We always love hearing what our community has to say about St. James. Read below from a few or our beloved families and faculty as they share their love for St. James! And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you never miss another St. James Story!
The Allen Family
“When we started looking at schools for John Patrick and Meredith, there were certain things about St. James, like small class sizes, enrichment opportunities, and an integrated curriculum, that immediately drew our interest. After touring the school, we came away struck by the quality of the teachers and academic achievements of the students, in addition to the school campus and facilities. Having the Nest as an option for Meredith (who was 2 years old at the beginning of last school year), was ideal for a busy family who benefitted from a single drop off and pick up time. And allowed her to go to school with her big brother!
Having two children with different personalities, strengths, and interests, we were impressed by how the teachers were able to identify those qualities that made them special and utilize their strengths in the classroom and on the playground to encourage learning and personal growth. It has been such a solid foundation to build from in the years going forward.
By the end of our first year there, we were overwhelmed by the love that everyone in the school had for our children and the excitement John Patrick and Meredith had for school. Every time we were on campus, whether for a holiday event, birthday lunch, or Friday church service, there was such a sense of joy among the students that really makes St. James special.
Now as we start the new school year, we are so excited to see what fun new things are in store. We love St. James!”
Dr. Mallory Allen
New Beginnings, Endless Opportunities!
The Carter Family
As a family new to Baton Rouge, stepping into the warm embrace of St. James Episcopal Day School has been nothing short of a blessing! From day one, my twin daughters, Evi and Evonna, have been enveloped in a world of learning, friendship, and growth.
In just our first year at St. James, I’ve witnessed my girls thrive in ways I never imagined possible. From making their first best friends to shining on the PreK soccer team, every moment has been filled with joy and discovery.
But what truly warms my heart is seeing them explore their passions in art, science, and music, and nurturing their relationship with God.
Transitioning to a new home and school could have been daunting, but the St. James community welcomed us with open arms! The endless playdates and parent participation opportunities have made us feel right at home.
As we join in celebrating St. James’ 75 years of excellence, I am filled with gratitude for the nurturing environment it provides. Here’s to many more years of learning, laughter, and love at St. James!
Celeste Carter
The Pesses Family
St. James has played such a major role in our lives that, over time, it has become part of our family fabric. We have been Day School parents for over a decade and are grateful that all three of our daughters have had an opportunity to live the unparalleled experience of St. James. While each carved their own unique path through St. James, there’s beauty in the commonality they share through the school. Some things might have changed over the years, but the core elements that make it such a special place – many of the same wonderful teachers and school traditions – have remained constant. Underlying this all is the teaching of kindness and love displayed daily by the teachers and administration. From the beginning, we have valued this above all else.
Thankfully, we still have a few more years at St. James before our youngest daughter graduates. We try not to think about the days when we’re no longer hearing her sing at Friday church services or joining her for Blessing of the Animals. There are many other big events that we’ll remember fondly, but it’s really the little things that stick. The hugs teachers give the kids at morning dropoff and the sincere care we hear from them on conference day are what really mean the most.
We feel a deep sense of pride and sincere gratitude to be part of the larger St. James community, both Church and School, where our children have felt a sense of belonging and have been known and valued for exactly who they are. It is such a special place!
Mary & Josh Pesses
The Neil Family
As I walk the halls of St. James each day, I often feel the warmth of memories of days past. As a student here in the late 1970s, early 1980s, the days were filled with laughter, joy, the support of our loving teachers, and, of course, the undeniable presence of our principal, Mrs. Terry. We celebrated Easter by making bonnets with Mrs. Butler, learned to read in Mrs. Callicott’s class with “Sam and Ann”, and made giant Thanksgiving totem poles out of chicken wire and crepe paper with Mrs. Ashmore.
As the years fled past, my own two sons joined the story of St. James. There were new memories to be made for them with the anxious return of “Flat Stanley”, the State Fair, and the excitement surrounding the fifth grade “senior trip”. Yet, our most celebrated traditions have endured. We share the moments and experiences of Carnival, making Christmas plates, (which we now have quite a combined collection), the wearing of red and white robes and singing “Silent Night” in the Christmas program, and field trips to the Old State Capitol for the joy of rolling down the hills. The joy and dedicated support of the teachers and administration, is always at the forefront. Through these moments, we share a precious and unique bond with each other, as well as with this truly special school.
I thank you, St. James, for the years gone by, and the memories yet to come. Happy 75th Anniversary!
Katherine D’Armond Neil
The Kantrow Family
The end of a school year is a bittersweet time. Of course, the kids are excited for summer and all it entails, but sad they will not see their school friends as often. We, as parents, share in our kids’ excitement for the summer, but stress about the summer logistics.
The end of this school year is particularly bittersweet for our family. Our younger son, Raph, is a fifth grader at St. James and will be graduating from St. James in a few weeks (as his older brother, Josh, did a few years ago).
I attended St. James as a child, along with my three older siblings, Buster, Sara and Lucie, and had a wonderful experience. I remember fondly my schoolmates, my teachers, the old asphalt playground, the ring-toss during carnival, and riding to school every day with my father, who is an attorney who worked (and continues to work) downtown.
When it came time for us to select an elementary school for our children, it was a no-brainer – we enrolled them at St. James as early as possible (Pre-K (4) for Josh and Pre-K (3) for Raph). Both Josh and Raph have had wonderful experiences at St. James, and both very much enjoyed the ring-toss.
And, for me, I have had the special treat of taking Josh and Raph to school every morning (as I joined my father in the practice of law from our firm’s downtown office). It is something I have cherished (and will miss dearly), and it is something I hope one or both of them will have the opportunity to enjoy with their kids in the future.
Jacob Kantrow
The Mullins Family
When our oldest son (now almost 16!) started St. James over ten years ago, little did we know the significant impact the school would have on our three children and Grey and I. Ten years ago, as we walked through those warm halls filled with children’s laughter, colorful artwork, and fabulous teachers, we were overwhelmed with welcome and filled with certainty that this was the best start to education we could give our children. William and Vivian have finished their tenure at St. James and now Philip is about to graduate; it is hard to imagine what our start of the school year will look like without pictures in front of the St. James sign, or the precious carnival with numerous prize fish, or Christmas programs and gingerbread decorating, but most of all without those warm halls and fabulous teachers. St. James is more than an elementary school to the Mullins family, St. James helped teach us how to be a family and we are changed for the good because of our experience there. One day, I hope I will see my grandchildren taking pictures in front of the sign, winning prize carnival fish or singing in the Christmas programs. HERE IS TO 75 MORE YEARS!
Lindsay & Grey Mullins
Margo Spielman, Linda Middleton, and Nessie Richards
Kindergarten Teaching Team for 25+ Years
Our years teaching at St. James Episcopal Day School were some of the best! The three of us taught kindergarten together for over 25 years. Combined we taught at St James for 96 years – WOW! Linda-36, Margo-25, Nessie-35
We loved teaching and touching the lives of so many kindergarten children and sometimes children of former students! The reward to us was the academic and social successes of our children. We cherish the many relationships we made with our St. James parents, many of whom have become lifelong friends.
We were members of an outstanding faculty, administration and church. We were a family who supported and enjoyed each other. We were truly blessed to have called SJEDS our second home for so many years.
We have so many memories such as Pajama Day, Thanksgiving Feasts, Mother’s Day Teas, the 100th Day of School and many more! We always loved dressing up!
The three of us are very close, lifelong friends who shared the wonderful experiences of St James.
Congratulations to St. James on your 75th anniversary. We are lucky to have been a small part for MANY years! What an outstanding place to teach!
Linda Chauviere
Former St. James Head of School
As the saying goes, one should save the best for last. I did that. My career in education lasted almost half a century with my last thirteen years spent at St. James as its Head of School, but then you as parents and supporters of St. James already know what a gem of a school exists on Convention Street.
The teachers and I thought of ourselves as a “small school that thought big” and we approached everything with that in mind. Over the years all of us worked together to research cutting-edge techniques and strategies and participated in the professional development needed to implement them. We wanted our students to think beyond the classroom so we established the original Broadcast Studio. The school board asked me what we needed to do to make our school number one in technology when that first started. The teachers and I developed a plan, and the board supported it—100%–that’s when our first “non-chalk” boards were installed. Decisions such as these always had only one goal—our students. We built a program that would rival any lower school in the nation. Even the National Blue Ribbon said so as we were awarded St. James’s very first National Blue Ribbon and went on to be awarded it again a second time just before I retired. The application process is rigorous, but we knew we had built and were continuing to build the right child-focused program.
But it wasn’t all work and no play.
When that carpool gate closed each morning, our school became its own community where children could be children and teachers could expertly practice their craft. All one had to do was to walk the halls and see evidence everywhere and listen for sounds of happy children enjoying school. Wonderful “scrapbook worthy” school memories were being built each day. Just look through our yearbooks to see all of the celebrations and activities and opportunities to try new things in such a safe environment. St. James can truly say we address the whole child.
I can’t leave this post without mentioning the church. Our Friday Eucharist was so special, and I miss it. Every Friday when I walked in with our acolytes and priests, it gave me such a sense of pride to see all of the parents and grandparents who came to worship with our students and our faculty because that’s who and what St. James is, has been and will continue to be—a caring environment with all of us helping children to grow up to be the best they can be.
I absolutely loved my time at St. James. I did, indeed, save the best for last.
Mike Glisson, Headmaster
St James Episcopal Day School
1993-2003
Being appointed Head of School was an exciting time for me but also quite a humbling experience. For over 50 years the Day School had offered students in the Baton Rouge community “a quality education in a warm loving, Christian environment”, a place where all children felt loved.
Having stood on the shoulders of those Heads of School before me, Doris DeBessonet, Mona Terry, and Jane Bowles, we were able to maintain that level and to move St James even higher.
One of our first challenges was to seek national accreditation for the little neighborhood school of St James. Fortunately we had the strong support of the church. We had teachers and staff that loved children and worked hard to see that every student was successful. Our parents were supportive of not only their children, but also of the school and teachers. Every year we had evidence that we were doing it the right way. The entire school community worked for well over a year evaluating our programs and preparing for the accrediting team visit. As a result of that hard work by all, St. James was recognized for meeting the standards set forth. For the first time, the school was awarded accreditation by the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools! After my tenure ended, St James would go on to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School!
I enjoyed my time as Head of School at St James and am proud of what we all accomplished. There were so many events and times that I cherish, but one stands out just a little more than the others. Without fail, I came to school each and every day in khaki slacks, white or blue dress shirt and seasonal or child orientated ties. Over the years the students began to take notice and became interested in my ties. During Christmas or on my birthday, I would receive a tie as a gift. My tie collection grew and grew and grew! As my last year at St James was winding down, a “Mr Glisson Day” was scheduled. To my surprise and delight every student and many teachers and parents came to school wearing khaki pants/shorts, dress shirt and a tie!
I am so very proud of the exciting accomplishments that we, the students, teachers, staff, and parents, achieved during my time there. My ten years as Head of School at St James will always be a part of me. I am grateful to have been a part of it.
“The circumstances that brought me to this precious school can only be described as part of God’s plan. In 2000, the beloved music teacher at St James Episcopal Day School passed away during the school year. Carrilyn Prudhomme had been there 25 years. I was a stay at home Mom with 2 small children and a Vocal Music Education Degree. A former St. James teacher asked me if I would be willing to help the school prepare for their annual Christmas program. I worked with the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers and students from October to December. I will never forget the night of the program. It was in the church and every pew was filled. There was a Mary and Joseph, angels, shepherds and children’s voices ringing through the church. I felt as if I had found the joy I had been missing. The Head of School asked me if I would continue as the music teacher and I happily accepted. So 23 years later, I still feel that same joy every Friday as we sing together at Eucharist.” Nita Hannie, Music Teacher
“I am incredibly blessed to be celebrating my 10th year at St. James Episcopal Day School. This has been the only school I have ever taught at, and I cannot imagine being anywhere else. What I love most about this school is the kind and loving environment. The moment you step into St. James you can feel the warmth from every single person on campus. My coworkers constantly push me to be my best self and help me to learn and grow daily. My children also go to school here, and the amount of love and nurturing I witness from not only their classroom teachers, but everyone on campus, gives me more joy than I could ever hope for. I also love how supportive and involved the St. James families are. When faculty, staff, parents, and the church all come together for the love of the children, it is magical. There is truly no other place like St. James Episcopal Day School. I am proud to call this place my second home.”
Mrs. Jillian Courville, PreK-3 Teacher