Our school is helping all students develop the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the Graduate by our vision and commitment to Supporting the Journey to Excellence. It has been another banner year of growing and connecting at St. James Elementary School. LeeAnne Sears was selected as Teacher of the Year, and Gianna Messina was named Rookie Teacher of the Year. St. James Elementary School was named a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in the area of Exemplary High Performance.
At St. James Elementary, we worked collaboratively to provide our children with a premier education. Teachers applied high yield instructional strategies to his/her planning and executed engaging lessons. Using formative and summative assessments, teachers reflected on student learning and monitor the learning as appropriate. Students self-reflected on learning and set personal growth goals by utilizing data notebooks and journals.
St. James Elementary School continued to develop the whole child through our SEL curriculum, academic award celebrations, character education initiatives, career exhibitions, talent shows, fine arts activities, and extracurricular clubs. Our students also participated in a variety of service learning projects that benefited the Ronald McDonald House in Charleston, local veterans, area food banks, the American Heart Association, and Help4Kids. Additionally, our school participated in the 2024 Nationwide Great Kindness Challenge as we have done in past years. Students and staff spent the week spreading kindness throughout our school community. We wore shirts and other apparel that displayed kind, positive messages. Students wrote thank you cards and kind notes to our staff, bus drivers, and community members. Students and staff participated in a food drive for the St. James High food pantry, toiletry and sock drive for New Horizons, and pajama and book drive for Fostering Hope during the week.
Fifty-six students participated in the Horry County Schools Technology fair on March 27, 2024 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Eighteen St. James Elementary School student entries received awards and recognitions for their projects during the awards ceremony watch party on April 25, 2024.
Our school success is the result of teamwork with all stakeholders. St. James Elementary School is supported by our School Improvement Council, PTA, parents, faith-based partners, community members, and business partners. Together we have worked to enhance our school environment for our children which includes the mission of St. James Elementary School, a richly diverse community of learners committed to a tradition of academic and personal excellence, is to ensure that our children are fully prepared to be productive participants in a constantly changing world through personalized, progressive learning which develops self-motivation, high expectations, lifeskills, and the lifelong pursuit of learning.
Krista Finklea, Principal
Ashley Casey, School Improvement Council Chairperson 2023-2024
