Good afternoon! What a busy week we had last week! Here are some news and announcements from St. Johns Country Day School covering last week and the week ahead:
Congratulations, Seniors!
On Friday, St. Johns was thrilled to announce college acceptances for the following members of the class of 2022: Kinley Hall (Berry College); Hannah Lemieux (University of Kansas); Kiera Moisan (St. Bonaventure University, Keuka College, University of West Florida); Jonathan Moore (Florida Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida); Mia Morin (Pennsylvania State University, Rollins College); and Emelia Morton (Baylor University). At St. Johns, we know that every college application is an achievement and each acceptance is to be lauded, and we heartily congratulate these seniors on their acceptances.
Swingin' Holiday
Congratulations to Mr. Warren and to the Beginning, Concert, and Symphonic Bands on a truly swingin' concert Thursday evening. Kicking off with a food truck and fun holiday-themed photo opp, the evening continued with great performances from all three bands, including Jingle Bells, African Noel, an energetic rendition of Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! and much more. A good time was truly had by all. Congratulations, everyone!
Middle School Play
Last Wednesday, Middle School theatre students performed in a fun production of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculaton, by Don Zolidis. In it, two intrepid narrators, played by Eve Earp and Alyssa Walker, attempted to portray all 209 fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm in just 45 minutes. Chock full of audience participation and lots of laughs, the show was a great hit. Congratulations to Mr. Riker and all the Middle School drama students!
Stratton Named Athlete of the Quarter
On Wednesday, December 7, Senior Matthew Stratton was honored by Orange Park Rotary as its Athlete of the Quarter. Joined by his family and Director of Athletics Traci Livingston, Matthew was honored at a Rotary lunch and received a plaque. Congratulations, Matthew!
Vote Stratton Runner of the Year
While we're talking about Matthew Stratton '22, please take a moment now to vote for him for Florida Senior Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year with MileSplit.com. The poll is open until 9pm Eastern tomorrow, Wednesday, December 15, so vote today!
Holiday Choral Concert
Hearty congratulations to Ms. Brink, Ms. Gomez, and all of our Spartan choral students on an outstanding Holiday Choral Concert last Tuesday evening. The choruses offered beautiful renditions of Carol of the Bells, All I Want for Christmas Is You, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, and many more, to the delight of the entire audience. Congratulations, students and staff!
Middle School Spelling Bee
Congratulations to all the participants in Tuesday's Middle School Spelling Bee! Everyone did a fabulous job in a bustling fourteen rounds, with Grade 8 students Pamela Hernon and Wyatt Hollingsworth going head to head for the final five rounds. Pamela will move on to represent St. Johns in the Clay County Spelling Bee in January 2022!
Junior Ring Ceremony
Last week the juniors who ordered class rings received them in a touching ceremony which marked the beginning of their journey to senior year, graduation, and beyond. Congratulations, juniors!
Please Support Our Toy Drive
St. Johns' Lower School Student Council is honored once again to host a toy drive to support JP Hall Children's Charities. With your help, we can bring some holiday joy to families around the Jacksonville area. Please send in a new, unwrapped toy appropriate for children from 0-14 years old (please, no weapons, e.g., Nerf guns, knives, light sabers, etc.), either to your child's homeroom teacher, or to the Admin Reception Desk. We'll be accepting donations from now until the morning of Thursday, December 16. Thank you for your support!
Your Gift to the St. Johns Fund
Help us push our programming to the next level in the fine and performing arts, athletics, technology and innovation and more with your family's gift to the St. Johns Fund. Designate your gift in support of an area that benefits your student, or give St. Johns the flexibility to address a critical area of need for our Pre-K3 through Grade 12 community. Support our Spartans today at sjcds.net/give!
Pardon our Dirt, Garden Club at Work!
St. Johns' Garden Club is creating a new and improved butterfly garden and would appreciate donations of gently used shovels, hoes, rakes, a wheel barrow, etc. If you have items you could donate to a great cause, please reach out to Ms. Reynolds at annareynolds@sjcds.net.
Spring Musical Auditions
St Johns' Performing Arts Department is proud to present auditions for our Spring Musical—Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella—on Monday and Tuesday, January 10 & 11. Auditions are open to students in Grades 6-12.
Students will be asked to sing a song from any musical of their choice and will also read from the script. Scripts will be available ahead of time for those who are interested in auditioning. Rehearsals will take place during H periods as well as occasionally after school, and the performances will be April 8 and 9, 2022. Interested students may audition during the school day or after school on January 10 or 11. Please email Mr. Riker for a time slot or for more information.
Character Foundations: Service
This month in Character Foundations, students in all divisions will be learning about and putting into practice service, which is defined as lending a hand to help someone else. Learn more about service and how you can help support St. Johns' lessons at home at sjcds.net/news!
Key Contacts
Some things never change— no matter the circumstances, St. Johns staff stand ready to assist with anything you might need. Please feel free to reach out at any time to:
| Head of School Valorie Baker | vbaker@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Middle and Upper Schools Jackie Lentini | jlentini@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Lower School Otis Wirth | owirth@sjcds.net |
This is the last Campus Update you'll receive until 2022. We hope you have a wonderful and festive Winter Break!