The StG Blog

The Graduation and Awards Ceremony for the St. George's Class of 2021 was a beautiful morning of shared memories and moments of celebration for a group of brand new StG alumni with achievements galore. Today's blog lists their accolades, as well as awards given at our Fifth through Seventh Grade Awards Ceremony, and provides more photography from yesterday's graduation at St. George's Episcopal Church. We are so proud of all of our Dragons!

Thank you to the Maintenance staff for taking time out of your very busy days-- to sit with us, to be interviewed and to form connections with the students. Our St. George’s community is made up of many people and many jobs, and this week was a wonderful way to demonstrate how important that is. Cheers to Maintenance Staff Appreciation Week 2021!

St. George's Parents Group President and Board of Trustees member Laura Wilt reflects on her childhood, during which she was frequently the "only minority in virtually every room" and speaks to the StG community's power to inspire lifelong learning for both students AND parents.

"The magic of this real-world simulation has been in the way we have seen students develop as critical thinkers in a collaborative environment. They have needed to build consensus in order to succeed. And every child is involved. Students who struggle with writing are eager to record their ideas. Students who have usually been quiet in social studies are now loud participants in the process. At varying points, each child gets to be a leader."

Chances are, if you passed by the Salem Theatre last Thursday or Friday, you would have had no inclination that magic was happening inside...but let us assure you that, indeed, there was. Bravo on spectacular production, cast and crew of The Phantom Tollbooth!

The annual 8th grade trip to our nation’s capital is a cherished tradition that many alumni consider their favorite St. George’s memory. As the week approached when we would have normally made the trip, our community sensed anew the loss of this tradition. So, as with most things in life this year, we had to become flexible adapters with regards to our DC trip. Putting our heads together we thought, “Let’s bring DC to StG.” And thus “#DCtoStG” was born.

Starting Small is a volunteer professional learning community made up of Early Childhood staff at St. George’s Episcopal School. We focus on learning about and actively employing anti-racism and anti-bias practices in the StG Early Childhood Division.

What makes one student confident enough to tackle a challenging math problem and another intimidated and unwilling to try?

"How utterly improbable, how absolutely unprecedented a year it’s been. Improbably, with masks on and hands sanitized and desks over-wiped, with physical distancing and a spate of quarantines and all of the roller coaster surges and spikes in cases, here we still are, learning together and so nearly all on campus together."

St. George's Board of Trustees Vice-Chair and Lower School parent Annie Michaels describes her family's recent trip to Montgomery and Selma, Alabama-- a significant step in their JEDI journey and one that allows her to see JEDI work through her sons' eyes.

Jake Guth, Middle School Spanish Teacher, discusses his experience attending the NAIS People of Color Conference, providing his five key takeaways: Dr. Bettina Love; the complexity and evolving identity of ourselves; calling in > calling out; affinity groups; and moving beyond allyship.

We're reflecting back this week on the Saints' 2020 NFL season and our favorite players with student quotes. St. George's is grateful for the normalcy and spirit cheering for our favorite guys in black and gold brought to our community!

"JEDI work is hard; it’s uncomfortable, and it’s relentless, but it is rewarding. It challenges how we think and how we feel. I am impressed and in awe of the number of faculty, staff, parents and board members that are not satisfied with the status quo and want to see more justice, equity, diversity and inclusion at St. George’s and in our community at large. It won’t happen tomorrow, next week or even next month, but we will be a place where each child is appreciated not only for their learning style, but also for every diverse characteristic they bring to St. George’s."

Yesterday brought events that affected us as New Orleanians and Americans. It is accurate to say that we have a dual pandemic, and the national health and safety challenges to our well-being are equaled by the challenges to not only our core principles of civil discourse and decency but also democracy. What happened at the Capitol as well as the levels of community spread are both alarming, and both hit home.
 

"2020 taught us that we are stronger together. Challenges may overwhelm us as individuals, but, as a community, we can be positively transported. Let’s continue together to put wheels on our prayers with renewed purpose in the new year."

"The world of education is a deeply impactful societal structure, and we are ready and prepared to ensure that we start here at our school, at St. George’s, with being a part of the solution and not the problem." 

Our Opening Service, a St. George's tradition, looked a little bit different this year. Dr. Kreutziger addressed the students-- present and via recording-- and discussed superheroes and masking. Most superheroes wear masks, correct? What about everyday superheroes wearing face coverings to keep the community safe from COVID-19?