Grounded in Tradition, Prepared for the Future

Grounded in Tradition, Prepared for the Future:

REDEFINING ST. JOHNS’ MISSION

When Dr. and Mrs. Heinrich founded St. Johns in 1953, the idea of a college prep school was groundbreaking. But the world has changed dramatically over the past nearly 70 years, and we know that graduates of tomorrow need a whole host of skills and experiences that weren’t so much as a glimmer in Dr. Heinrich’s eyes during his time as our first Headmaster. That’s why St. Johns has been working to redefine the college preparatory experience, to root it in helping students cultivate the skills they will need in order to be prepared for college and the 21st century workforce beyond.

“Our goal is to develop students who seek solutions, accept responsibility, and create collaboration,” says Head of School Valorie Baker. “These are the college-ready skills that students need to be effective team members for the employers of tomorrow.”

Head of School Valorie Baker (left) with student and staff of NFSSE

So what does that mean?

1. Seek Solutions

A St. Johns student is one who actively seeks out answers and solutions to problems, both in and out of the classroom. Not content to sit and be passively spoon-fed information, a St. Johns student seeks active engagement with the content, collaborators, their own education, and their future.

For example, in St. Johns’ new Technology Center, students work daily with virtual reality, 3D printers, and on computers to bring lessons to life, travel to faraway places, and create just about anything their minds can imagine.

For example, this fall in Mr. Stern’s history classes, students used virtual reality in St. Johns’ Technology Center to more deeply explore global memorial. Below, Juniors Tripp Vogt and Thomas Pounds look through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany. “Being able to explore memorials like this one really brought this lesson home for students in a way that merely reading about it or listening to me talk about it just can’t match,” said Stern.

Juniors Tripp Vogt and Thomas Pounds

2. Accept Responsibility

A St. Johns student accepts responsibility not just for the work at hand but also for their role in school, in their communities, and as a global citizen.

Director of Student Life and Boys Basketball Coach Ian Gibson

As St. Johns’ new Director of Student Life, Mr. Ian Gibson (above) is working to establish collaborations with other schools and organizations in the community where students can jump in, complete service opportunities, and learn the value of helping others. For example, last fall he led several student community service trips to the North Florida School for Special Education (NFSSE).

Director of Student Life Ian Gibson (far left) with Middle School Assistant Kim Kurnitsky (far right) and a group of Grade 8 students at the Northeast Florida School for Special Education.

“Community service is so important for students and young adults of all ages,” says Gibson. “It’s important to cultivate a servant heart, putting others first in all that you do.”

This cultivation is essential not just for the students themselves but also for their college applications, and for life beyond school and college. “Our hope is that these new relationships with groups like NFSSE will become long-term collaborations, with opportunities for St. Johns students to grow and develop over time, and see what a commitment to service looks like and what it can do, both for you and for the recipient.”

3. Create Collaboration

Grade 8 students Sydney Schmidt and Brooke Pickett collaborate on an art mural

A St. Johns student knows that some solutions require a collaborative approach. They are readily able to identify the various skills and perspectives a particular problem requires and they don’t hesitate to pull together the right group of collaborators to get to work on it, comfortable working with groups and understanding their role within the group.

St. Johns teachers put that practice into action every day in their classrooms and nowhere is that more evident than in a collaboration on curricular mosaics led by Visual Arts Department Chair Anna Reynolds and her Grade 8 art students. “It started with an idea to replace some older art panels on display in the Middle School building,” said Reynolds, “and grew from there.” It was time for an update of the aged panels, created by Middle School students years ago, and Reynolds had the idea to do mosaics depicting the various curricular areas.

“It’s been a real collaboration,” said Reynolds. “There are twelve panels to replace, so first the students brainstormed the subject areas to include.”

Then they thought about what images best convey each subject, sketched out some ideas, and routed those through Department Chairs. “The Department Chairs had to review and approve all of the content areas to be depicted,” said Reynolds. “That way we know that we’re showing the most important, relevant concepts in each mural.”

“The goal is to complete at least two panels each year,” sums Reynolds. “The Visual Arts and Science panels are done and waiting to be installed, and History is in the design process and will start soon!” We can’t wait to see these projects and the exciting makeover for Middle School!