NFTH: January 8, 2020

Form 8 parents are invited to join our Director of College Counseling Kelly Jorgenson and Assistant Director of College Counseling Taylor Ditto in the Remmert Theater this Thursday, January 9 at 8am.

The counselors will give you an overview of the support the College Counseling team offers SMH students and parents over the course of their time in Upper School, beginning with the spring semester for Form 8 students. There will be time for the counselors to answer your questions, so save this date and join SMH for your introduction to the College Counseling experts on campus.

Once a month, two students from each Form level (Forms 1 – 5) are recognized by their coaches during Morning Moments.

These students are honored for their excellence during PE classes. Coaches select students with good attitudes who participate, cooperate, play fair, and show overall good sportsmanship.

Congratulations to the December recipients:

• Form 1: Henry Brooks and Sophie Mendoza
• Form 2: Leopold von Dürckheim and Ashlyn Whyte
• Form 3: Sofia Garcia and Eric Yang
• Form 4: Sawyer Daetwyler and Morgan Graf
• Form 5: Eleanor Brooks and Cesar Serna

Lower School art hosted Topher Sipes as its first visiting artist this school year on December 16. Topher Sipes is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose art practice spans the gamut of illustration, digital painting, performance, and virtual reality. No matter how digital his artistic applications, Sipes has a foundation of starting ideas and inspiration in his sketchbook. He came all the way from Austin to show students how his sketchbook has evolved throughout 20 years of drawing. After showing a wide variety of sketches, Sipes taught a sketchbook workshop to make an abstract drawing from watercolor pencils combined with everyday materials, specifically a steeped tea bag. Using the tea bag as a chance encounter to create something new, Sipes modeled to the students his method of sketching something from nothing.

Sipes is a collaborator and long-time friend of Lower School Art Teacher Kellen Stanley. Mr. Sipes shared that he “thoroughly enjoyed his time as Lower School’s first visiting artist.” More info can be found at his digital portfolio. Specifically be on the lookout for his 2020 Live VR performance in collaboration with the Houston Symphony!

Saint Mary’s Hall brings working artists in throughout the year to work with students in all divisions to supplement the curriculum being taught by our artist-educators. See the article below on the upcoming One-Act Play auditions. The show will be directed by guest artist, Tyler Keyes.

Stay tuned to News From the Hall for more updates on guest artists this semester!

Artily yours,

Bethany Bohall
Wanda Wiley Atkinson Director of Fine Arts
Tobin Fine Arts School at Saint Mary’s Hall
bbohall@smhall.org
(210) 483-9253

The Saint Mary’s Hall men’s varsity basketball team lost in the championship game of the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) tournament to the Antonian Apaches, 69-61.

The Barons took their talent to the SAISD Tournament just before the break. The tournament that is a perennial top tournament in the State of Texas did not disappoint this year, bringing in some of the top talent from around the state. The basketball team did not disappoint either, going 3-1 against bigger, and traditionally some of the stronger basketball programs from around the city.

The tournament started with an opening round victory over the strong MacArthur Brahmas basketball team, 77-55, in what can only be described as a dominant performance by the Barons. Scoring was led by senior Avery Eugster with 21 points.

The Saturday morning match-up brought on an SAISD powerhouse of Jefferson High School in which the Barons controlled the game from the opening tip, capturing the lead early, and not allowing the Jefferson Mustangs to come up for air. The 90-41 victory was led by three Barons being in double digits: senior Dane Huggins scored 13 points, senior Max Terry 12 points, and senior Ben Eugster with 17 points.

The Saturday afternoon, semi-final match-up brought about a rematch from the previous week’s tournament East Central High School. In what was a ferocious rematch of two very fast teams, the Barons were able to hold off the Hornets with a final score of 90-86. Seniors Avery and Ben Eugster had two outstanding performances, accounting for 56 of the teams 90 points (Avery 30, Ben 26).

The Championship Game brought on defending State Champion and district foe, the Antonian Apaches. The game was what you would expect from two of the top teams in the city. Back-and-forth action, with multiple lead changes, ultimately led to the Barons losing in the final minute, 69-61.

The strong performance from the team helped both Ben and Avery earn All-Tournament Team honors, while propelling the team to now be ranked as the #6 team in the city. 

Dear Saint Mary's Hall Community,

As we welcome a new year in a new decade, one may naturally wonder what the future brings.

While some of it can be foreseen, there is no way to predict every opportunity or challenge we or our students may encounter. That is why Chapel is so important to the school’s mission statement of preparing students for success in college and fulfillment in life. Each week we help students reflect on their beliefs and learn about the various traditions they will encounter in a world made small by travel and technology. We examine the many aspects of spirituality and how they relate to the faith practiced in one’s home. We consistently reflect the values we carry forward from our Christian heritage, such as compassion, service, humility, kindness, and gratitude. These things help students develop the habits of heart and mind that allow for appreciation of joyous times and resilience when difficulties arise. As we begin this work anew in 2020, we offer our gratitude to the Saint Mary’s Hall community for your continued support. May your new year be filled with goodness and peace.

Sincerely,

Susan Douglas
Interim All-School Chaplain

As reported in the December 16 Chapel Corner, all divisions celebrated in the traditional Christmas Lessons and Carols service. It was good to see so many parents in the audience celebrating with students. There were also two alternative Chapels for Middle and Upper School students.

The Lessons and Carols service told the story of Jesus’ birth through Scripture and song. Students read from the Book of Isaiah and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Fine Arts faculty and students performed beautiful carols that helped the audience reflect on the Scriptures.

There were no Chapels on January 6 due to the holiday break.

Many people are accustomed to setting New Year’s resolutions and spend time thinking about ways they can improve their lives in the New Year. Whether a person chooses to set New Year’s resolutions or not, it’s important to consider goal setting and mindset when supporting students as they seek behavioral change. Here are some helpful tips to consider.

Goal Setting

The American Psychological Association (APA) offers these tips when setting resolutions that could also be considered when setting goals in general.

• Start small: Determine sustainable changes that one can build upon.
• Change one behavior at a time: Focusing on one behavioral change at a time minimizes the chances that a person will feel overwhelmed and increases the chances that a person will achieve that behavioral change.
• Talk about it: It can help to have an accountability partner or someone supportive to help in establishing behavioral change.
• Don’t beat yourself up: Perfection is unattainable. Everyone has ups and downs; resolve to recover from your mistakes and get back on track.
• Ask for support: Seek help from family members and friends. If overwhelmed feelings are interfering, a trained professional can help elucidate obstacles.

Mindset

According to Chris Hulleman and Larry Happel, writers of the article, Three Mindset Shifts That Can Help Students Succeed: “Psychologists define mindsets as the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about ourselves, other people, and the environments we’re in.” They described three mindsets that can help students persist: growth, purpose, and social.

Growth

The authors note social psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset and describe how it “refers to a person’s belief that skills and abilities can develop, especially through hard work, trying challenging things, learning from failure, and adjusting strategies to accomplish goals.” They argue that “when we adopt a growth mindset, we are more likely to stick with things longer, perform better, and enjoy what we’re doing more than when we believe that our skills and abilities are fixed.” They argue, “It helps students focus on what is in their control and reduces the crippling fear that they may be stuck in their current state forever. It helps them be proactive instead of reactive or disengaged.” It is incumbent upon adults to encourage “a new approach, takes risks when learning, and get feedback often.”

Purpose

Hulleman and Happel describe, “When people find meaning and purpose in their life – whether it’s something grand like curing cancer or more modest like connecting with friends – they persist longer, enjoy what they’re doing more, and feel better about their lives.” Adults can help by encouraging “students to reflect on how attending school aligns with their core values. They can ask them how taking specific classes gets them closer to their goals.”

Social

The authors describe how students who are struggling often feel like “they’re the only one struggling.” This perception can lead to students assuming that “they aren’t cut out for school.” Hulleman and Happel go on to describe how, “The more students interact with others, the sooner they can build relationships and make friends. To help students develop a social mindset, instructors and mentors can remind them that others probably feel uncomfortable at first, too, and may be waiting for someone else to reach out. Encouraging students to step outside their comfort zone and ask a peer to lunch or helping them start a study group before an exam can go a long way to establishing new relationships.”

Summary

Adults play a critical role in supporting behavioral change in students. It is of critical importance to encourage students to be skillful in their goal setting and to adopt a mindset that is conducive to change. These combined efforts will maximize the likelihood that students can incorporate change and build upon their already existing skill sets.

References:

• Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick
• Help Students Navigate Life’s Transitions With a Mindset GPS