St. Christopher's School - Richmond, VA

Yesterday's Lower School Pageant was the perfect way to wrap the year up before Christmas Break!

What an amazing time we had this morning at the Lower School! Boys, faculty and staff sang together and celebrated the long-awaited return of the LS Christmas singalong tradition!

We're so impressed with our fifth and sixth graders, who held their own Lessons and Carols this afternoon at Ryan Recital Hall. It was a beautiful event and a great leadership opportunity!

Lower School is loving Pajama Day on this chilly morning!

The Winter 2022 issue of StC Magazine is hitting mailboxes, and now it's available online! See our student accomplishments, alumni events, community news and a look at the changing landscape of college admissions. shorturl.at/dgik2

Winter Wonderland was a blast this year! It was so great seeing everyone come out, and we really appreciate all of the hard work from our volunteers. Go Saints!

We love our community, so we were thrilled to have first graders from St. Catherine's and Saints parents join our boys this morning! Thanks so much to our parent volunteers for helping the first grade build such colorful (and tasty) candy houses together!

Thanks so much to St. Catherine's School for hosting the Beaux Ties for their morning performance! So glad the Censations could join them.

The Band and Strings concert for grades 7-12 last night was fantastic! The boys and girls sounded great, and we loved seeing the community show up to support our student musicians.

As the school year winds down, we bid a fond farewell to our Upper and Middle School students from Guatemala! The boys look forward to seeing their families but will remember the friends they made at StC and the new things they experienced. "We love American football in Guatemala, but I've never played it with other people. I'll never forget this experience," said eighth grader Thomas. "The other boys wanted to know more about us," said sixth grader Santiago. "They always helped us when we needed it. I'll miss these people."

This holiday season, our Lower School Saints have been working to help families in need through Angel Tree, a Salvation Army program. Each homeroom was assigned two boys and a Christmas wish list, and our boys spent weeks collecting toys and clothing. Today, a group of boys from the Student Council Association assembled the gifts and delivered them to a distribution center. "Angel Tree has been an enormous success," said Lower School Co-Teacher Holly Moreland, who spearheaded the effort. "I hope that this helps the boys realize that sometimes people need a little extra support, and they're helping 44 boys in the area have a great Christmas."

Thanks so much to the Upper School Student Council for such a fun Christmas chapel service! Gifts were given and we reflected on a great start to the school year. Go Saints!

Saints, check out the new items available at StC's Bookstore, including pickleball paddles, pajamas, and sharp new johnnie-O pullovers and polos! Be sure to shop our online store or stop by during our Holiday Open House on Dec. 10 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Dec. 15 from 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m. https://stcbookstore.com/

Our kindergarteners had a blast this morning! Parents and grandparents visited and helped our boys sew and decorate Christmas stockings.

We’re happy to announce that Jake Westermann will join the Saints community as Head of the Upper School. Westermann brings extensive teaching and coaching experience at the Upper School level and a strong commitment to student and faculty growth and wellness. Westermann, his wife, and three children (two boys and one girl) will join us in July 2023. https://www.stchristophers.com/news-detail?pk=1509507&fromId=239203

Winter Wonderland, our longstanding, family-friendly holiday celebration is back! The fun happens on Saturday, Dec. 10 with a pancake breakfast in Ryan Dining Hall at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Families can send in a Gingerbread house to be on display, and Santa even stops by for a visit!

Check out the kids-only Fawn Shop, take home a special Chamberlayne Hall Christmas ornament, and don’t forget the Brunswick Stew, which is made on-site! Pick it up hot that afternoon or order online for pickup on Dec. 12-16. These popular items will sell out, so be sure to order early. https://saintspa.org/

Saints, we're thrilled to host a reception for Sally Lawson, a Richmond-based artist whose brightly-colored paintings are currently on display in StC's Arts Center Gallery. Lawson has shown work at Crossroads Arts Center, Revival, Arts Around the Lake at the University of Richmond, Artworks, Fraiche and other locations.

Join us on Dec. 4 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Recital Hall Art Gallery. We can't wait to see you there!

StC remembers alumnus and Virginia Congressman Donald McEachin. https://www.stchristophers.com/page/News-Detail?pk=1509206

it's a beautiful fall morning on the Terraces. Welcome back, Saints!

Nobody does the holidays like StC! Yesterday our campus was filled with reflection, expressions of gratitude and friendship, as well as fun community events. The morning started off with Thanksgiving chapel services in the Lower and Middle Schools, followed by a first grade feast, a balloon parade at the LS, and the traditional afternoon Turkey Bowl for our MS boys. The kindergarteners even paid their St. Catherine's School buddies a visit to collaborate on art projects.

Enjoy the time with family and friends, Saints! Happy Thanksgiving.

We're so proud of our Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir! Last Friday, the boys performed at the Virginia Music Educators Association state conference. The audition selection process is highly selective, and the group was the only middle school choir in Virginia selected to perform. Go Saints!

"Remember to enjoy the people who choose to be with you. As seniors, we're running out of time to make special memories together," said AB Bullock '23. "Enjoy it. Every second you can," he said.

This morning, seniors led their traditional Thanksgiving service in Memorial Chapel for senior parents, grandparents, students and faculty. The community gathered to hear readings of gratitude and mindfulness. "Without the relationships I've formed here, my life would be very different," said Riley Finck '23. "Be thankful for your opportunities, be thankful for St. Christopher's, your families, and the time you have with them," he said.

Timeline photos

It's opening night!

Ampersand Presents: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 plays in 60 minutes), by Greg Allen

Join us for 30 plays in 60 minutes at St. Christopher's Playhouse in the Luck Leadership Center.
Nov. 17 - 7 p.m.
Nov. 18 - 7 p.m.
Nov. 19 - 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Purchase tickets: https://bit.ly/3FHbzru

"I love the freedom we get in this room. I get excited knowing that I get to work together with my friends on anything we want in here," said eighth grader Loch. From creating laser-cut art projects to baking delicious muffins, our Middle School boys do it all at the BUILD Lab! Unveiled last year and overseen by faculty member Carey Pohanka, the lab is a dedicated space for boys to design, innovate and creatively problem-solve.

We're so incredibly proud of our varsity soccer team, who beat Trinity Episcopal School in the finals last night. Congratulations to our 2022 VISAA champions, who worked so hard this season and played so well!

Congratulations to one of our fifth grade robotics teams, the LS Saints, who recently won the second place Champion's Award for their division in the "Superpowered VA-DC FIRST LEGO League!" This award is given to teams who show strength in robot design, robot missions, core values, and innovation.

The boys will move on to the next stage and compete on Dec. 10 in the regional competition! Great job, boys!

We were amazed by Ampersand's production of "Eurydice" last week. So proud of our boys and the girls of St. Catherine's School

"Your character will never fail you, so don't fail it," said alumnus Wilson Mustian '97. An Army veteran, Mustian spoke to our Upper School boys in Memorial Chapel as part of StC's division-wide Veterans Day events. https://www.stchristophers.com/news-detail?pk=1506719&fromId=239203

Our kindergarten and junior kindergarten were fired up to meet some special guests on campus this morning! Firefighters from Richmond Fire Station No. 19 stopped by to show the boys their gear, answer questions and give them some helpful safety tips. One of them even looked suspiciously like Head of the Lower School Todd Stansbery...

StC's Middle School just kicked off winter sports, and the boys are pumped! Students have their choice of sport to play, there are no cuts from the teams in the seventh grade, and they get to connect with their teachers outside the classroom.

Congratulations to our outstanding student-athlete seniors, who signed their letters of intent this afternoon! Students, faculty, staff and parents joined us in Bolling Field House today for a ceremony. The seniors who signed today are:

Rex Alphen - Bucknell, Soccer
Riley Finck - VMI, Wrestling
Bradley Garner - USC Upstate, Baseball
Miles Harvey - High Point, Lacrosse
JJ Powell - George Mason, Golf

So proud of the StC Cross Country team and their 2022 Prep League championship win! Great job, gentlemen!

One of our favorite things at StC is seeing the older boys connect with younger Saints. Today our Lower and Middle School boys had a great time during their buddy visits, where they played kickball, went on scavenger hunts and collaborated on art projects.

Our second grade boys had a great time learning about Mayan culture this morning! Eighth grader Thomas and sixth grader Santiago, who are from Guatemala and will be here with us until December, spent time with the boys presenting on ancient Mayan civilization, archaeology, religion and more. Thank you, gentlemen!

Another great year of Lower School Literary Society meetings is in the books! Congratulations to all of our boys on such poised and impressive performances. Last Friday was our final meeting, so stay tuned to find out whether the Reds or the Grays will win the Chamberlayne Cup!