Above, Mercedez preparing a high school admissions essay in the Community Room. Below, Jana working from home on her applications.
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High School Readiness in the Time of COVID-19 |
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Our Graduate Support Team makes highly individualized plans to ensure St. James 8th graders find a high school that best fits their needs and future aspirations. Navigating Philadelphia's high school admissions system is complex to begin with, but “COVID-19 has made the search and application process significantly more challenging for the Class of 2021,” says Mandisa John, Associate Director of Graduate Support.
Beginning last March, when members of the Class of 2021 were 7th graders, all in-person high school visits, tours, and interviews were cancelled. Since then, high schools have designed virtual tours and set up virtual interviews and informational office hours. High school admissions officers are saying COVID-19 disruptions have made it harder to gauge a candidate based on report cards, so they are requiring more, such as additional writing samples and/or interviews.
Fortunately, Ms. John says, the Class of 2021 has strengths that are helping students overcome the challenges. “In addition to their innate talents, these 8th graders have made gains academically and are high performers," she shares. "This class also has a higher number of older siblings who’ve already gone through the process so their parents and guardians have a relationship with me, know what to expect, and can leverage that experience.”
Jana, Mercedez, and Kocheyion are three 8th graders who, like most of their classmates, applied to a variety of schools and have already received some acceptance letters. The 8th graders who have been at St. James School since 5th grade have spent three years preparing for high school through the weekly skills class taught by members of the Graduate Support Team.
Jana notes, “It is hard to get a feel for a school virtually. Not only that, none of the school’s extracurriculars or sports are happening, so you can’t tell what they would be like.” Nevertheless, she has a first-choice school that she is very excited about. It became her first choice after Graduate Support helped arrange for her attend a two-week summer camp there in 6th grade. In 7th grade, she met with school representatives when they visited her class.
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Kayla T (8th grade) practices her interviewing skills over Zoom with Board member Susie Lastowski and School Chaplain Father Andrew Kellner.
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Early groundwork laid by Graduate Support also helped Mercedez select her first-choice school. She met with a representative back in 6th grade and has since had three additional virtual meetings. Mercedez has found it “very stressful to manage your academic schedule and the high school application process virtually. If it wasn’t for Ms. John, I would not have gotten this far.” Jana agrees, “Ms. John made a list of all the schools with the dates for their virtual open houses, office hours, and interviews. She also registers you for sessions that are helpful and keeps you on track with your essays.”
Ms. John teaches the weekly Skills class for 7th graders, who focus on personal exploration and learning about different high schools, and 8th graders, who focus on essay writing, interview workshops, and completing applications. Interview workshops have continued over Zoom. The results are notable. An admissions officer from The Perkiomen School sent a note to Ms. John praising Kocheyion for “representing St. James School so well” at a virtual Athletic Information Session.
Ms. John says this 8th grade class has shown a strong interest in boarding and independent schools, including Westtown School, The Perkiomen School, and Mercersburg Academy. She attributes this to the number of students, including Jana and Kocheyion, who took advantage of opportunities to experience life on a boarding school campus and talked it up to their classmates.
As high school acceptances arrive, our 8th graders look forward with excitement to the next chapter in their journey. They hope it will coincide with a return to normal school and social life, free of pandemic restrictions.
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The Welcome Table hosted a safe shopping experience in the church for parents and guardians to select gifts for their student. |
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A Spirit-Filled Season Despite Social Distancing |
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A typical December for the St. James School community has included Lower and Upper School Masses, Sunday Night Community Masses, Lessons and Carols, and shared community meals, as well as an Advent celebration bringing sweet treats, gifts, and a lot of joy before our week-long break.
Advent and Christmas 2020 were not typical, but the season's themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, were felt throughout. While we could not gather physically, we did not let this stop us from staying connected. School prayer continued virtually, discussions on the themes of Advent were held in classes and meetings throughout the month, and our livestream church services began on Christmas Eve.
An outpouring of support from individuals, businesses, and churches lifted spirits by enabling us to make sure every student received a gift. In addition, families who needed support with winter gear and coats, food, and gifts for other family members, received those as well.
Over school break, The Welcome Table remained open for regular Saturday food distribution and pastoral care. We remain committed to being a community in which all have what they need, and we are thankful for the partnerships that continue to aid in our mission every day.
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Virtual Puppet Shows are a St. James First! |
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Our 5th graders performed two virtual puppet shows, starring puppets they made themselves: The Water Taxi and Learning to Do the Right Thing (click on the links to watch). Through their preparations, students learned the story of Jonah and the whale and learned about making smart choices. They got to exercise their creativity by naming their puppets and giving each one a backstory!
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For Halloween, new Servant Year members Keriann DeLine and Emily Jones dressed up as the Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle! |
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A Word with ... New Servant Year Members Keriann DeLine and Emily Jones |
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Emily Jones and Keriann DeLine joined St. James School for the 2020-21 Servant Year program. Emily teaches art, science, and social studies to the 4th graders, and science to the 5th graders. Keriann teaches 5th grade English Language Arts and mathematics. Previously, Emily worked at a non-profit in Nashville, helping connect students to non-profit work. Keriann was a special education teacher in Guyana through Mercy Volunteer Corps.
What led you to apply for a Servant Year placement at St. James?
Keriann: I heard about the school through my sister, who occasionally works with the Graduate Support team. My love for teaching and interest in St. James' Episcopal-focused curriculum led me to apply.
Emily: A lot of things about the school attracted me, from the bees and chickens in the garden to the mission statement and students.
Aside from teaching, what Servant Year activities do you enjoy?
Keriann: We assist with Sunday Mass at the church and participate in Wednesday Bible study. We also go on retreats with the Servant Year members from Saint Mark's Church every semester.
Emily: The Servant Year program has a big emphasis on community, which I love! We live in community on campus and organize monthly outings so we can spend time together.
What's your favorite thing about teaching at St. James?
Emily: The students are creative, sincere, and funny. They are also genuinely compassionate and encourage their peers. Sometimes they even encourage the teachers!
Keriann: I love watching the students get excited about their learning and growth. I love their funny moments and "a-ha!" moments! I’m so impressed with how much they participate in the face of this year’s challenges.
What are you looking forward to in 2021?
Emily: I'm excited about an upcoming social studies program that highlights black history and black achievement!
Keriann: I'm excited for students to eventually come back to school when it's safe and see their faces in person.
When you’re not teaching, what could we most likely find you doing?
Keriann: I love to be outdoors, so skiing and hiking. I've been doing a lot of nature walks.
Emily: I love to paint and draw. I also love anything that involves coffee!
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Thank You for Rising with Us! |
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As members of our community, you make a difference every time you donate, volunteer, or inspire others to help St. James. In an unprecedented year, you ROSE to the challenge and helped us RISE to even greater heights with your support. From food, to clothing, to sanitizing supplies, to technology, to counseling, our students and graduates are not only fed and cared for, they are staying strong and resilient. Thank you for your tremendous generosity in closing out a tumultuous year!
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Over 440
donors made a gift
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Helping us raise
23%
above our total
year-end goal
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74
new donors joined the St. James family
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Gifts came from
23
states/provinces (including Canada!)
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4,000+
Christmas cards mailed
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More than 60
individuals, including staff, parents, Board and committee members, and six students, helped write personal notes for every year-end mailing piece
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Welcome Table team members made
40
home visits per week during Advent, delivering food and winter gear, and checking in on our families
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December volunteers:
17 Zoom tutors
6 gardeners
25 at Welcome Table 1 Alumni Woodshop
3 Wellness Center
2 church helpers
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St. James School is a faith-based Philadelphia middle school in the Episcopal tradition, committed to educating students from an under-resourced neighborhood within a nurturing environment. The school is a community that provides a challenging academic program and encourages the development of the moral, spiritual, intellectual, physical and creative gifts in its students. |
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