Say hello to summer by spending it with us! We have six weeks of fun planned from June 6 through July 15 with over 100 camps.

We invite all girls and boys entering Pre-k through 8th grade to experience our one-week day camps. Campers will create, learn and explore while making friends and having the time of their lives. We have camps for everyone--Sports, Fine Arts, Science, Athletics, LEGO, Enrichment, Academics, Robotics, Computer Programming and much more!

Summer at St. John's offers morning, afternoon and full-day sessions. We also have extended-day care to accommodate your family's busy schedule. We hope to see you this summer!

To register go to www.StJohnsSchool.org/Summer

St. John’s Episcopal School inducted 18 members to its chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) April 28. The nationwide society serves students who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship and character. To be invited to apply for membership, seventh or eighth grade students must maintain a grade average of 93% or above over the five most recent trimesters at St. John’s. Applicants must then present evidence to a faculty council of their accomplishments in areas related to the five NJHS traits.

The St. John’s chapter of NJHS is directed by Middle School faculty members Mrs. Jean Haynes and Ms. Jennifer Powers. Members serve the school and also raise money throughout the year to support a variety of student-selected organizations and projects. St. John’s NJHS members inducted in the seventh grade are required to complete 40 hours of community service before the end of their eighth grade year.

New NJHS members are: Ethan Barhydt, Cambridge Bender, Jack Carroll, Madeline Claybrook, Sunny Courtwright, Ashlye Dullye, Matt Goldman, Isabelle Gonzales, Olivia Hartin, Cooper Herndon, Arlo Kadane, Andrew Laczkowski, Jake Milkereit, Alyssa Manganello, John Pattee, Lena Payne, Anne Stewart and Carter Walters.

Eighth grader Allison Herring won the St. John’s Geography Bee earlier this month. Competing in a field of 35 Middle School students, Herring won the Bee after a short final round in which she participated with fifth graders Evan Bare, Elisa Carroll and Andrew Herring; seventh graders Jack Carroll and Carter Walters; and eighth grader Megan Ortman. The Bee included preliminary and final rounds in which participants answered questions about world geography.

Herring will now take a written test to qualify for participation in the state-level Bee, which puts her one step closer to winning a $50,000 college scholarship at the 26^th annual National Geographic Bee in May.

Test your own geography knowledge with the GeoBee Challenge, an online geography quiz at www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee.

The St. John's Cross Country team competed in the first meet of the Luke's Locker Middle School Race series at Norbuck Park on September 25. Eighth grader Elise Welch and sixth grader Sophie Andersson led the team with strong second-place finishes. Andersson competed in the seventh-grade-and-under division. Running in that same division, new team member, fifth grader Emma Fitzgerald placed third. In the boys’ division, fifth grader Jack DeGroot led teammates with a fourth-place finish, and sixth grader Braydon Gianguilio finished tenth in the seventh-grade race. All St. John’s team members posted personal bests, as the pre-season training paid off. Twenty metroplex schools participated in the Luke's Locker meet.

by Lynn Granello

photos by Steve Welch

St. John’s Episcopal School is recognizing its 60^th anniversary this spring with a 60-day celebration, Zero to Sixty. From February 26 through April 26, Zero to Sixty activities will highlight the school’s long-standing place in the East Dallas community while celebrating its growth from a parish day school in 1953 to a source of modern education for 500 pre-k through eighth grade students today.

Students themselves have been an important part of Zero to Sixty, participating through prayer flags, community service, T-shirt days and buddy activities. In a nod to the school’s startup in the ’50s, Student Council leaders organized a Buddy Day Sock Hop and sock collection drive for White Rock Center of Hope. The event paired older with younger children at a chapel service that began with a focus on community and culminated with students swinging their partners and spontaneously forming dancing trains in the gym, all while wearing their Zero to Sixty T-shirts generously donated by members of the school’s Board of Trustees. Says Student Council president Megan Bret, “This Buddy Day was a fun way for older kids to bond with their younger buddies while helping our community.”

In the days leading up to the Zero to Sixty kick off, each pre-k through eighth grader created an individual prayer flag. Those flags, now strung between trees at the campus entrance, are weathering and fading, releasing their messages of students’ gratitude. The activity ties to the school’s long-held belief that children benefit from equal emphasis on their academic, emotional, character and spiritual development.

On day 59 of Zero to Sixty, students will conclude their celebration with the school’s annual Games Day, which began in the ’60s as Field Day. During the students’ favorite day of the year, they will enjoy a friendly blue-and-gold competition, a hot-dog lunch outdoors, and a celebratory Zero to Sixty birthday cake.

A hallmark of St. John’s has always been its engaged parent community, and this year is no different. The Parents Association has rallied to celebrate the milestone anniversary with a $10,000 raffle. The drawing for this signature fundraiser will be held at a party at The LOT restaurant on the last day of Zero to Sixty, April 26, to thank the St. John’s community for its many years of support.

Tickets for the third annual raffle are on sale to the general public now through April 26 at stjohnsschool.org/raffle. The grand-prize winner will receive a $10,000 Visa gift card; second place $2,500 of NorthPark Gold; and third place $1,000 of NorthPark Gold. Proceeds from the raffle will be used for student financial assistance, classroom technology, faculty professional development and student enrichment opportunities.

Dads and other golfers shared in the anniversary celebration at the 13th Annual Crusader Club Classic Golf Tournament, April 4 at Stevens Park Golf Course. With perfect weather, St. John’s golfers had the course to themselves. After an outstanding afternoon of play, teams returned to the clubhouse and outdoor pavilion for dinner and an awards ceremony. The tournament trophy went to the overall first place team of Garrett Adams, Kyle Smith, Tom Schmitz and Scott Fedro. The team of John Cole, Jody Savant, Joe Angelone and Sean Gros won first place net. Formed by St. John’s dads in 2001, the Crusader Club supports the school’s athletic programs and community service.