59th Annual Sleepy Thompson Tournament

This week was the 59th annual Sleepy Thompson. I am glad to say I have been able to go to twelve of these tournaments and each year has been as fun as the year before. The student section was exciting and loud. Our chants echoed in the gym as the team dominated in the first game. Before attending the high school I liked the Sleepy Thompson Tournament because the basketball was exciting and all of my friends would go to the games. Since coming to the high school the tournament has become even cooler because I see all of the players in the halls and in my classes. The tournament is by far my favorite school tradition and a tradition I get excited for every single year.

Check out more pictures here!

Turkey Day 2014

For this Thanksgiving, my family and I carried out a family tradition of traveling to the great city of New York to spend time with my extended family. Specifically, we go to Brooklyn to my grandmothers apartment where we meet with my great-grandmother-who is 89 and strong-my aunts, and cousins. It's a great time to see my family that I don't get to see often. This Thanksgiving we bought a couple 30lb turkeys. Of course we also had the traditional Thanksgiving sides to go along with our main course.

How did your Thanksgiving go? It's also good to share with someone! For me, Turkey Day is a time where I get to reconnect with my family that I look forward to seeing every year.

Continuing the Tradition

In all my 13 years here at SSSAS, I've been waiting for one thing: my senior year Thanksgiving service. I, and my fellow seniors, waited with anticipation, counting down the minutes until their arrival. No it wasn't some famous celebrity or President Obama. We were waiting for the kindergarteners. Every year at our Thanksgiving service, the entire SSSAS community comes together in the Upper School gym to celebrate Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. With that service comes the tradition of the senior and kindergartener precession. Each kindergartener is paired with a couple of seniors and they process into the gym together at the beginning of the service. I can vaguely remember walking into the service when I was in kindergarten and receiving my pin from my senior. I even wore my pin from kindergarten on Tuesday, a reminder of how long I've been here. The Thanksgiving service is one of my favorite traditions here at SSSAS, and I am very thankful for it.

Swedish Fish, Anyone?

This fall, my fellow seniors and I have been busy writing college essays and completing college applications.  Identifying potential colleges and applying to numerous schools can be stressful and overwhelming.  Fortunately, the College Counseling Office at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School guides students every step of the way!  With three full-time college counselors, students receive individualized attention and guidance.  My family and I had many questions about the college application process, and my counselor answered every one.  The College Counseling Office also provides other great resources such as the SSSAS College Handbook, which contains everything you need to know about applying for college.  For example, the section on college interviews really helped prepare me for my college visits.  My interviewer asked some of the exact questions from the handbook!  The College Counseling Office also schedules visits from many college admissions representatives that allow students to develop personal relationships with colleges.  Most importantly, SSSAS college counselors work closely with each student to find the college that is the right fit.  Students at SSSAS are incredibly lucky to have such a great resource!  
Furthermore, if you are feeling particularly stressed, you can always head down to the College Counseling Office for a chat with your counselor and a handful of Swedish fish!  Did I mention that the College Counseling Office always has candy…?