Pohanka Fine Arts Center

After opening in the fall of 2020, the Pohanka Fine Arts Center now provides state-of-the-art facilities for our Music and Visual Arts programs, allowing our students and faculty to grow and develop in new and exciting ways. An architectural work of art located near the Bai Yuka, this beautiful 
three-story, 22,000 square foot building makes a statement that Saint James prioritizes the arts. 

Because of the excitement and energy of the new building, the Pohanka Fine Arts Center has become a gathering place for all our students, regardless of their affiliation with the fine arts program. This organic exposure will further embed the arts into the fabric of the students’ experience.

A few space highlights include:

Kay H Teach Recital Hall

This intimate 80-person performance space provides:

• an inspiring and professional-quality recital hall for our student performers.
• professional-grade microphones and cameras for recording and live streaming performances.
• an acoustically-engineered facility designed to create optimal conditions for audiences and performers alike.
• a new opportunity for Saint James to welcome professional artists to campus.

Visual Arts Program

• The Pohanka Fine Arts Center provides significantly expanded classroom space for visual arts students, a beautiful art gallery, and dedicated display sites throughout the building for 2-D and 3-D art projects.
• The George R. R. Walker Advanced Art Studio allows up to ten advanced art students to have a dedicated workspace for the entire academic year.
• The Digital Media and Ceramics studios allow our students to immerse themselves in these areas of study.

Music Teaching Spaces

• The music program now has more than triple the number of spaces for teaching, practicing, rehearsing, and performing. While there were only four lesson and practice rooms in the Bowman-Byron Fine Arts Center, there are now 15 in the Pohanka Fine Arts Center.
• Discipline-specific rooms like the A. Pringle Pipkin Percussion Studio and the Pipkin Piano Studio provide the means for our applied music faculty to provide the highest quality instruction to their students.

 

Turner Athletic Center

Daily athletics are central to the Saint James experience for all 230 students on campus. Whether a student is a starter for one of our MAC Championship teams, a future college athlete refining his or her skills, or a second or third form student trying out a sport for the very first time, the Turner Athletic Center represents an exciting step up for every Saint. The new locker rooms, indoor turf field, performance basketball gymnasium, and wrestling center, and other amenities offered by the Turner Athletic Center will help all our student athletes and faculty coaches reach the next level in their athletic development! A new athletic facility will provide Saint James students with the following:

Wrestling Center
To be named in honor of Admiral James L. Holloway ‘39, who was a star wrestler as a cadet at the Naval Academy, this state-of-the-art wrestling center will provide SJS the chance to showcase one of its strongest athletic programs. Students of all sizes, demeanors, and athletic backgrounds can find a home on the wrestling team, often winning individual and team honors as they do so. The new space will provide a fitting home for one of the area’s premiere wrestling events, the Holloway Wrestling Tournament.

Indoor Turf Field
This will be a thrilling new addition to campus at Saint James School and the only one of its kind in the surrounding area. This field will provide year-round training opportunities for our field athletes, reduce the number of practices lost to adverse weather, and provide an additional place for students to exercise and practice over the weekends and during free time. 

Locker Rooms
New locker rooms will replace those that have been in use for many years. Though they have served the school well, the boys’ locker room is worn, poorly lit, and badly ventilated, and the girls’ locker room is overcrowded, as the number of girls playing sports has more than tripled since the locker room was added in 1999. These will be facilities that our Saints will look forward to returning to as they celebrate a win or reflect on a challenging defeat.

Performance Gymnasium
The increase in enrollment at Saint James, the increased number spectators at games, and the revival of the beloved Saint James Invitational Tournament have all resulted in an immediate need for more seating in the gym for games and tournaments. The gymnasium will be fully climate controlled and will include a floor designed to enhance the performance of our athletes while providing long-term durability.

This facility also provides an alternate indoor space for commencement and other large school events. In addition, a redesigned entrance and new parking lots will make the facility accessible and friendly to all.

 

 Cotton Building Improvements

With the successful opening of the Pohanka Fine Arts Center, the Bowman-Byron Center, in the Cotton Building, has become the primary home of the Saint James Mummers’ Society and the Dance Program. Several exciting projects have been identified to make the it a thriving center for dance and theater for years to come.

• A new, larger dance studio will be installed on the second floor in place of the old art studio.
• A new LED light system and catwalk will be installed to improve the downstage lighting in Kellam Auditorium.
• Worn-out and damaged stage curtains will be replaced and brought up to code.
• Fully up-to-date audio and visual equipment will be installed to make Kellam Auditorium compatible with the technological demands of 21st Century theater.
   

 

As part of the extended Make A Difference Campaign, Saint James proposes to build a new, 28-bed boys’ dormitory that includes three faculty housing units. A new dormitory is needed due to a sustained growth in the number of applicants and students interested in boarding, and the continuing need for additional housing for male faculty. Construction of a new dormitory will also allow the School to achieve its enrollment goal of 80% boarding students. The fundraising goal for the new dormitory is $4 million, of which $1.5 million has been pledged to date. Your gift to the Boys’ Dormitory will Make A Difference in the lives of students and faculty alike!