Lower School News

“Flat Students” Welcome Parents

With a nod to the Flat Stanley books, Grade 2 students made life size replicas of themselves to welcome parents to their classroom for St. Johns’ August parent open house. The replicas were a fun, handy way to greet parents and help them find their child’s seat!

Lower School Student Council Elections

In September, students in Grades 4 and 5 had the opportunity to run for various positions on the Lower School Student Council, including Historian, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. Students made posters for display in the Lower School hallway, and on September 9, delivered speeches to family, friends, and fellow students in the Performing Arts Center. “Everyone did a fantastic job on both posters and speeches,” said Head of Lower School Otis Wirth. Votes were then tallied and verified, and Mr. Wirth announced the results at flag raising the following morning. The 2021-2022 Lower School Student Council officers are Historian Claire Galnor ’29, Treasurer Noah Rosenau ’30, Secretary Miley Desguin ’30, Vice President Wade Sabbagh ’30, and President Max Rivera ’29.

Wade Sabbagh ’30

Noah Rosenau ’30

Miley Desguin ’30

Max Rivera ’29

Welcome Back, Grandparents!

Grandparents Day 2021

After the School was forced to cancel Grandparents Day last year due to COVID-19, St. Johns was thrilled to welcome our Lower School grandparents and “grand-friends” back to campus on November 11. Grandparents joined us in the Performing Arts Center for a rousing and patriotic show in honor of Veterans Day, and then had brunch on the new patio and Quad area before joining their grandchildren for a classroom tour. The day was capped off with a visit to the Scholastic Book Fair, which took place all week.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

In November, the Lower School Student Government sponsored a food drive for the Food Pantry of Green Cove Springs. With strong support from all three divisions and the whole St. Johns community, the Lower School gathered and donated about 800 pounds of much-needed food and personal items for the food pantry.

Ben Forbrich, Head of Lower School for the Day!

Ben Forbrich '32

At the 2021 Gala & Auction: A Night in Old Havana, Grade 2 student Ben Forbrich’s parents bid on and won “Head of Lower School for a Day” for him, and he seized the day in September. With help from his predecessor, Mr. Wirth, Ben helped out with morning carpool, attended flag raising, developed evaluation criteria for teachers and learning metrics for students (e.g., are they better than him at Prodigy?), and evaluated Lower School classrooms. He also helped out in some of the younger classrooms and was sure to make it back to his “real” classroom for apple pie in celebration of Johnny Appleseed! Sounds like a great day all the way around!