Sponsored by St. Luke’s Episcopal School
Parents and schools alike want to send students out into the world who are confident, well-rounded, and ready for adulthood. At St. Luke’s Episcopal School in Baton Rouge, administrators and teachers believe exposing children to a variety of enrichment activities will help them gain confidence outside of standard classwork that will carry over into other areas of their lives.
While St. Luke’s prides itself on its rigorous academic program, the school’s “portrait of a graduate” includes other important characteristics students possess upon completion of their eighth-grade year. St. Luke’s graduates are critical thinkers, creative learners, effective communicators, servant leaders, respectful community members and team players.
Enrichment classes offered at St. Luke’s include drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, music, band, film, architectural design, photography, 3D modeling and cooking. The school is also excited to be on the cutting edge as the first in the area to offer ESports to middle school students, which will give the school another avenue to foster the principles of sportsmanship, teamwork, strategy, and most importantly, the safe use of technology.
The school is proud to incorporate what it refers to as “mental or academic cross-training” to help reinforce new or difficult concepts. In sports, cross-training refers to the practice of two or more sports to improve performance in their main sport. In the classroom, this is accomplished by reintroducing concepts across the student’s classes. For example, in their art classes, elementary students will learn about patterns and sequences—concepts primarily introduced in math and technology courses—through the art of weaving.
St. Luke’s goal is to make its students adaptable critical thinkers, always considering each student as an individual with individual needs. Where science may not be a student’s strongest subject, participation in enrichment classes may ignite new interests and talents that build confidence and improve a child’s sense of self. From academics to enrichments, the school finds and plays on the strengths of each student, so they bring St. Luke’s “portrait of a graduate” qualities to high school and beyond.