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Ma'Rayah, a 7th grader, lights an Advent candle as Nala, a 5th grader, awaits her turn

December is a lively and joy-filled month within the walls of the school. As our faculty and staff weave Advent themes into learning and celebration, the winter darkness feels a little brighter. Moments of community, creativity, and reflection fill our days as we move together through this sacred season of waiting.

Our band and choir practicing for the Winter Band Concert

Our young musicians took center stage at the Winter Band Concert on December 12th. Under the dedicated leadership of Allie Sinatra, Concert Band Director, and Vanessa Howard, Music Educator & Director of Liturgical Music, students have been practicing with energy and enthusiasm. Their hard work shone brightly on concert night as families, neighbors, staff, and students packed the Community Room to hear the joyful sounds of brass, winds, and percussion. It was a beautiful reminder of the power of music to bring us together.

Scenes from last year's Student Advent Party (left) and Winter House Cup

On December 19th, we’ll celebrate our annual Student Advent Party. Advent invites us to slow down, to prepare, and to notice the ways God shows up in our lives. Each morning, we wish our students “Happy Advent,” and each day we light our Advent wreath at lunch and again at Mass. The Advent Party blends spiritual grounding with festive fun: games, crafts, cookies, hot cocoa, and the simple joy of being together.

We’ll close out the season with a favorite St. James tradition, the Winter House Cup, on December 22nd. The four houses — Benevolentia, Humilitas, Industria, and Patientia — will compete in a series of challenges testing brain and brawn. With sportsmanship at the heart of every activity, students will rotate through events across campus and end the day in the Community Room for the always-popular Reindeer Games!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for photos and updates from all these December celebrations.

You may know that Graduate Support prepares and guides St. James graduates while connecting them with opportunities and supporting their journeys through high school, college, careers, and beyond. Alumni of all ages come back to campus from across the city, state, and country for conversations with counselors and socializing over snacks or dinner in the Huskies Hangout.

You may not know that each month, Graduate Support hosts fun relationship-building events on and off-campus! These events span a wide range, from movie and board game nights to basketball tournaments and haunted house tours. Whatever the event, the purpose is the same: to remind graduates that they will always have an intentional community that wants to play an active part in their lives. 

Graduates Josh (‘24) and Cedrick (‘24) showing off their Vision Boards 

Graduates Mariah (‘24) and Saani (‘22) carving their pumpkins

In September, when graduates were naturally thinking about their goals for the new school year, Graduate Support hosted an evening of Vision Boarding, the process of physically collaging together pictures, words, and ideas to construct a depiction of your ideal life. 

In October, Graduate Support teamed up with the Welcome Table to host Grad Night Market. Alumni could select fresh groceries for themselves and their families while catching up with friends, playing basketball, and carving pumpkins.  

To celebrate Halloween,18 of our bravest graduates, along with staff members Annie Wilder and Tayza Hill, took in Philadelphia’s spookiest event: the Haunted House at Eastern State Penitentiary. Alums formed a human chain as they moved through the darkness, holding onto each other for dear life when performers lunged at them from every direction! 

Our fearless group gathers outside Eastern State Penitentiary

November saw graduates joining in the St. James Thanksgiving Family Feast, an annual tradition that brings alumni together with current students, staff, and families. Before the Feast, Seniors vs. Freshman faced off in a Family Feud game hosted by the one and only Kevin Todd, former Director of Graduate Support and current VP of Operations at St. James.

Our 2025 events wrapped up with a spoof of the popular internet interview show, Hot Ones. Grads and staff answered silly questions while eating increasingly spicy hot wings. Faces got redder and redder, milk was chugged, and ice cream devoured as participants laughed, cried, and poked fun at each other. 

No two events were alike, but all provided a welcoming and engaging space where our graduates know they belong. 

Five emissaries from the Community of St. James and St. Asaph’s Church (Bala Cynwyd), a longtime partner of St. James, visited a school in South Africa last month. The Rev. Andrew Kellner (former School Chaplain at St. James, current Rector of St. Asaph’s), and Director of the Servant Year (Episcopal Service Corps) Program, was making a return trip arranged through the Love Must Act He was joined by Sonya Kedarnath, Assistant Head of School for Graduate Support; St. James School graduates Semaj (Class of 2023) and Saani (Class of 2022); and Joanne Behm, a member of St. Asaph’s and former St. James employee.

Holy Cross School in Makhanda is mission-aligned with St. James: a faith-based institution dedicated to serving an under-resourced community by providing students with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive and reach their full potential. During the visit, the St. James emissaries immersed themselves in the school’s curriculum and culture, learning about education in South Africa by living it. They taught and tutored students, assisted with preparations for a school play, and engaged deeply with the life of the school community.

The experience offered powerful connections between classroom practice and broader themes of race relations, resilience, and identity. In addition to time spent in classrooms, the group shared moments exchanging Huskies stuffed animals, witnessed Fr. Kellner blessing the groundbreaking for a building extension that will house an arts program, and visited Nelson Mandela’s House and Museum. The visit also included time at a game preserve in Sibuya.

Conversations during the trip also opened the door to exploring future partnerships between St. James, Graduate Support, St. Asaph’s, and Holy Cross School, strengthening shared commitments to faith, education, and global community.

The Student Ambassador Choir sings during Mass on the third Sunday of each month in the Church of St. James the Less

All ages enjoy the buffet at Family Fun Day Sunday, organized by our Servant Year staff and Chaplaincy Team the third Sunday of the month

Student Garden Club members work on their service project: potting spider plants for the Welcome Table's Saturday Farmers Market

Parents and guardians are proud to see their students recognized at the quarterly Awards Breakfast, where honors are bestowed for academics, character, achievements, and perfect attendance

The Huskies Basketball Team has had great success this season, always cheered on by enthusiastic fans - Go Huskies!

Applause applause, for the very first Graduates Reunion, Classes of 2015-2017 — a great turnout for a nostalgic night of catching up

St. James School | 215-226-1276 | www.StJamesPhila.org