by Nicole Ayers, 7th & 8th Grade Math and Science

We study body systems every year in 7th grade. This year we had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Reginald Baptiste, a cardiothoracic surgeon at CHRISTUS St. Michael. Dr. Baptiste was formerly the director of pre-health professions at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin where he founded a Health Sciences Summer Camp to inspire students toward careers in the medical field. He graciously offered to bring some of these lessons and activities to our students! We had an incredible learning experience, hearing from a medical professional about several case studies and then interacting with specimens such as a cow’s heart, sheep brain, and pig lungs. This was a lesson our students will not forget!

by Nicole Ayers, 7th & 8th Grade Math and Science

The 7th and 8th grade class spent the day hiking and taking photos at White Cliffs Recreation Area. Students were split into teams and given a list of items to find for a photography scavenger hunt. We enjoyed a picnic by the river and returned to Texarkana in time for an ice cream treat.

Our students each have a photography website. Please take a look at some of their work!

https://www.stjamesdayschool.org/technology/4st46m3aehkzhzh9zen64bgmkyxese

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th Grades

After weeks of researching, contacting the respective schools, and creating eye-catching tri-folds, the 7th and 8th-grade students were ready to host their first college fair. Sixteen schools were represented: the University of Texas, University of North Texas, LSU, Yale, Purdue, UPenn, University of Alabama, Cornell, Sewanee, Rice, Parsons, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, SAU, and Vanderbilt. The students researched the history, the degrees offered, the student body size, the tuition, the requirements, fun facts, etc. Each student presented his or her findings to attendees as they traveled to each college booth. Thank you to Mrs. Ayres for videoing the presentations during the fair.

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th

We learn about history, we live in the present, and we plan for the future! This was the premise behind the 7th and 8th-grade college fair projects. We began with a wonderful and informative speaker, Riley Rogers, who is a St. James alumna, a Texas High graduate, a University of Oklahoma graduate, and a recent Baylor Law School graduate. She explained her journey from a St. James graduate to a law school graduate and all of her choices of studying abroad, taking a gap year, and having an internship. She had invaluable experience to share with the students.

Students are now working on the research section of their college fair project. They are finding facts about their chosen colleges such as the size of the student body, acceptance rate, motto, mascot, tuition costs, and majors. They were also required to contact their chosen school and request memorabilia for their tri-fold board and their presentation. This proved to be a wonderful learning experience on how to navigate websites and communicate effectively with several people as they kept getting transferred! In the next couple of weeks, students will use their research to create their college tri-fold board and then present them to other students.  

by Nicole Ayers, 7th & 8th Grade Math and Science

What would it take to grow plants on the moon? Is it as simple as dropping seeds and sprinkling water into moon dust, or is plant growth more complex than this? These are just a few of the questions students must answer as they embark upon a global challenge to Plant the Moon!

We received a shipment of simulated lunar regolith (moon dust) and have accepted the challenge of designing and conducting an experiment to grow plants in this inhospitable media. It is void of all of the nutrients, organic matter, and microbes necessary for plant growth. Can we bring it to life in a manner that could transfer to a future moon colony? If so, we have the opportunity to present our research to a panel of NASA scientists and other experts!

As part of our research, we had the privilege of an online web-conference with Dr. Wieger Wamelink, an ecologist and exobiologist at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Dr. Wamelink was the first person to prove that plants could be grown in simulated Mars and lunar soils. It was an honor to hear about his experiments and exchanged a few questions and answers with this pioneering researcher.

We also received a special donation for our project from the AquaSprouts company: FOUR aquaponics gardening systems in which to conduct our experiments! The students have been hard at work researching and constructing mini-ecosystems on their quest to Plant the Moon!