From top to bottom: Markayla, Tyhari, Kayla T, Denajah, Jana, Saheid, Cynthia, Mercedez, Lanae, Adonnis |
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'You Can Do This'
Graduating 8th Graders Will Hear Familiar Words of Encouragement
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he 18 students in the Class of 2021, who graduate on Friday, June 18th, have received 67 acceptances to 27 different high schools — more than any prior years! Four of them will attend boarding schools — another new record.
At graduation, each student will be introduced by a different member of the faculty or staff, who will announce their high school choice (see list of all choices below). Before their sendoff, each will be reminded one more time that “You can do this. You can get smarter. Your work is important for your future. You belong here.”
If those four sentences sound familiar to you, it's because they are spoken at almost every St. James School event. When new students enter St. James, they learn this mantra and hear or speak it regularly thereafter — up to and including graduation day.
If you have any doubt that our 8th graders have internalized the confidence in those words, read what they had to say when asked to share words of wisdom after their years at St. James. Here are some of their responses.
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What is one thing you learned that you will take with you to high school?
Lanae: Never give up on chasing your dreams.
Mercedez: Hard work can be stressful, but it takes hard work to accomplish your goals in life.
Saheid: Have a good relationship with your teachers.
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What is something that you worked hard for that paid off:
Cynthia: Being more open. I'm still working on it, but it has gotten better.
Adonnis: All the effort and time I put into my work. I had plenty of high schools to choose from.
Tyhari: I worked on my grades and now I have good grades.
Jana: Planning ahead really paid off. A lot of things weren't certain this year so having lots of backup plans really helped me stay confident.
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What advice would you share with younger classmates so they can be high school ready:
Denajah: Work hard and always do your homework.
Markayla: Ask for help. Also, if you are going to ask for help, don't do it at the last minute.
Kayla T: Don't procrastinate too much and don't worry about what everyone else is doing.
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Class of 2021 High School Choices |
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Church Farm School
Neiman
Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School
Mercedez
Denajah
Adonnis
Tyhari
Mercersburg Academy
Cynthia
Multicultural Academy
Charter School
Mischa
Perkiomen School
Jana
TECH Freire Charter School
Raheem
Westtown School
Kocheyion
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Cross Creek High School
(North Carolina)
Aaliyah
Lankenau Environmental
Science Magnet High School
Isaiah
Mercy Career &
Technical High School
Markayla
Lanae
Murrell Dobbins Career and Technical Education High School
Nevaeh
Roman Catholic High School
Terrance
Saheid
West Catholic Preparatory
High School
Kayla
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Please join us in congratulating our Class of 2021!
Graduation will be streamed live for all on June 18th at 6 pm,
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Sonya (left) and Tiana (right) chatting in the garden. |
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A Word with… New Graduate Support Staff
Tiana and Sonya
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This spring we welcomed Sonya Kedarnath and Tiana Douglas-Brown to the Graduate Support Team. They quickly settled into their roles, forming connections with current students, graduates, and our high school and college partners. Let's get to know them:
Where were you before St. James School?
Sonya: I was an Admissions Counselor at the University of the Arts in Center City. I graduated from SUNY Oswego with a degree in sociology and am originally from the Bronx.
Tiana: I just graduated from West Chester University, where I studied psychology. I grew up in West Philly and have spent my whole life there.
What brought you to the school?
Sonya: I’ve always been interested in urban education and can definitely see myself working in the education field for a long time.
Tiana: I wanted to work in education and specifically wanted to guide other first-generation students to help them get into college. St. James is a great place to do it. This school is a hidden gem!
What are your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities?
Sonya: I have been working with the current 7th and 8th graders. I’m helping 8th graders prepare for high school, especially the students who are attending boarding school in the fall. With the 7th graders, we’re working on their soft skills, like proper email etiquette. I’m also helping St. James form partnerships with more high schools in the area.
Tiana: I have been working with our graduates who are entering 11th and 12th grade, getting them ready to apply to college. I help them with their grades and provide prep for the SAT/ACT as well.
When you're not on campus, what do you like doing?
Tiana: I like to play video games and travel. One of my favorite trips was to New Orleans.
Sonya: I’m a big foodie — I like cooking, baking, and trying new restaurants. I also love going to the beach.
Favorite place on campus?
Tiana: The chicken coop!
Sonya: I really enjoyed touring the cemetery!
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Sidora, Class of 2025 and her family volunteering at the St. James Garden Table. |
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The Welcome Table Offers St. James Grown Fresh Food Choices at 'Farmers Market' |
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It’s another first for the St. James School community! On Saturday, June 5, The Welcome Table hosted a Farmers Market on what’s affectionately called “the yellow brick road” next to The Church of St. James the Less. It was a great success and will now be repeated each Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm.
After 15 months of distributing food amid COVID-19 restrictions, The Welcome Table staff was thrilled to return to the mission of building community and belonging by giving individuals and families the power of choice. About 100 parents, families, and neighbors came by to choose from fresh produce grown in St. James’ gardens and eggs from our school's chickens, as well as meats and cleaning supplies.
Paul Barrett, Associate Director of The Welcome Table, credited the day's great turnout to the efforts of Rose Cooper and the RAH Civic Association, who helped get the word out.
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After selecting their items, many guests sat in chairs on St. David’s Field and visited with one another. Paul said he hopes that “folks will find the Farmers Market a viable option to get healthy food in an inviting space — one that they can call their own.”
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'I’m So Excited to be Back!' |
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Hi, it's Sydnee here from the St. James Class of 2015! This summer I'm interning with the Advancement team this summer for the second time and I’m so excited to be back! I am starting my junior year at Cabrini University as a Digital Communications major with a minor in Marketing. I'm an RA (resident assistant) on my campus, and I'm on my school's newspaper staff as the Media Managing Editor. I’m looking forward to learning new skills and assets while getting real-world experience. Look for me on St. James’ social media! (Facebook, Instagram) |
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Thank you to our many friends, church communities, donors, sponsors (especially Di Bruno Bros.), committees, volunteers, Board, staff, students, and families for supporting and celebrating our 10th Anniversary Virtual Benefit on Thursday, June 3rd! An estimated 350 people from 213 screens joined us—praying with the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, enjoying NBC News journalist Kristen Welker’s emceeing with 5th grader DeSean, toasting St. James’ 10 years, hearing many student and graduate messages, including a special student interview with Kristen Welker, looking ahead to our new building and expanding programs, and of course recognizing the significant contributions of our honorees: Rosalie Cooper and RAH Civic Association, David Kasievich, Head of School, and The Rev. Andrew Kellner, Chaplain. In case you missed our event, watch it here.
We’re so grateful for our many investors who’ve stretched their giving and are building our new building. Though we are getting closer to meeting our Million Dollar Match, we still need help raising the last 1% — for trusses, doors, and screws. Please invite a friend or two to be part of this exciting time at St. James!
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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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