Departments & Courses

The Mathematics Department at Saint James School offers courses designed to appropriately challenge all students. Ranging from Prealgebra through post-AP offerings, our goal is to develop creative problem solvers by encouraging students to appreciate and embrace mathematical thinking. Within each classroom, students will learn to work successfully in individual and cooperative situations. Our curriculum is designed to help students strengthen their reasoning ability and appropriate usage of technology in learning content. Students new to Saint James will enroll in the appropriate level of mathematics based on previous coursework, recommendations, and completion of a placement test.

The Science Department challenges students to acquire the body of knowledge and skills necessary to better understand the natural world. Students develop scientific literacy while engaging in qualitative and quantitative problem-solving. The laboratory, which plays an important role in the inquiry process, fosters both skills and knowledge. Students are encouraged to ask questions and conduct experiments in order to understand a range of complex scientific concepts. Students design investigations, engage in scientific reasoning, utilize equipment, record data, use technology, analyze results, and discuss findings.

The English Department strives to create a community of readers, writers, and thinkers who appreciate the challenges of formal and creative writing; the process of discovery in close reading of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction; and the importance of finding the right words to successfully explore ideas in a welcoming and lively classroom setting.  Through the “Voices in Literature” sequence, each form examines an overarching idea that guides the selection of a diverse set of authors and narrative voices

Most students at Saint James begin their study of world languages in the Second Form by taking Latin. Upon entering the Third Form, students may continue their study of Latin, or they may begin a modern language - either Spanish or French. The language program stimulates interest in other cultures and their literature, history, and values. Students are required to complete a minimum of three years of language study (in one language), which provides a sound grammatical foundation and prepares students for college-level work. Courses are offered from Level I through Advanced Placement.

Students in the History, Religion, and Social Sciences Department learn about significant events, ideas, and historical figures. They read critically, analytically, and reflectively from several sources and write research papers and essays on the issues and trends they study. By engaging in daily discussions, students form their own opinions about the past and its relevance to today’s world and their own lives.

The Fine Arts—visual and performing—are recognized as rich opportunities for students to appreciate music, drama, drawing, and the visual arts, as well as to discover or polish their own artistic expression. The Fine Arts Department offers elective courses in Music and Art. The Saint James Mummers’ Society performs several drama productions each year. Students in the Second Form take Drama & Music for one semester; students in Third through Sixth Forms choose art, dance, and/or music as electives.