolts–Never Boring Conference in Mobile. She attended a variety of panels on furthering engagement in a classroom and how best to approach middle school teaching.

  • Our own Head of School, Dr. Larry McLemore, presented “What Matters Most? Balancing Roles and Responsibilities in Leading Our Schools” at UMS-Wright Preparatory School’s Fifth Summer Leadership Conference in June.

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Mrs. Brittnee Ward, HS English teacher, at the Fitzgerald museum during the inaugural F. Scott Fitzgerald conference in Montgomery.

“We learned how the AP exams are graded and how you can take that information back to your students. It also allows you time to talk to other AP teachers about what they are doing in their classes. It’s the best AP Chemistry professional development out there, I feel. ”
— Dr. Amanda Ousley, on the AP Reader experience in Salt Lake City, UT

Saint James Kindergarten, first grade, and targeted learning teachers participating in Orton-Gillingham training.

Draw Montgomery

The Draw Montgomery Art Competition, sponsored by the Montgomery Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is a juried art exhibition for students 7-9 and 10-12 in South Central and Southeast Alabama. The environments of the River Region were the focus of the subject matter for entires (architecture, interiors, structures, landscapes, etc.). This year there were a total of 139 pieces submitted for judging. The five Saint James School winners, along with other selected works, were exhibited at the Anita P. Folmar Youth Art Gallery of Montgomery at the Armory Learning Arts Center. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool

1st Place

Title: A Date in Downtown

Medium: Watercolor & Ink 

Artist: Mae Puckett

Grade: 9

2nd Place

Title: Street Corner 

Medium: Pen & Ink 

Artist: Luke Beasley 

Grade: 12

Honorable Mention High School

Title: Isolation

Medium: Gouache

Artist: Wendy Stombaugh 

Grade: 10

1st Place High School

Title: Changing Views

Medium: Pen & Ink

Photography Artist: Cole Williams 

Grade: 10

(Not pictured) 2nd place, Middle School

Title: Windows

Artist: Kaleigh Soto

Grade: 7th

Medium: Watercolor, Pen & Ink

V is for Vulture

Mother vulture sitting on her eggs.

A raptor rehabilitation specialist from the Auburn University Southeastern Raptor Center placing an orphaned baby with its new vulture family.

This spring, the Saint James School elementary office had some unexpected visitors. A pair of vultures made a home in the shady area behind principal Harris’s office. To our surprise, two eggs were discovered in the pine straw, with mother and father vulture taking turns sitting on the eggs. In April, two baby vultures hatched and quickly started growing. The excitement was covered in a weekly segment on STJtv appropriately named “vulture watch!” Students and faculty quickly took interest in this story and watched closely as the babies grew and began to lose their pin feathers (thin, fluffy down feathers of a baby bird). Last week, a raptor rehabilitation specialist from the Auburn University Southeastern Raptor Center visited campus with a special delivery. An orphaned baby vulture, called a nestling, was placed with our STJ vulture family. The newly adopted baby is doing well and is loving living on campus. Once the nestlings are old enough to fly and hunt independently, they will travel on to a new home.

The adopted baby vulture meeting its new siblings.

North American vultures, also known as turkey buzzards, typically live as a couple or in small groups. They are best known for being scavengers and having a large wingspan. Our science lab coordinator has been sharing information about vultures and other birds of prey with our elementary students as we have watched this story unfold! We have loved seeing this feathered family grow and are thankful for the Southeastern Raptor Center and all they do. To learn more about the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine’s bird rehabilitation program and the mission of the Southeastern Raptor Center, visit their website: https://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/raptor/ #wearesaintjamesschool

Check out Vulture Watch on STJtv!

Gouache Botanicals

Middle school art students were inspired by nature for a recent project. Students researched flowering plants and selected a plant to study more in depth. Paying close attention to bark, leaves, berries, petals, and other elements of the botanicals, students created a painting. Gouache, which is a heavily pigmented and opaque watercolor, was used for this project to allow texture and color to shine through. #wearesaintjamesschool

New Kids on the Block

Two new faces joined the Saint James School Elementary Science Lab this year. Meet Tickles, a one-year-old chinchilla, and Ninja, a leopard gecko. Both of these new friends are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are most active at night. So, if you see them nodding off, they are likely taking a quick snooze between classes.

The science lab is an integral part of educating the whole child. Along with our other six enrichments, elementary students visit the science lab weekly for hands-on application of science and discovery.

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Fun facts about leopard geckos:

  • Leopard geckos cannot climb up smooth surfaces because they do not have toe pads like most geckos.

  • Leopard geckos shed their skin to prevent their scent from being detected.

  • A group of geckos is called a clutter

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

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Fun facts about chinchillas:

  • Chinchilla fur has 60 to 80 hairs per hair follicle.

  • The chinchilla can leap a crevice 6 feet wide.

  • Chinchillas take dust baths in volcanic ash.

  • Chinchillas are one of the longest lived rodents, sometimes living over 20 years.

  • A baby chinchilla is called a kit.

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Virtual Art Competition of Alabama

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The Virtual Art Competition of Alabama is a state-wide art competition sponsored by the Alabama Arts Education Association. Saint James is proud to have three students' artwork selected for the 2021-22 Virtual Art Competition of Alabama. Winning art is featured on the VACA website.

Congratulations to the following winners: Sierra Boles (class of 2022), Aroa Jung (class of 2022), Natalie Magee (class of 2023).