NEWS

2nd Annual Feast Day of St. James the Less

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The 2nd annual feast day of St. James the Less — the patron saint of St. James School and the Church of St. James the Less — was celebrated in grand style. The feast day was attended by staff, students, family members and supporters.

Special guests ring the bells for our feast day to begin

The day began with an 11am solemn procession from the school house to the Church of St. James the Less. Students processed with icons of St. James, flags, and drums, all in celebration of our patron saint. The church bells were pealed by Joanne Townsend, Joyce Rehorst, Mel Bonder, and Thomas H. Lewis, Jr – all contributors to our Sponsor the Students Program.

The service was officiated by The Rev. Erika Takacs, Associate Rector of Saint Mark’s Church (Locust Street) and a truly engaging sermon was delivered by Ms. Laura Dimer, School Principal. Ms. Dimery challenged the students to embrace the many ways that we are related to one another and accept the many signs of love that surround us. Principal Dimery pointed out that our family lineage is not clear for many of us and so is true for our saintly ancestors. Ms. Dimery encouraged the congregation to prepare for the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday by honoring and giving gratitude for the many people in our lives who provide a motherly presence.

After Mass, the school hosted a festive lunch which was provided by the generosity of friends and family members. Students provided extraordinary hospitality to our guests and in return, guests felt welcomed and excited about the mission of St. James School.

After lunch, the students broke into groups and canvassed the neighborhood for litter and volunteered at SHARE, a food distribution center which provides food for families most in need of food.Service has become an important characteristic of what embodies a St. James School.

Students are proud to be a part of the legacy of St. James the Less, their patron saint and are also proud of their own efforts to blaze new trails and leave their own legacy in our world.

Epsicopal Academy BBQ

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The culmination of a year long service partnership between St. James School and Episcopal Academy (EA) took place on a picture perfect day.

Students departed the school just after morning meeting and arrived around 10am for a pre-lunch set of outdoor activities. EA and St. James students broke up into groups of four, each participating in team events that included: kickball, capture the flag, soccer and tennis baseball. The teams switched every half hour, then broke for lunch at noon.

Led by EA teachers and staff, Tim Gavin led the group in prayer while teachers prepared grilled burgers and hot dogs. Students enjoyed the rest of the afternoon by playing basketball, frisbee and soccer, and just generally letting loose by playing on the swings and rolling down the lush green hills of the school campus.

The day marks the end of a remarkable year of six alternating service trips at which 5th grade students from each school traveled to meet and perform service activities as a show of common interest. The program’s success has proven worthy for another year that will begin at the start of the 2013-2014 academic year.

2nd Annual Ballroom Dancing Grand Finale

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After 9 weeks of learning and practice, the 6th grade class was finally ready to showcase their knowledge of dance. The progress that students have made since last year’s class was noted by all in attendance.

Led by instructor Kristen DelMarcelle (a Philadelphia-based theatre artist and instructor for Dancing with the Students), the students seemingly had their first lesson down pat.

Dancing with the Students was delevoped by Susan Shea in 2005 as a way to teach manners, respect, and etiquette to children, while learning to Waltz, Tango, Swing and Merengue. Without any knowledge of dance, Sue (a special education teacher) did her research and made her way to Arthur Murray Dance Studio where she met Samantha Bellomo, who would become her friend and inspiration.

The students have really transformed in many ways during their 45-minute lessons once a week. Most notably, of course, is their skill in dance. They are quite suave out on the floor and showcase a real grasp of rhythm, timing and steps.

Parents, staff, board members and friends of St. James School came out in numbers to watch this grand finale. Broken into two groups, they paired off with their partner and demonstrated a brief sampling of the dance music being played in the background. Each group was judged by the dance instructors and assistants, and then asked back for a second call.

Each student was awarded a medal of honor, and pairs were awarded for best in dance categories. The St. James School Community is most grateful to Dancing with the Students for their time, their talent and their love of dance.

Visit to the Barnes Foundation

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Students experienced their first tour of the Barnes Foundation.

The subject of day for 6th graders focused on the ensembles designed by Dr. Barnes, specifically why things at the Barnes are arranged differently than other museums. The 5th grade tour was about the characteristics of Impressionism. They also talked about factors that influenced artists during the Impressionist Period.

The trip was the start of a 6th grade study of Monet’s work and his use of color. In the coming weeks, the 5th graders will be learning about Vincent Van Gogh and will study his use of complementary colors as well as his tendency to look at nature up close.

Another exciting element of the day included travel to the museum via Septa, which was fun and educational for all. Everyone had fantastic small group tours plus a chance to draw from life outside along the Ben Franklin Parkway and on the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.