All hail, the Roman Carnival!  This year the middle school held the 10th annual Roman Carnival, and we were grateful to do so in person.  As the customary culmination of our Latin program, the Roman Carnival provided an afternoon of fun and games for the entire campus. Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students dressed up as Roman deities and monsters and entertained all of the younger classes with a series of 9 activity booths. Fifth grade students served as assistants to ensure that games ran smoothly. Each activity was designed to highlight the powers and skills of the students’ chosen deity. Students created the activities themselves, demonstrating their innovation and ingenuity. Our inside activities included the Underworld’s “pick a ball” game in the dark hallway, as well as Venus (goddess of love), Flora (goddess of flowers), and Cupid (god of love)’s flower craft booth. Diana (goddess of the hunt)and Apollo (god of music) hosted a musical freeze tag wherein students were gently hit with a soft ball by Diana’s bow. Mars (god of war) and Hercules (god of strength) ran an obstacle course and foam sword fight, while featuring a bench press to showcase muscular abilities.  Minerva (goddess of wisdom) and Fortuna (goddess of fortune) offered a wheel of fortune game, whereas Ceres (goddess of grain) and Vesta (goddess of the home and hearth) provided cereal and lemonade to our guests. It appeared that all who attended enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of smiles, laughter, and play. Gratias tibi agemus! 

by Nicole Ayers, 7th & 8th Grade Math and Science

We study body systems every year in 7th grade. This year we had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Reginald Baptiste, a cardiothoracic surgeon at CHRISTUS St. Michael. Dr. Baptiste was formerly the director of pre-health professions at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin where he founded a Health Sciences Summer Camp to inspire students toward careers in the medical field. He graciously offered to bring some of these lessons and activities to our students! We had an incredible learning experience, hearing from a medical professional about several case studies and then interacting with specimens such as a cow’s heart, sheep brain, and pig lungs. This was a lesson our students will not forget!

by Nicole Ayers, 7th & 8th Grade Math and Science

The 7th and 8th grade class spent the day hiking and taking photos at White Cliffs Recreation Area. Students were split into teams and given a list of items to find for a photography scavenger hunt. We enjoyed a picnic by the river and returned to Texarkana in time for an ice cream treat.

Our students each have a photography website. Please take a look at some of their work!

https://www.stjamesdayschool.org/technology/4st46m3aehkzhzh9zen64bgmkyxese

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th Grades

After weeks of researching, contacting the respective schools, and creating eye-catching tri-folds, the 7th and 8th-grade students were ready to host their first college fair. Sixteen schools were represented: the University of Texas, University of North Texas, LSU, Yale, Purdue, UPenn, University of Alabama, Cornell, Sewanee, Rice, Parsons, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, SAU, and Vanderbilt. The students researched the history, the degrees offered, the student body size, the tuition, the requirements, fun facts, etc. Each student presented his or her findings to attendees as they traveled to each college booth. Thank you to Mrs. Ayres for videoing the presentations during the fair.

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th

We learn about history, we live in the present, and we plan for the future! This was the premise behind the 7th and 8th-grade college fair projects. We began with a wonderful and informative speaker, Riley Rogers, who is a St. James alumna, a Texas High graduate, a University of Oklahoma graduate, and a recent Baylor Law School graduate. She explained her journey from a St. James graduate to a law school graduate and all of her choices of studying abroad, taking a gap year, and having an internship. She had invaluable experience to share with the students.

Students are now working on the research section of their college fair project. They are finding facts about their chosen colleges such as the size of the student body, acceptance rate, motto, mascot, tuition costs, and majors. They were also required to contact their chosen school and request memorabilia for their tri-fold board and their presentation. This proved to be a wonderful learning experience on how to navigate websites and communicate effectively with several people as they kept getting transferred! In the next couple of weeks, students will use their research to create their college tri-fold board and then present them to other students.