News
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Quiz Bowl: nimble minds make connections
Posted January 3, 2013
“What is Quiz Bowl?” Students have asked for an explanation of Quiz Bowl in various ways over the years. Futile and somewhat inaccurate, or at least clumsy, attempts to answer that query have offered analogies to a Team Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit, but the basic answer—an academic competition club—never seems to properly explain the concept, so students are often just told to join us for practice. Our practices—at dinner on Monday and Tuesday evenings in an often-loud corner of Chan-Poyner—tend to be lively affairs. Students and teachers alike will often ask, “How do you know what to study?” While there are specific topics which we can go over, and the students do a good job identifying areas of focus, there is no set list of topics we are able to study before a specific tournament with any sense of security that any of that review will provide points at a competition. However, that does not stop us from practicing other questions, keeping our minds limber, and always seeing “just what we know.”
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Saint Mary's and the Triangle Diversity Alliance
Posted November 30, 2012
Each year, Saint Mary's School participates in The Triangle Diversity Alliance's student conference. The Alliance, comprised of Carolina Friends School, Cary Academy, Durham Academy, Ravenscroft School and Saint Mary's, recently hosted its annual conference, "Pieces of the Puzzle: Where Do I Fit In?" with a theme focused around identity. Fourteen students from Saint Mary's attended this year with chaperones, Ms. Schweizer, Ms. Holmes and Ms. Pabis. The following are reflections on the conference experience by Shade Ayodele '14 and Mariama Lusack '12, respectively.
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An education in the political process
Posted November 2, 2012
Like much of the United States, the SMS campus is buzzing with election talk. In keeping with our mission and core values, Saint Mary’s faculty and students have seized the opportunity to use this year’s election as a learning opportunity. From government students educating their peers on the Electoral College, to a mock election and bipartisan activities planned together by the Young Democrats and Young Republicans on campus, Saint Mary’s is engaging and collaborating this election season.
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SMS Dean of Students Presents at Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy
Posted October 26, 2012
Recently, Saint Mary’s Associate Head and Dean of Students, Josette Huntress-Holland, was invited to the Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy (WYWLA) to talk about best practices around girls and discipline. Since its inception as Wake County’s first public school for girls, WYWLA has been embraced by Saint Mary’s as a fellow educator of girls, and Saint Mary’s has reached out to lend its expertise, offer its support and work in partnership with WYWLA for the benefit of girls and girls education. Dean Holland’s presentation, “Navigating the Grey: Effective Discipline for Girls” to the WYWLA faculty this month, was just one example of the growing relationship between these institutions.
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Community Service Week at SMS
Posted October 12, 2012
“One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.” -Henry David Thoreau Community Service Week starts at Saint Mary’s School on Monday, October 15. Every Saint Mary’s student must complete 20 hours of community service for each year she is a student here. During this week, our Community Service Committee will be using a variety of venues to talk about the ins and outs of community service.