We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

As of 3:00 pm yesterday, all SSSAS students are on Christmas break! The upper school ended on a high and joyous note of our lessons and carols service. 

Merry Christmas and talk to you next year! 

Sleepy!

Check out the video from our Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament!

Exam Review Week

This week has gone by so quickly. To start, we had both Monday and Tuesday off because of Snowstorm Dion. During this time, I was able to begin my review for midterms and spend time with my family. This break was so relaxing and it was super helpful to get all my things organized for the exams I will be taking next week.

When we came back to school on Wednesday, my friends and I noticed that so many of our teachers were willing to take extra time to meet with us when we were free, because we had missed two important review days. One of the things I like most about SSSAS is the fact that the teachers are always willing to meet with me when I need extra help. I’ve been going to SSSAS for 11 years, and throughout those years, my teachers have always been willing to go the extra mile in order to see me succeed, and that was exemplified this week.

Looking forward to the days ahead, tomorrow is the winter chorus concert, my favorite concert of the year and I can’t wait to sing. Next week, some of us have exams on Monday, and all of us have them on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We end the week on Thursday with Lessons and Carols, our Christmas Celebration. I love Lessons and Carols, because the whole Upper School gets together one last time before break, and I love when we all come together as a community. I can’t wait!

A Tradition of Spirit

To experience intense school spirit, you have to attend the Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament at SSSAS.  Each winter, eight boys’ teams compete in this three-day invitational tournament, named in honor of a beloved former basketball coach and Athletic Director.  This year marks the 58^th year of the competition, and one team traveled all the way from Canada to participate! 

Students, teachers, parents, and alumni flock to the tournament every year to support the Saints.  Dressed in all black, SSSAS students pack Goodwin Gym with their rolls of toilet paper.  After the Saints make their first basket, students instantaneously hurl rolls of toilet paper on to the gym floor.  (A squad of students quickly clears the court!)  This tradition is just part of the great fun, competition, and sportsmanship of the Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament. 

Last night was the first round of the 2013 tournament, and yes, we toilet-papered the basketball court and cheered until we lost our voices.  Unfortunately, the Saints fell to Norfolk Collegiate School.  However, all teams continue tournament play through Saturday, so we’ll keep cheering!   

“Sleepy” is just one of the exciting SSSAS sports events that you won’t find at other schools.  At SSSAS, we are so fortunate to have such outstanding programs in sports, academics, and the arts.

Opportunity

Just yesterday, I was able to see "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum" at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C. I knew the play was a comedy, but I had no idea how funny it would be. From the moment the curtain went up, until the very end I found myself laughing. This play was hilarious and would most definitely recommend that you go see it.
On the way back I realized something about our school and that is this: that SSSAS is a place that gives its students not only opportunities to learn and be their best, but also have opportunities for extracurricular activities. Earlier in the year, some of the performing arts students had the chance to go to New York City to see Broadway plays. 
In the summer, some of our students, will be headed on a trip to Bermuda using math and the stars to navigate the seas. Excursions like these are not just simple trips, they expose us to more than just the Northern Virginia area, and give us a more global view of the world and where education can take us. But like all opportunities, we must first make the choice to seize them. Thanks for reading!

Try something new!

         

Every year during high school, I have tried a new sport or other extracurricular activity at SSSAS.  This year, I decided to join the swim team.  Although I have not been part of a swim team since I was a little kid, I enjoyed getting back into the water!  Practices have been hard, but fun.  This week we had our first two meets against Flint Hill and St. Albans/National Cathedral.  The boys’ team beat Flint Hill in our first meet, and several male and female swimmers posted times good enough to qualify for states.  Obviously, winning is great, but I also enjoy hanging out with people I do not usually see in my classes.One of the greatest things about SSSAS is that the school offers so many opportunities to get involved and meet other students.  There is truly something for everyone:  sports, dramatic and visual arts, music, clubs, leadership opportunities, etc.  So get out there and try something new!  

Saint's Sports

I can't believe that the first quarter has already past. School is just flying by. It felt like yesterday that I was at registration receiving my schedule, but now school is one fourth of the way done!

Last week, our boys soccer team made it to the state final. I and about 80 other students went down to Richmond to go and support on our fellow saints. Despite the cold weather, our fan section was loud and our team pulled off a 1-0 victory to win their first ever state championship title. Moments like that make me so proud to be part of the saints community. Now that fall sports have wrapped up, winter sports are starting and I can't wait to see what our other teams are going to accomplish.

Click here for some more information about their win!

Senior Year

What a year it has been so far. I've applied to college, cheered for the football team to the point of losing my voice, and thoroughly enjoyed being the leaders of the school with my fellow seniors.

I just submitted my college application last night, so that was a huge weight off of my shoulders. Fall sports just ended, which means Ice Hockey is starting next week! I've been looking forward to hockey all year and can't wait for it to start. These last few weeks have been great for Saints sports teams as our Soccer team won the IAC Championship and they have now made it to the State Semi-finals in Richmond later this week. If they win, my friends and I are all planning to make the trip down to Richmond to support them in the finals! I look forward to moving into the hockey season and hearing back from college in the coming months!

Saint's Spirit

One of the things I love about SSSAS is our school spirit.  Check out our Homecoming pep rally: www.youtube.com/sssassaints.

Ms. Stone

Homecoming Week!

I love homecoming week. Getting to dress up in a costume for school is awesome! This year, because we had Monday off and the seniors had Wednesday off for the PSAT, we only had three "spirit days." Tuesday was decades day. The seniors got to wear togas! Thursday was "theme day." The theme for this year's homecoming was "Safari" so everyone was dressed up as a different animal. Finally, Friday was school spirit day. Freshman wear yellow, sophomores wear white, juniors wear green, and seniors wear red. Homecoming week is a great time to show school spirit and get everyone excited for the football game. Throughout spirit week, we had a dodgeball tournament, the senior vs. junior girls powderpuff game (the seniors won!), and finally a huge pep rally on Friday afternoon. The fun continued over the weekend with the Fall Festival during the day Saturday, the football game, and finally the dance on Saturday night. Though it was busy, I definitely enjoyed getting to show my school spirit for my last year at SSSAS.

What a Weekend

This weekend was very intense in the best of ways. Ever since freshman year I have been apart of QuizBowl, a club at the school that meets twice a week to answer trivia questions. I enjoyed it thoroughly and this year it has amounted to something incredible. On Saturday, two other seniors and I competed on the trivia show "It's Academic"! We arrived at NBC 4 Studio in D.C. with hopes of just not getting third place. And we didn't, we won! However, it was bittersweet because we had to miss our last Homecoming football game, a tradition I have loved watching since the fourth grade. Additionally, we had to miss the Homecoming Court ceremony where I was named Homecoming King along with fellow blogger Sibet as my Queen. Nonetheless, the win got me very excited for the next round which films in March. The fun that day was not done, because after all that excitement it was time for the Homecoming dance. Girls in beautiful dresses and guys in classy blazers (With flowers everywhere) adorned the cafeteria for a very fun dance. With a weekend like that it will be hard to top it next weekend!

~Tre

P.S. Our episode of It's Academic airs on December 28th!

Admission Season is Upon Us!

Next Tuesday officially marks the opening of the 2014-15 admission season!  Starting bright and early Tuesday, Mr. Kunz and I will have our first tours and interviews. We will interview students and their families up until February.

Our Admission Ambassadors have all been trained and are ready and excited to welcome prospective students to campus. Since the beginning of the school year, they have been asking when they can start touring and the day has finally arrived!

See you all soon!

A Whole New World

Wow.. It's here, finally. It's here too soon, actually.

This year, I start the last year I will be at this school and it is all so exciting, saddening, dizzying, and new. When I registered at the beginning of the school for the ninth time I couldn't help but smile because I am proud of the experiences I've had at this school. My passion for being an Admission Ambassador is more fervent now because I want as many people as possible to experience the pure joy that I have lived in while attending this school. I am SO excited for the many different "lasts" I'll have during this year and truly enjoying everything that the school has to offer. I am pumped for college, but I do not want to leave. I love living at home but I cannot wait to live independently. I love this school but I cannot wait to see what the world has to offer me.

Class of 2014

It's hard to believe I have started my final year at SSSAS. I came here as a four year old in JK and I will leave an eighteen year old ready to take on college. So far, this year has been better than I ever could have imagined. Everything is better as a senior!

One of my favorite parts of Fall is the tennis season. I am lucky enough to be the captain of the team and have fantastic teammates. Though this year, we have a fairly young team, we are getting better every day and we definitely have a lot of fun. Going to other teams' games has been a lot of fun as well. I love going to our football games, especially since we always dress up to cheer in different themes.  We have even started to tailgate in our school parking lot before big games.

The hardest part about senior year is balancing academics, college apps, and social events. It isn't easy, but I think I am getting better at it. Though it's been hard, the past few weeks have been my favorite years of high school so far.

Going Out the Right Way

What an incredible ride!  One week ago, I graduated from St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School, and I can't think of a more enjoyable experience of all my time in high school. Not because my SSSAS career ended, not because I became excited for college, but because of the amazing moments that defined the Commencement ceremony. A special energy pervaded the crowd in attendance at the Virginia Theological Seminary as the 111 members of the Class of 2013 received their diplomas and journeyed together through powerful messages of speech, Scripture, and song. I particularly appreciated the senior chorale's performance of Phillip Phillips's "Home" since no word could better describe SSSAS and its significance in my life. Plus, as valedictorian, I had the privilege of speaking on behalf of my classmates and wishing them well as they take the next step toward ultimate fulfillment. Again, moments like these made June 8th so unforgettable...and similar ones have defined my entire time at SSSAS.

 

 

This fall, I'll become a freshman at the University of South Carolina. I can only hope the Gamecock family will prove as tight-knit and caring as that of the Saints. As far as I can tell, it will; indeed, that's one of the main reasons why I chose USC. I look forward to more fantastic experiences in college and beyond, as well as to visiting my home in Alexandria again soon. Best wishes to all future Saints...I know SSSAS will blow you away as it reveals to you what a high school and community really should be. Folks, it really is always a great day to be a Saint!

Bittersweet Ending

The school year has finally come to a close.  Graduation has ended.  Final grades are out and summer has begun.  Despite feeling great that I don't have to come home every day from school to slave over hours of homework, I will truly miss many friends and the entire SSSAS community.  It's was a great moment to graduate and look back at all the memories that I've shared with the entire student body.

This coming fall, I'll attend Providence College in Rhode Island.  I'm excited to go to school in New England and start a brand new school year.  Even though I'll be starting a completely different school, I'm confident SSSAS has prepared me to succeed at the next level.

I hope everyone has a great summer!

Summer!!

I can't believe we are almost done with school. This has been the busiest few weeks of the year. We finished AP exams last week and this week is review week. I am finishing up a lot of projects this week. In AP US History, we are working on our oral history projects. In Advanced Pre-Calculus we are using a graphing software to recreate a cartoon image with all of the different graphs we have learned this year. In English, we are making movie trailers based on any of the novels or short stories we have read. A lot of work but the projects are a lot of fun!

I cannot wait for summer. After finals next week, we are done! Well, that Saturday most juniors are taking either the SAT or SAT Subject Tests. But then we are officially done! I think this will be the best summer ever. In June, I plan on relaxing (and maybe starting summer work). After a few weeks at the pool, I leave for sleepaway camp! I go to a camp in North Carolina for five weeks every summer. This will be my eighth year at camp. I can't wait to see all of my friends! This year I will be a junior counselor. I hope being a counselor is just as fun as being a camper!

When I come home in August, I have to start college applications. Yuck! I will also be playing tennis to get in shape for the season. The second week of August my family is going on a cruise. We go on one every summer. I am so excited! I love making new friends and relaxing with my family.

After that, it's back to reality. Preseason starts and I have to finish up summer work for five AP classes! I want to get a head start on college applications before the craziness of senior year sets in. I hope senior year is the best year yet!

Uneasy Feelings

It is already half way through May. MAY! The school year usually zooms past but this year has set a new record. However for me, this time is even more significant because this is near the time when seniors leave to start their senior projects (like an internship). They get to choose their projects to participate in during the last two weeks of school, so they are not in classes.  Fact of the matter is, I’m just not ready to say goodbye to them. I have had senior friends in the past leave but this year I found myself especially close with this year's seniors. They are the class right above me and not only have we been on the same campus together for two years (The transition from Lower to Middle school and from Middle to Upper school). They have been the class I have been closest to besides my own because they were always the ones to look up to and to be inspired by.

This year’s seniors are especially awesome because they really stepped up the pep. They have been the most dedicated sports fans, the loudest cheering at the various Arts programs, and the smartest in class. They will leave a huge footprint for my grade to fill and they will be missed dearly. The uneasy feeling started after midterms when they took their last grand exam and school and there were some college acceptances here and there. With the National Reply Date behind us all of the senior’s futures are set for the next four years, a future away from the school. Even though they are keeping their energy up until the end, every moment I spend with a senior I can’t help but think I won’t have as many moments as these next year. But I can’t get down, because I know that they are going off to live a once-in-a-lifetime experience and that they will all do great, whether at Princeton, Clemson, Berkeley, or Spelman all of my seniors are going to have the time of their lives! Besides, it’s my grade’s time to show the school how much spirit we have!

A Busy May!

I can't believe it's May 1st! It feels like I just started my junior year. Though it has been challenging academic year, it has been my favorite year at SSSAS yet. Being an upperclassman in our upper school is fun and rewarding. Recently, I went to prom for the first time. We had the event at Gaylord hotel in National Harbor  We had a great turnout and it was a perfect way to start out Spring.

This past week was our Cum Laude assembly. It was a rewarding experience to see my and my classmates hard work in school pay off and be recognized. As far as academics, we are not slowing down! Next week juniors and seniors begin AP exams. I am nervous to take three exams, but also excited to finally show what I have learned this year in my AP chemistry, English, and history classes. Soon after that we have finals and then we are done! I hope our last month of school is the best one yet!

Spring Break and Moving Forward

Three weeks ago, I took advantage of the first true Spring Break I had encountered in recent memory. A few long-term assignments remained on my to-do list, sure, but for the most part, after finishing the third quarter of the 2012-13 school year, I faced a free week of vacation.

My main goal for break was to make the critical decision of where I would enroll in college in the fall. I wanted to complete this task before returning to school so as to avoid adding stress to the home stretch of AP courses in April. Of course, a decision this significant requires an entirely clear mind, so I sought out one with my family at our beach house in Ocean City, MD. After two days of both fun and fine dining under the palm trees by the bay, mini-golf excursions through volcano-laden islands and pirate territories, and a nearly excessive intake of March Madness basketball, we came together and discussed every detail of my college options for nearly five straight hours. Our “collegiate conclave” achieved its goal…I am now proud to declare I will be a Gamecock of the University of South Carolina next year!

I returned from the beach thoroughly refreshed and relieved, ready to enjoy the second half of break. I spent time with both friends and family, and then brought them together on Easter Sunday at my home. I especially appreciate Easter because of the hope it brings—hope for the coming joys of spring, hope for the continued love among a close-knit family, and above all, hope for salvation in the risen Christ.

Easter, like Ocean City, helped me clear my mind for the months to come. Once you know where you will land for college, it becomes far more difficult to live in the moment and appreciate the final days of high school. Yet I feel I found a way to do just that. In a matter of weeks, I will leave the ranks of SSSAS students to become a SSSAS alumnus, and I cannot lose sight of the many great memories still to be created—with events like Prom, the One-Act Play Festival, and Senior Chapel, and the entire spring season of Saints sports which have in many ways defined my high school experience. With the hope of a fantastic end to my high school career in mind, I set out from break ready to hit the ground running in the 4th quarter and make the most of the real Saint’s Life ahead.

Spring Break!

This week was our first week back from spring break and also our first week of the fourth quarter! Classes were not too hard this week, as we were beginning new material in most of them. Though it was great to see all of my friends after 10 days off, I definitely miss sleeping in! Over break, I went to Florida to visit my cousins and my grandfather. The first day there I interviewed my grandfather for my oral history project for AP US History. He told me about his service in World War II which I didn't know much about. It was a great way to learn more about my family and specifically, my grandfather. Spending the week at the beach was a great way to relax after a busy third quarter.

Now that school has started again, things won't slow down until summer. Coming up in May, juniors and seniors have AP exams. SAT Subject tests are in May and June; then, in the first week of June we have final exams! It seems far away now, but this last quarter always flies by. We are all looking forward to spring sports and warm weather. It's going to be a great Spring!

China!

After a 13 hour movie marathon, we sluggishly got off the plane and were greeted by the smog that filled the Beijing air.  Despite feeling jet-lagged for the first couple days, we hit all the main tourist destinations in the city before traveling down south to Guilin.

In Beijing, we visited the extensive Forbidden City, built in during the Ming Dynasty.  For centuries citizens were not allowed to enter.  We also climbed the Great Wall of China, which was a surprisingly steep climb to even get to the top!  For some odd reason, I always thought the Great Wall was flat where you could walk for miles and miles without feeling tired.  I was mistaken.  The Great Wall went up and down, like stairs; we didn't get too far.  I originally wanted to walk a couple miles but soon realized that was not going to happen.  We ended up walking probably a quarter of a mile until we turned around and went down the mountain.

On the third day, we went shopping in the city and were vendors would sell ANYTHING to you.  And I mean anything.  One woman tried to sell me a skirt... Yet, the majority of the vendors sold fake designer brand products like, Gucci, Polo and Louis Vuitton.  After our time in Beijing we took a short plane ride down to Guilin.  A relatively small town for China.  About 1 million people currently live in Guilin.  The city is beautiful and very clean.  Everywhere you look you see a mountains and it has a very tropical feeling to it.  Palm trees grace the sidewalks of the city and the humidity reminds me of hot summers in the DC.  While in Guilin, we had the chance to visit the top high school in the whole city.  Each class has an average of 60 students.  Coming from SSSAS, it was a shock to see how one could learn in a class that size, yet the students were motivated and eager to learn.

Overall, the trip was a great experience.  I was immersed in an entirely different culture and learned so much.  I am so thankful for the experience and especially thankful for the two teachers, Profe Campbell and Mr. Yee, that went on the trip and did a great job guiding us throughout China.  Read more about our experiences from Mr. Yee at China Be Trippin.

Spring Break!

As the third quarter comes to a close next week, students are already looking forward to a much needed spring break vacation. Each year, SSSAS sponsors numerous oversees programs that are service and tourism oriented. Multiple French students will be taking part in an exchange program in Normandy during the break while others plan to travel to Haiti and Romania. For the first time in school history, SSSAS is taking a group of students from all four grades to Spain. This spring break, seven students and I will be traveling across the globe to China. We will spend half the trip in Beijing and plan to visit the Forbidden City and The Great Wall. We will then make our way down south to a city called Guilin where we will take a ferry ride along the placid Li River. I'm thoroughly excited to visit China and can't wait to experience this drastically different culture!

SleepyT2k13

Sleepy Thompson is one of the most anticipated sports event at SSSAS.  As the IAC seasons winds down, the tournament spirit rises! The SCA hosted a week of spirit including fun days such as school colors and a western theme.  However, that was just a small taste of the spirit to come those nights.  As a tradition, the first night is always a blackout (we all dress in black) at 7 pm.  Our student section completely rocked the house, from face paint to tutus and body paint!  All of our spirit contributed to help our boys pull out a win on the first night of Sleepy! As a senior, it was extremely sentimental and exciting to have won the first night, and to also throw toilet paper for the last time! The second night we came out even stronger, although we lost, our fans were crazy! We decided on a USA theme and we cheered our hearts out; probably one of the most memorable nights of Sleepy that I remember.  Our team placed fourth in the overall tournament, as the students were decked out in bright and shiny neon.  Overall, this year has been filled with great spirit and we have truly come together as a school to support each other.  I could honestly not imagine any better way to spend my weekend.

Winter Formal

Last night, SSSAS held our annual Winter Ball which was hosted at Belle Haven Country Club as it has been in past years. For the first time this year we had student DJ's, which is a group called "Ampersand" which consists of a few seniors who decided to DJ for Homecoming, and they turned out to be a huge success, so everyone was excited to have them DJ the Winter Ball as well. I really thought the dance was very fun and I enjoyed the music that the DJ's played and I loved dancing with my friends even though I am probably not the worlds best dancer (though I like to think that I am). It was also enjoyable because there were two rooms at the dance, one where you could dance with everyone and one where you could sit down, have something to drink, and cool off to prepare yourself for more dancing or simply hang out and watch TV with your classmates. I really thought it was a great time for everyone and most of the student body attended, along with many guests from outside of school, so it made for a really fun atmosphere. All of my friends thought it was a really fun time and I look forward to our next school dance, which is Prom, and hopefully more of our student DJ group "Ampersand."

So It Begins

I have been at the school since the 4^th grade and I have been anticipating this time of year for a while. On December 30 me and my fellow juniors officially started the college process when we attended the Junior College Night. I am so excited and nervous and overwhelmed and just every emotion in the book. The night served as a precursor to the college one-on-one meeting with the student’s college counselor and the family. We had a senior come and talk about his experience and each of the three college counselors, Dr. Carter, Mr. Doyle, and Mrs. Weiss introduced themselves and kicked off the journey that probably won’t end until this time or later next year. I was fortunate enough to have my personal meeting with my counselor Dr. Carter and my mom last Thursday and it only excited me more. We basically mapped out the courses I should take for next year and whether I should take the SAT Subject tests among MANY other things. But perhaps the most pertinent thing that happened, in my opinion, was the suggested school. Before we had the meeting we filled a packet, which included colleges we were looking for. I have wanted to live in New York City for my entire life, so naturally NYU and Fordham were my top choices and Dr. Carter said it wasn’t a definite but if I keep working hard I could look attractive to those schools! But he also gave me a list of other schools I might be interested in, and one of them was this school called Drew University in Madison, NJ. I had never heard of it before but it seems like the perfect school! I plan on double majoring in Theater and Business and Drew looks like a home run. I am filled to the brim with anticipation about my future and I'm sure that because of my school it will be a successful process.

First Week Back

Today is the first Friday back at school! It was exciting to see all of my friends after a long, peaceful Christmas Break. We jumped right back into school on Monday when we received our math and science exams results. I enjoyed our new and improved exam schedule this year. We took our language, math, and science midterms before break. This coming week, we will have alternative assessments, such as projects or in class assignments, in our English and history classes instead of regular midterms.

We have a packed few months ahead of us, with the Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament, Winter Formal, the musical, and numerous sports games. It's going to be a great winter!

Many Last and Firsts

As a senior, this New Year's celebration was particularly exciting as I welcomed my graduation year. This new year is full of changes, challenges and, a realization I faced with all too much clarity in finishing my college applications for the January 1st deadline. My English classes have done an amazing job in stressing the importance of writing, and I experienced the benefits in writing my application supplement essays. I am SO EXCITED to have finished all my applications and can't wait to hear good news from my peers about their own college searching experiences! One of the most frequent comments I hear from alumni is how SSSAS prepared them for college academics-one of the many reasons I am excited and proud to be a Saint.

Turning in my college applications and reaching my graduation year makes me all the more thankful for the time I have had here. The next couple of month will be exciting and I am looking forward to making more senior memories.  As we start this new year, seniors start a year of many lasts and firsts, and now that I am nearing the end of my time at this school, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. I can only hope that my college decisions will be as rewarding as my decision was to be a Saint.