An All-American Homecoming

Camberwell Girls Grammar School students on Carlisle Field with STJ football players and cheerleaders.

Last week, Saint James School welcomed 37 students and five chaperones from Melbourne, Australia to attend our annual Homecoming festivities. Camberwell Girls Grammar School is an independent girls school founded in 1920. The group is participating in a visit to the American Southeast, including a 5-day NASA Space Camp experience, tour of Montgomery’s Civil Rights museums and memorials, and a visit to Universal Studios. During their time in Montgomery, they wanted a first-hand look at how their American peers spend a Friday night- what better time to experience a Southern high school football game?

Camberwell Girls Grammar School students on Carlisle Field after the 2023 Homecoming game.

In addition to witnessing the Trojans’ 49-14 win over Greensboro, the group enjoyed listening to the marching band, watching the cheerleaders and Trojanettes perform, and seeing the crowning of the STJ Homecoming Queen, Reilly Taylor. They even got a shout-out during halftime and had a chance to take photos on the field after the game. Of course, no visit is complete without commemorative t-shirts. Thank you for visiting Saint James, Chamberwell! Next time, we will come to visit you in Melbourne! #wearesaintjamesschool

Camberwell Girls Grammar School students and chaperones wearing STJ t-shirts.

Dr. McLemore and Camberwell students in the stands at Carlisle Field.

"Dear New 5th Grader"

At Saint James School, the fifth graders are the leaders of the elementary school, which serves students starting as young as PreK2. Soon, these students will graduate to middle school, where they will start their sixth grade year as the youngest in the division. This experience is a unique rite of passage for our young Trojans and no one is more equipped to pass down advice than the students who just lived it themselves. Current sixth graders wrote words of wisdom to this year’s fifth grade class. These notes gave a little encouragement and some pointers for the “seniors of the elementary school.” #wearesaintjamesschool

“5th grade is the last year of recess...it is also one of the most fun years.”

— Qaice, 6th grade

Trojans of Character

Lt. Col. McCain with his daughters, Hope and Hannah (‘24)

Last week, middle and high school students gathered for the first Core Values Assembly of the year. Saint James will host a special assembly once per quarter for students grades 6-12. Our core values serve as the foundation for our mission and ideals at Saint James.

This quarter, we focused on our first core value: character. Saint James School Board Chair, Lt. Col. Dex McCain (ret.), addressed students with insights about integrity, compassion, dedication, and leadership. Col. McCain spent over 27 years serving in the United States Air Force and spoke from experience, giving practical advice to our students.

Please enjoy excerpts from his speech below.

“To me, a person’s character is lot like a compass—a compass is designed to guide you and tell you what direction you’re going in, it is one of the most important tools in navigation. In my view, character is combination of guiding principles that lead you through the ups and downs of life. It’s a person’s true North when faced with challenging decisions and moments of doubt. A person without good character, is like a ship without a sail or a rudder—it’s near impossible to steer and the ship is at the mercy of the sea and can being easily tossed around by the waves and the winds—that’s true for a person lacking character as well. ”

— Lt. Col. Dex McCain

Saint James middle and high school students at our first core values assembly of the year.

#wearesaintjamesschool

Summer Professional Development - Always Learning, Always Growing!

This summer, school was in session for our faculty! While June and July are filled with rest, travel, and family time, it is also a season for learning and growing. Many of our teachers took advantage of professional development opportunities all over North America. Various seminars, conferences, trainings, and sessions help faculty hone skills, enrich pedagogy, and enhance classroom strategies. Professional development is critical to advancing student success in and beyond the school building. Saint James teachers know we are always learning and always growing. #wearesaintjamesschool

• Mr. Jeremy Turner, middle school STEM teacher, attended The Vex IQ Workshop in Auburn, AL in July.

• High School English teacher Dr. Catherine Winn visited Western Kentucky University’s AP Summer Institute. Dr. Winn will be teaching our brand new section of AP Psychology this 2023-24 academic year.

• High School AP teacher Dr. Amanda Ousley served as an AP Chemistry reader in Salt Lake City, Utah. Grading AP exams allows faculty to see the other side of the AP Exams process and were able to offer their expertise in their subject fields.

• High School history teacher Kiki Hughes attended the AP Summer Institute at Howard University. Mrs. Hughes will be teaching our brand new section of AP African American Studies this 2023-24 academic year.

• Venna Everett, Middle School history teacher, presented at the Innovative Schools Summit in Atlanta. This K-12 conference focuses on transforming school climate and innovative teaching strategies.

• Dr. Amanda Ousley attended the ChemEd Conference at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. This biannual conference for chemistry teachers focuses on innovative teaching methods, critical thinking, and collaboration.

• Elementary music teacher, Mr. Will Reese, led sessions during the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts Music Institute in June.

  #wearesaintjamesschool

Dr. Catherine Winn visited Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky for the AP Summer Institute.

“Offering AP Psychology is such an exciting opportunity for me and for all of the Saint James students, and learning more about the course through the AP training seminar has only made me more eager to get started! In addition, Kentucky was a beautiful state with incredible people, and I am so grateful that I was able to explore Mammoth Cave and visit the Corvette Museum while I was there.”

— Dr. Catherine Winn, at the AP Summer Institute at Western Kentucky University

Mrs. Hughes at the AP African American Studies Summer Institute at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Mr. Jeremy Turner at the VEX IQ Coaches Refresh Workshop at Auburn University.

Mrs. Venna Everett was a session leader at the Innovative Schools Summit in Atlanta.

“I presented “Are There Any Humanities Growing Amongst The STEM’s?” at the Innovative Schools Summit in Atlanta. In this presentation, I took the opportunity to discuss the importance of teaching history in our schools because it is lacking! We need to bring history to life for our students because that is how they learn wonderful life lessons from people in the past and events from the past. They can learn what to do and what not to do. it was an exciting opportunity!”

— Venna Everett, MS History Teacher

Dr. Amanda Ousley at the ChemEd Conference at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.

Mr. Will Reese led sessions during the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts Music Institute held on the Saint James School Campus in June.

Teachers Shelly Taliaferro, Mallory Green, Savannah Partin, Bonnie Capps, and Lauren Young at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts for Education in the Arts Institute.

Social Emotional Learning Camp

Deep breath in, deep breath out. School counselors Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Moncrief, hosted a Social/Emotional Camp for rising 2nd-6th graders. SEL (Social Emotional Learning) focuses on resiliency and boosting overall wellness and mental health. Campers were empowered by fun activities that help develop self-awareness, self-esteem, and positive peer relationships. Some favorites were a nature walk, painting affirmation rocks, yoga, and building calming jars. These activities promote social and emotional wellbeing and establish positive habits to practice during the school year. #wearesaintjamesschool

You're So Golden (Ratio)

Mrs. Courtney Whigham’s physical science class is more precious than gold! Students discovered an interesting irrational number, phi, which is also known as the Golden Ratio.

The golden ratio, also known as the golden number, golden proportion, or the divine proportion, is a ratio between two numbers that equals approximately 1.618. Usually written as the Greek letter phi, it is strongly associated with the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers wherein each number is added to the last.

Students earned about how items in nature such as flowers, shells, pineapples and more fit the Golden Ratio.  They also examined many famous architectural buildings and works of art that use phi in their design; some include: The Mona Lisa, The Parthenon, the Great Pyramid at Giza and other famous works. The Golden Ratio is truly found everywhere!  Have you ever wondered if the human body fits the Golden Ratio?  Students participated in a lab experiment using yard sticks to measure the height of their classmates to see who fits the Golden Ratio. Exercises like this keep science hands-on and fun… stay golden, middle schoolers! #wearesaintjamesschool

Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Lauren Young

I teach: Third Grade

I've taught for: 8 years, this upcoming year is my second at STJ

Hometown: I was born in Indiana, but I grew up in Montgomery.

High school: I was homeschooled all the way through high school.

College/Degree: B.S. in Counseling from Faulkner University and M.S. in Childhood Education from Auburn University at Montgomery.

STJ Extracurricular: I do after school novel studies (similar to book club)! I also sponsor the STJ Kindness Camp as we read the novel, Wonder.

Favorite Book: Anything that is historical fiction.

Favorite Movie: Titanic

Favorite Food: Pizza

Spouse/Married for how long: I have been married to my husband, Bryan, 8 years.

Children/ages: Jayce is 4 and Everleigh is 2.

Favorite thing about working at STJ: I love the culture of excellence here at STJ and the family atmosphere.

Fun Fact: My kids will be with me as STJ this year as little Trojans!

#wearesaintjamesschool

Edible Constellations

Saint James third graders recently had a delicious lesson in astronomy. Students studied constellations, which are groups of visible stars that form a shape or outline of an animal, person, or mythological subject. Students researched several constellations and created their own representations of famous constellations with food. First, they arranged marshmallows to represent the stars in the constellation. Then, using pretzel sticks, they connected the stars to match the constellation's pattern. Who knew astronomy could taste so good?

#wearesaintjamesschool

STEM/CS Tech Innovations: Kindergarten Buddy Bubble Wands

By: Kelsey Shaffer, senior

Kelsey’s Kindergarten buddy, Jiwoo, with her new 3D printed bubble wand.

STEM/Computer Science Tech Innovations is a new elective class offered in the high school this year, dedicated to furthering skills in the area of technology as it applies to design and creation. One of our projects was employing the design thinking process to create a bubble wand for our Kindergarten buddies. We started by compiling a list of questions to ask, such as their favorite color, shape, or animal, and once we got our answers, it was back to the STEM Lab to start brainstorming ideas. We came up with “pain points,” which are specific points that need to be addressed in our designs, and began sketching out ideas. When the sketches were complete, we copied the design into an online platform and sent it to one of our 3D printers. It took a few hours to print our prototypes, but after they were done, we took them down to test them with the Kindergartners. They had so much fun testing out our bubble wands! While our buddies were busy playing with bubbles, we observed how they interacted with the prototype and took note of what aspects could be improved upon. Finally, we returned back to brainstorming and redesigning to improve our prototypes. This was such a fun project! I loved being able to work on a creative project with our Kindergarten buddies and to see how much fun they were having with the bubble wands!

STEM/Computer Science Tech Innovations is led by high school technology specialist Mrs. Deborah Otis. In this class, students create, design, and build to solve problems with related innovative technology. Students complete projects in coding, computer-aided design, app design and development, hardware modification, animation, digital game design as well as explore topics such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) and AR/VR (Augmented/Virtual Reality). This hands-on class allows students opportunity to evaluate security and ethical issues related to the technology field as well as explore career opportunities. #wearesaintjamesschool

Senior Walk- An STJ Tradition

by: Kassidy Thompson, class of 2023

Kassidy, with her Kindergarten buddy, Sawyer

The Kindergarten/Senior Buddy tradition started almost 23 years ago, in 1999. The special bond between these students grows strong throughout the year, as they participate in many fun events. One of those events is Senior walk. Senior walk is one the most special traditions at Saint James. It is when the Seniors and their Buddies walk from the elementary school to the highschool. During the walk seniors are able to go back and remember all of the great memories they have made at Saint James and the kindergartners are able to see what the future holds for them. The seniors and their buddies walk hand in hand the whole way. This moment on the quad is an amazing way to end the year with their buddies and surrounded by their STJ family.