By Susie Rogers ELA, 5th-8th

The 7th graders were assigned a "Building Background" project before we started reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. They explored the music, the movies, the television shows, the fashion, and the important events in the 1960's. The students recognized the fact that even 60 years later, some aspects remain the same. By researching and presenting their information from the 1960s, they will be able to immerse themselves into the lives of Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, and Johnny in this classic coming-of-age book. 

  Students were then asked some difficult questions such as: being street smart is more important than being book smart, teenagers everywhere face the same problems, ​​loyalty is extremely important between or among friends, and everyone has felt like an outsider at one time or another.  After much back and forth discussions, all of them agreed to disagree. They did all agree that some of the same problems existed with everyone, and one statement truly resonated  with all of them. When discussing their responses to, “Everyone has felt like an outsider at one time or another,” my students unanimously agreed that they have all felt like an outsider at a point in their life.  With our class novel, they will explore the historical connections, the societal expectations, and family dynamics from then and now. 

For the second year in a row, seventh and eighth grade students hosted a pumpkin patch “field trip” for the preschool. Student planted their seeds over the summer, and they tended to the garden from July to October. The pumpkins were grown to be picked by our 3- and 4-year-old friends. Students each wrote and illustrated an original storybook, and they decorated a pumpkin to display at the pumpkin patch. Adding costumes, music, a hayride and snacks made the experience a delight for all!

“It was very fun growing the pumpkins, and reading to the kids was even more fun.” ~John

“The scarecrow dance was amazing.” ~Cooper

“I enjoyed the pumpkin patch, and it was fun to grow pumpkins.” ~Abigail

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th

Career Day will be in April for my 7th and 8th grade students, and to prepare, we will be having guest speakers throughout the year. I invited Jed Harrelson as our very first guest. Jed is a rising Nashville musician and spent his childhood days at St. James!  He and his brother, Hank, eagerly toured the campus with the 7th grade class reminiscing about their time here. When all of the middle school students gathered, Jed introduced himself and gave a little bit of his background. He then opened the floor for questions, and the students had a lot of them. 

Jed was asked, “When did you start playing guitar?” (8 years old) “Did you take lessons?” (self-taught) “What made you want to perform?” (saw the positive effect music had on others) “How did you react when someone didn’t believe in you?” (Keep going on- as long as you have the passion, don’t let anyone tell you no)  and “What is an average day/week like?” (4 days a week playing up to 8 hours a day.) *Disclaimer- questions and answers are summarized, not verbatim! Jed also gave the students wonderful advice to find something you love doing and make that your career, and if you have a bad day, learn from your mistake and simply keep trying. After fielding questions, Jed performed his new original song, “Olly, Olly, Oxen Free “ We just know it's going to be a hit! 

St. James Day School is not only fortunate to have such an impressive alumnus, but now the students will look back on Jed Harrelson’s visit and be able to say, “I remember when Jed came to see us when he was just starting out, and look at him now!” We all agreed that his talent and charisma will have his name in BIG lights before long. Thank you Jed for sharing your passion, your career, your advice, and your memories.  Listen to his newly released single, “Keep It” on Spotify, and check him out on Facebook: @JedHarrelson: A Music Collective. 

by Danie Ayers, 7th Grade Student

My class loves learning science in seventh grade! We do experiments like Newton’s Cart, dry ice, and looking in the microscopes. We are all also on the Science Olympiad team, and we’ve done research for Plant the Moon and Plant Mars. My favorite science topic is space, and I can’t wait to learn about it this year.

by Jennifer Jordan, History Teacher

As 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, 7th grade commemorated this day through the lens of the heroes who helped others. Specifically, we focused on all of the boat captains who heeded the call to rescue people off Manhattan and on Welles Crowther, the “man in the red bandanna”. After watching the short documentary “Boat Lift” and learning about Welles Crowther’s heroism in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, 7th graders chose the name of one victim on the 9/11 memorial website and researched that person further. Students learned the biographical details of that person and discussed that person’s legacy through their loved ones’ memories. Students then shared about each person so as to remember that person and give each one respect for the sacrifice of his or her life. We learned about a 46 year old NYFD battalion chief, a 23 year old flight attendant, a 32 year old husband whose wife learned she was pregnant on September 12, and a 30 year old bond trader who loved to joke with his best friend. 20 years after this tragedy, the U.S. war with Afghanistan may be over, but we will not forget the heroes who gave their hearts and the ordinary people who gave their lives to fight terrorism.