"Understanding, Empathy, & Purpose" at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Saint James School students at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice: the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence.

Each year, Saint James tenth grade students visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Legacy Museum, established by Bryan Stevenson and the EJI, tells the story of slavery in the United States and the lasting effects it has had in history.  In confronting the past, we know our students are today becoming ready to act with character, courage, and knowledge in the future. 

Annually, STJ English teacher, Mrs. Joanna McCurdy, assigns an essay prompt for her students to complete reflecting on their experience. Please find excerpts from some of the essays below.

Saint James students at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

After a trip to the museum, I have been given insight into how I view myself and the way that I interact with others. The field trip has shown me that as a society we take a lot for granted. Overall, the trip was a fundamental experience in teaching me how much a person’s ancestry and generational trauma goes into their identity and how it is sometimes easy to overlook that background…This trip was enlightening in many ways. The Legacy Museum is such an important part of our community. It brings up conversations that are uncomfortable, but deserve to be talked about.” -Jakiyah Hyman, class of 2026

“The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice stand to remind people from all backgrounds to advocate for a safer world.”
— Haley Hust, class of 2026
“The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice impacted my thoughts and life by giving me more knowledge to understand identity, empathy, and the purpose of knowing history.”
— Jack Caradori, class of 2026

Science Fair- Biology Meets Art

by: Shelly Taliaferro, AP Biology teacher

left to right: AP Biology students Harrison Allen, Cole Williams, Addison Seale, Reilly Taylor, and Rylee Richardson, with their poster entitled “A comparison of fine-art faunal diversity among two museum communities - a model to utilize Simpson's biodiversity index for AP Biology.”

Recently, AP Biology students participated in the Greater East Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held at AUM, where they received third place in the Earth and Environmental Sciences and Environmental Engineering category. They advanced to the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair, held at Auburn University, where they placed third in the Animal and Plant Sciences category and also won the Biological Sciences Award for Creative Application of Biological Principles. Students received a certificate, a medal, and a monetary award. 

The science project involved AP Biology students conducting an inventory of animal "species" found in artwork at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art (Auburn), then calculating and comparing a biodiversity index between the two museum "communities." Due to constraints of time, transportation, suitable habitat, and weather, AP Biology classes usually use types of cars in the parking lot, different varieties of dried beans, or colorful beads as "organisms" for calculations of community diversity. To our knowledge, this is the first time an AP Biology class has utilized artwork animals for these calculations. Our approach includes a more organismal focus to the biodiversity calculations as well as known benefits of integrating art with science, such as increased student engagement, learning, and retention.

#wearesaintjamesschool 

Eighth Grade Visits Our Nation's Capital

by: Charlotte Stanton, class of 2028

8th graders stopped by the White House during their recent trip to Washington D.C.

The 8th grade students had been so excited for our class trip to Washington DC. We prepared for DC weeks before we departed, but most of us have been thinking about this since we were little. Some of the topics we were preparing for were hard, such as the Holocaust museum. However, we knew we would have a great and educational trip!
On day one, we had to be up early at 4:15 in the morning! We departed on two separate buses at 4:45 a.m. It was supposed to be around a two and half hour drive, but due to a serious accident that shut down the interstate, the drive took way longer than expected. We ended up missing our flight, but it was okay because we booked another flight that was scheduled to depart around 9 p.m. That left us with quite a while until we had to be at the airport. 
We made a pit stop at Buc-ee’s, and all joined onto one bus to make our way to Atlanta. In Atlanta we did many interesting activities. We got to walk around Olympic park, explore the World of Coca-Cola museum, and eat at a small cafe. After some time, we had to leave to head to the airport. We had to wait for many hours after countless delays. Finally, we boarded the plane at 10:10 p.m. It was a bumpy ride, but we landed in Washington DC safely at 11:50 p.m. We got to ride on a double-decker bus, but everyone was very tired and ready to get to the hotel. 

Students at the Lincoln Memorial

Since we missed the entire day before, we had to make some schedule rearrangements. We got to see the Arlington National Cemetery first. The eternal flame was a beautiful symbol. We spent some time in the Spy Museum. That was one of my personal favorites. They had real artifacts from spies! The African American History Museum was very educational and immersive; they did a good job of conveying a lot of emotions. We quickly went through the American History Museum just to see the original star-spangled banner. Then, we got to look around the Natural History Museum. I love how big that museum was, and I wish we could have stayed there for hours! I probably spent the most time in the gem and mineral exhibit looking for the Hope Diamond. For dinner we ate at Carmine’s. Later at night, we got a tour of many different monuments around the city. The Abraham Lincoln Memorial was so ornate and gave a beautiful view of the Washington Monument. 

Students participating in a Revolutionary Era reenactment at Mt. Vernon.

The next day, Ford’s Theater was first on our itinerary. A man gave us a lecture about the assassination. I really enjoyed the museum part of the tour. Then, we took the annual class picture with all of the students and chaperones. After that we got a tour of the capitol building! The architecture was gorgeous inside and out. The painting and statues were so detailed, and I loved hearing about their deeper meanings. We all took a quick picture with the White House then went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. We all took our time to look around and learn about this tragedy. It was a well constructed museum that showed the raw truth. We then went to see the National Archives. The documents in there were very old! For dinner that night we got to go on a dinner river cruise! We all got dressed nice and got to dance on the dancefloor. The view on the cruise of the water and city was breathtaking!

Charlotte (second from right) with classmates at the International Spy Museum

However, all good things must come to an end. On the last day we had the opportunity to see Mount Vernon. The land was so peaceful and well taken care of. Andrew Sellers laid a wreath near President George Washington’s tomb. Due to traffic we couldn’t go inside the house, but in history class we got to do a virtual tour of the house, so we didn’t miss out completely! We flew back home and arrived at STJ around 7:30 p.m. Overall it was a very educational trip that we were lucky to have had the opportunity to experience! 

My Trip to Camp ASCCA

by: Dresden Merritt, class of 2030

Every year, the fifth graders take a three day field trip to Camp ASCCA, and it seems like we have been looking forward to this trip since we were in first grade!

Dresden and his cabin mates at Camp ASCCA

Day 1: My trip to camp began with me hopping out of my carpool and taking my VERY heavy bag to the gym. We met up at the gym and put our bags on the floor. We then stretched our legs and played games like basketball for 30 minutes. I remember throwing a frisbee with my friend and then playing soccer, too. After that, we finally got to go to our cabins and see who we would be with for the next three days. We had around 15 minutes to get settled and get our things set up before we met back up at the gym. Once everyone got to the gym we were assigned our activity groups. There were four groups, and Groups 1 and 2 went to team building while Groups 3 and 4 went canoeing. I was in Group 3. We went to lunch around 12:00 pm, and afterwards the groups rotated through activities. One thing I liked about team building was how kind our instructor, Amber, was. Amber never got annoyed with us, no matter how bad we were at the games or how long it took us to find the solution. After team building, we went to our cabins or stayed in the gym for free play. We ate dinner around 5:30 and had more free time until around 6pm. After that, our counselor Justin took us to the “bck4t,” which basically a child’s dream playroom. The bck4t had a bunch of arcade machines, some nerfs, two beach balls, a movie theater, and relaxation items scattered around. After a very fun hour or two, we headed back to our cabins for shower time. After that, my cabin had around 15 minutes of quiet time before lights out.

Saint James 5th graders at Camp ASCCA.

Zip line was a favorite activity!

Day 2: I woke up to an alarm clock, took a shower, and did all of the other morning routine things. We met up outside the cafeteria around 8:00 am and recited the pledge of allegiance in front of the flag. We then went inside and enjoyed our delicious breakfast. After that, we went to the gym and were told our daily activities. My group started off with the zip tower. I remember looking at the rock wall and getting a bit scared, but I brushed it off and was the second one to climb up. Near the top of the tower, I panicked and just hung there, saying to myself “I need help.” and “I’m not going to make it.” With a little bit of encouragement from a camp counselor, I gave it one last push and grabbed on to the top of the wall and pulled myself up! I then got hooked up to the zipline and was ready to jump. I leaned forward and soared through the air with the wind hitting my face! It was one of the best feelings ever. After that, we went fishing, and although I didn’t catch anything, my friend caught a bass. After fishing, we ate lunch and then went to forestry, where we talked about animals and animal furs. We went on a nice nature walk and talked about trees and plants after that. After forestry, I went and changed into water shoes for The Living Streams activity. One thing I can remember was how the water was freezing cold, and it just kept getting deeper as we moved forwards. I didn’t catch any bugs, but again, some of my friends did. We hiked back up to our cabins, and I changed back into my nice, warm, DRY shoes. We then headed to the gym and played kickball and other outdoor games for about an hour before we went to karaoke in the back outpost. Karaoke made me think about how fun this whole experience was. I got to hang out with my friends for three whole days with no work! Karaoke was so fun and was one of my favorite experiences at camp ASCCA. We sang until the ipad with the lyrics died, and then we headed up to the campfire and made s’mores. I sat down with myfriends, and we talked for a while. We then headed back to our cabins and said goodnight. At this point, I was so tired I basically passed out as soon as I laid down.

Nothing ends a day of camping like S’mores

Day 3: The last day was like a fun headache. I did my morning routine and packed up as fast as I could. I loaded all my stuff into the back of my carpools’ car and headed to the gym to hang out with my friends for one last time. We eventually did our last camp activity: the bungee trampoline. The bungee trampoline was fun, but it was hard to control yourself on it. After that, we did a cabin sweep and then got in our cars. My carpool had lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and as soon as I finished eating, I fell asleep for the rest of the car ride home.

#wearesaintjamesschool

American Village: Stepping into History

Saint James fifth graders visited The American Village to experience their program, “Independence!” American Village, located in Montevallo, is a 188-acre campus with more than 20 historically-inspired structures. This civic educational institution includes Washington Hall, inspired by George Washington's Mount Vernon home; a Colonial Courthouse reminiscent of Williamsburg's Courthouse of 1770; the President's House, modeled after the Nation's Philadelphia “White House;” a full-sized Oval Office, and many other structures.

Students learned about taxation without representation, visited a tavern to participate in the eve of Paul Revere’s ride, argued for independence at the 5th Virginia Conference, and headed to encampment to prepare for battle. Students ended with a film that recounted the journey from Paul Revere’s ride to the battles at Lexington and Concord, to the Continental Congress, and ultimately the signing of the Declaration of Independence. What a fun hands-on way to learn about our country’s history.

Camp ASCCA- A 5th grade Tradition

The overnight trip to Camp ASCCA is one of the most highly anticipated events in fifth grade. This annual tradition is a rite of passage of sorts for our students before they enter the world of middle school. Camp ASCCA is an inclusive year-round camp located at beautiful Lake Martin, Alabama. Students enjoy hiking, fishing, archery, nature lessons, zip-lining, canoeing, and arts-and-crafts. For many students, this two night experience is their first sleep-away trip without their parents. As a reflection exercise, upon return, students illustrated and described their favorite aspect of camp. Some students chose thrills like the rock wall and zip line. Others appreciated the nature and wildlife, but some simply enjoyed the friendships formed and fun experienced outside the classroom. Students truly look forward to this field trip every year and cherish the fun memories and camaraderie built!

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#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

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