We are off to a fantastic start, with students and faculty settling into the routine of a new academic year and plenty of exciting events happening on campus. On Monday, August 28, the newest members of our community gathered with the Sixes class for the traditional Old Girl/New Girl dinner.
On Friday, September 1, class spirit was on full display as each class performed an original song and an original cheer before the annual Boat Regatta, where each class engineered a themed cardboard boat to race in the campus pond. The 5s won the race with the best-themed boat; followed by the 3s, who also won the best song. The 4s came in third place and won the best cheer; the 6s finished last, but it was a great display of teamwork and class pride. The Carnival and Cookout followed with giant inflatables set up for students on the softball field, and an outdoor movie in the Gerry Amphitheater was the perfect way to end the night.
Welcome to all new and returning members of the St. Timothy’s School community. It was great to see the campus abuzz with excitement this past weekend as we began the academic year with orientation and opening weekend activities, including Convocation.
Our guest speaker, David Ignatius, renowned Washington Post columnist, foreign affairs writer, and author, shared inspirational remarks for the start of the school year. He spoke about new beginnings and how our school motto, “Verite Sans Peur” or “Truth Without Fear”, translates to our everyday life—even beyond St. Timothy’s. As we seek truth, we cannot let fear paralyze us. This is an important reminder for us as we begin another productive, healthy, and successful school year.
The St. Timothy’s School community mourns the loss of Mrs. Deborah (Debbie) Cook and honors her legacy as the 9th Head of School (1993-2002). Mrs. Cook passed away peacefully on August 15 surrounded by family and friends. A beloved leader, mentor, and colleague, Mrs. Cook was a faithful steward of the school during her tenure. The St. Timothy’s School community offers our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
St. Timothy's is known for its legendary Spring Break trips, as students and families who joined us for Spring Break in Morocco this past March can attest. We're already taking reservations for next year's big adventure: Spring Break 2024 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Mr. Stevens and Dr. Marsha. Planned by alumnae-owned Worldstrides, our itinerary will include many Dubai landmarks, including the Bastakia Quarter, the Blue Souk, Heritage Village, the Museum of Islamic Civilization, the Spice Souk, and Ski Dubai Snow Park, as well as time in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah exploring the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the camel market, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Hili Garden and more. Next year's trip will run March 9 through March 17, 2024. Families and friends are welcome to come along, as they often do! Ready to sign up now? Contact Ms. Leslie Pohlman (lpohlman@stt.org).
During Assembly time on Friday, March 31, Sixes IB Art students presented the artistic inspiration, theories, and creative processes behind their exhibited work before inviting the student body to view their work in the Sixes Art Exhibit, displayed in the Hannah More Academy Art Gallery. It was fascinating to learn about each student's artistic journey and exciting to see their finished pieces close up. Click here for a quick video tour of the exhibition.
For the 2023 annual Wearable Art Fashion Show on February 24, this year’s theme, Evolutionary Design,was inspired by the unique characteristics of various species of flora and fauna (both physical and behavioral attributes of a species). Fashion Show participants included students who participated in Fashion Show as a winter sport and also those taking MYP5 Art classes as an academic course unit. Students were introduced to ideas through David Attenborough’s Planet Earth series, in which they researched a chosen species that would inform their design. There were three kingdoms of life represented in the designs in our show: plant, animal, and fungi.
Students used a variety of materials to build their creations, most of which consisted of upcycled clothing and fabrics that were entirely transformed and reconstructed. Students also incorporated alternative materials, with examples ranging from chicken wire for structure, drinking straws as embellishment, and achieving texture by layering latex gloves!
Our Model UN Club attended The American University Model United Nations Conference (AmeriMUNC) on February 3 to 6, a three-day conference hosted by American University for high school students on the university's campus in Washington, DC. The girls enjoyed researching their assignments in advance, participating in crisis committees, forging friendships with students from other schools, and getting to experience a taste of college campus life.
St. Timothy's is famous for legendary Spring Break trips with Mr. Stevens and his wife Dr. Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, and this year's trip to Morocco did not disappoint! Organized by our travel partner WorldStrides, which is owned by an STT alumna, students (and some STT parents, too) enjoyed the adventure of a lifetime exploring Marrakech, Essaouaira, and Casablanca. Among the most memorable moments: visiting the Majorelle Gardens, Berber Museum, and Hammam Baths, seeing Morocco's famous tree-climbing goats, and surfing lessons!
St. Timothy's students attended the Baltimore Girls’ Schools Leadership Coalition (BGSLC) meeting on February 7, along with Associate Dean of Students Mr. Najee Evans and STT Alumna Mentor Alisa Bralove-Scherr ’96. The program, which fosters leadership among students from St. Timothy’s and five other esteemed girls schools in our area, holds four engaging evening meetings annually that the Deans of Students of the participating schools expertly craft. These sessions feature experienced mentors who are alumnae of the schools who share their knowledge and guidance with the students.
Halfway through each school year just before Spring Break, students participate in St. Timothy's signature Winterim Program to test what we've learned in our classrooms out in the wider world.
During our weekly Friday Assembly, this week the Sixes participated in our annual CAS Assembly, presenting different aspects of their IB Diploma Program's Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) experiences with reflections on the challenges, rewards, and lessons learned from each. Some Sixes shared their creative outlets such as digital art, playing instruments, blogging, and choreographing. Others highlighted examples of the wide range of activity experiences promoting personal physical health from hiking, dancing, team sports, and even physical therapy.
The diversity of service learning experiences was incredible and constituted the bulk of the assembly time. Sixes found opportunities online and in-person, as well as in their local communities both in the US and abroad. They worked with people, organizations, animals, and the environment, and the inherent reciprocity of service learning was well evidenced in their presentations.
The most common themes that the Threes, Fours, and Fives identified in the Sixes' reflections were the roles of communication, collaboration, and time management--all learning outcomes they, too, reflect on when engaging in their own service learning. As our Fives now embark upon their own CAS Projects, they certainly left Friday's assembly inspired by the accomplishments of our Sixes.
Where some schools plan their menus a week or two in advance, thanks to our on-campus Redlands Farm we plan a season ahead! Redlands Farm Director Mr. Shulz shares photos here of what's coming up (literally!) on our spring dining menu. You can see lettuce and chard in trays that take 40 days to plate, greenhouse radishes, turnips, beets, and carrots that take 25 to 90 days to plate.
At the Baltimore Blast professional men's indoor soccer game tonight, our Moongates choir wowed the crowd when they opened the evening by singing The Star Spangled Banner. The soccer fans could not get over the Moongates' beautiful rendition of our national anthem, which drew roaring applause and plenty of compliments -- including a few fist bumps from the Blast players! The girls enjoyed VIP status for the evening, which included the chance to watch the part of the game from the sidelines. Click here to see the video.
St. Timothy's is known for the strength of its World Languages Department, and this inside look into our classrooms makes it easy to see why.
In these photos, Sofía K. '23, Luciana C. '25 and Jackie CA '25 are captured delivering a presentation about Historia de Una Escalera, a play by Antonio Buero Vallejo students recently studied in our Spanish Language and Literature class.
Clara H. '23, is pictured explaining in Spanish how commercials have changed over the years with this example from the 1920s.
We acquire new vocabulary and learn about global cultures in many interesting and creative ways! Students of Chinese, Torene B. '24, Nuli C. '24, and Abha P. '24 are learning the greetings in Chinese for the Chinese New Year from this video of a Chinese boy. Adults will then give young people “red envelopes” with money.
Collaborative projects like the one pictured here, where Kiera C. '25 and Nadine I. '22 are working together during French class, is another way that students engage in their learning and become confident reading, writing, and speaking in a non-native language.
Today on Groundhog Day, Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter weather, but St. Timothy's Peaches thinks that he's wrong. Over the past week, Peaches has started shedding her thick winter coat in preparation for spring -- and STT students Nadya L. '24 and Caitlyn H. '24 are helping to keep her coat brushed and shiny in the process!
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, Baking Club students learned to bake fortune cookies with Chef Evan in the Commons. The activity included writing out custom "fortunes" on strips of paper to carefully insert while hand-forming each cookie's shape just before the dough hardened. Click here for the recipe and instructions.
Here on the Lane we sure love our traditions, and the annual Varsity Basketball vs. Bryn Mawr game is always an exciting one. Considered the longest running high school basketball rivalry in the United States, today's annual meeting of STT v. Bryn Mawr for the 120th year was easy to enjoy. Not only did STT earn the honor of keeping the championship bowl for another season with a conference 43-24 win, but also it was wonderful to watch how our visitors were welcomed: with the national anthem sung beautifully by Moongate Abha P. '24, special game programs, good-natured cheers, and sweet treats for both teams after the game (a tradition that dates back to 1901). Players and fans, you ALL made us proud.
The Environmental Club has been preparing some land between the horse pastures and the Lane for a Monarch butterfly garden. The Monarch butterfly garden will serve as a waystation that will provide a resting point as the butterflies migrate during the year. Look for the Environmental Club to plant the milkweed plugs in the spring!