by Nicole Ayers

The Spartan Science Olympiad team competed in the Texas A&M University - San Antonio Regional and placed first overall. We will travel to Texas A&M - College Station next month to compete in the State finals. We are a young team of 5th-8th grade students competing against 6th-9th graders, but we have DRIVE!

Individual awards were as follows:

1st Place

• Codebusters: Katherine, Staten, & John

• Crime Busters: Olivia K & Morgan

• Experimental Design: Livi D, Henry, & Bailey

• Food Science: Henry & John

• Mission Possible: Bailey & Cage

• Mousetrap Vehicle: Cooper & Daniel

• Naked Egg Drop: Morgan & Staten

• Ornithology: Addison & Morgan

• Storm the Castle: John & Daniel

• Write It, Do It: Livi D & Bailey

2nd Place

• Dynamic Planet: Daniel & Taryn

• Electric Wright Stuff: William & Cooper

• Meteorology: Taryn & William

• Ping Pong Parachute: Morgan & Staten

• Road Scholar: Staten & William

• We've Got Your Number: John & Daniel

3rd Place

• Bridge: Henry & Cage

By Susie Rogers, 5th-8th ELA

St. James is known for cultivating a well-rounded student by providing an excellent education, surrounding them Christian love, and providing opportunities to help others. One of the many ways we do this is through volunteering. Yesterday my 7th grade class spent the morning at Opportunities, Inc., helping them make treat bags for their employees and packaging original art created by their clients to sell in stores. Giving back gives us a chance to show our appreciation for our community and make a difference beyond our campus.

By Susie Rogers, ELA, 5th-8th

School is more than “reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic!” At St. James, we encourage, build, provide, and surround students with opportunities to grow not only academically, but spiritually and socially as well. One of the most wonderful traditions is our auction for families and friends. What makes this event unique is that each class either creates an item or experience to offer. The 7th grade class brainstormed on different items to make and decided on a Giant Jenga set. With the help of Mrs. Denise, students cut and sanded 54 blocks to prepare for staining. They then had the help of some sweet and crafty grandparents (Mr. & Mrs. Ayers) who taught them how to stain the blocks. The students decided to add a little twist and add fun facts to the game. They researched unusual trivia to add to their Jenga game and mod-podged the facts on the blocks! So, while they thought they were just getting to skip an ELA class and having fun, I knew they were literally building life skills with brainstorming, planning, executing, problem solving, cooperative learning, and communicating.

As Ben Franklin once said, 

“Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn” 

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

With warmer weather just around the corner, students are getting ready to plant a spring garden. Each student in seventh grade chose one or two sixth graders to work with on this project. They made a fun and “fruity” ceremony to reveal their partners, and students with matching produce formed a team.

Students researched which plants they would like to grow in their designated garden beds and created scale drawings to determine how many of each plant will fit in their allotted space. They are in the process of creating artwork to represent their gardens, which will soon be on display in our commons. We can’t wait to nurture our hand-picked plants with our hand-picked partners!

by Jennifer Jordan, 7th Grade History teacher

Who wouldn’t love the opportunity to travel the world? The Muslim scholar and judge, Ibn Battuta, seized such an opportunity after making a pilgrimage to Mecca from his home in Morocco in the mid-1300s. Bitten by the travel bug and armed with wealth and curiosity, Battuta spent almost 30 years visiting cities and countries across the Muslim-speaking world. The Western world learned about his adventures through Battuta’s travel book, Rihlah, which was translated into English in the 20th century. To cap off our study of medieval African Kingdoms, 7th graders created digital travel brochures highlighting a dozen of the places visited by Ibn Battuta. Each student chose their places, researched them, and wrote persuasive captions for their images. Enjoy these snippets!