When the weather begins to cool in downtown Baton Rouge, students and alumni of St. James Episcopal Day School know it’s time for the school’s beloved annual Fall Carnival. Come December, students and their families break out the sprinkles and icing to build edible houses on Gingerbread Day, another longstanding school tradition. But it doesn’t have to be a special occasion to experience the strong sense of community and connection at St. James; this is a feeling that is nurtured every day of the school year.
“Regardless of who you talk to, anyone who has been part of the St. James family feels that connection, and that’s something that we believe is unique to St. James,” says Head of School Bridget Henderson. “We do things intentionally and by design to create that bond.”
Founded in 1948, St. James Episcopal Day School has always welcomed parents and families to be closely involved in their children’s school activities. Parents are always invited to have lunch with their children, so the midday meal is frequently a time of multi-generational connection. What could be more fun than experiencing part of a son or daughter’s school day firsthand, watching them laugh and interact with friends and classmates while making memories together?
“The size of our school and the size of the classes means that we have opportunities to connect that other people might not,” Henderson says. Each fall, a St. James tailgate party before an LSU football game draws families of students in all grade levels. At another time of year, there’s Family Game Night, an annual fundraiser organized by the fifth-grade students, but open to all St. James students and their families.
That feeling of connection is also fostered by St. James’ 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, which ensures that each student and family’s experience at the school is personalized and tailored to their needs. “By day two of a school year, every teacher knows every child. When they get out of the car in the morning, every child is greeted by name, and when they get in the car at the end of the day, every child is told goodbye by name,” Henderson says. “We’re always glad to connect even outside of school as well, and that is certainly unique to communities like ours.”
Within this warm and safe school environment, students at St. James build the confidence to grow in their academic pursuits. “We know the importance of feeling known and heard even at a very young age,” says St. James Marketing Director Jennifer Whittington. “Our students know that their voices are important and their connection to this community is important, and all of the community stakeholders here love each and every child.”
Even while connecting to the school’s past through its strong traditions, St. James is also linking to the future through forward-thinking academic programs. The school’s emphasis on project-based learning taps into students’ interests and at the same time gives them an opportunity to be valued contributors in their school community since they guide the projects they undertake. “That is also a wonderful and effective way for them to develop those communication skills and problem-solving skills that are going to serve them so well,” Henderson says. “We bring in many guest experts through our project work, and students are learning interview skills and how to show poise, not only in interacting with these experts, but by developing into subject experts themselves. Ultimately these student experts share their knowledge with the greater school community in creative ways that are unique and individual to them.”
Community itself is the focus of one grade level’s project work, giving students the chance to go on field experiences to areas close to and beyond the school’s downtown campus. “They take many walking field trips as part of this learning,” Henderson says, noting that on one such experience, the students strolled through a historic neighborhood and talked to longtime residents on their porches. Enriching moments like these point to the advantage of St. James’ downtown location, with proximity to numerous businesses and landmarks that can be linked to learning.
Even after students graduate from St. James at the end of fifth grade, they retain their connection to this community. Sixth graders receive free passes to return to the school Carnival for what Henderson says is a chance to “experience once again all the fun that they remember.” When St. James alumni are seniors in high school, they are invited back to a Eucharist service to be recognized and then to tour the school, visit their old classrooms, and leave notes for their former teachers. The list of opportunities for alumni and families to renew their connection to St. James is long.
“There’s a real intentionality behind creating the community here, and I think that’s why it sticks,” Henderson says. “Even after students leave here, they stay close, and they see themselves as part of the St. James family.”
families to be closely involved in their children’s school activities. Parents are always invited to have lunch with their children, so the midday meal is frequently a time of multi-generational connection. What could be more fun than experiencing part of a son or daughter’s school day firsthand, watching them laugh and interact with friends and classmates while making memories together?
on project-based learning taps into students’ interests and at the same time gives them an opportunity to be valued contributors in their school community since they guide the projects they undertake. “That is also a wonderful and effective way for them to develop those communication skills and problem-solving skills that are going to serve them so well,” Henderson says. “We bring in many guest experts through our project work, and students are learning interview skills and how to show poise, not only in interacting with these experts, but by developing into subject experts themselves. Ultimately these student experts share their knowledge with the greater school community in creative ways that are unique and individual to them.”
