Professional development is a vitally important part of Pre-K3/12 education here at Saint Stephen’s. Teachers and staff are encouraged to pursue continuing education not only to ensure the best learning outcomes for their students, but also to be more effective and satisfied in all aspects of their work.
Saint Stephen’s spends aproximately $50,000 annually on professional development opportunities. Teachers attended a wide variety of important conferences (in-person and virtually), including the Future of Education Technology, NAES Diversity and Inclusion, Global Educators, National Association of Biology Teachers, American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages, Florida Association of School Nurses, and the National Council for Social Studies. They also experienced training and workshops related to reading instruction, coaching baseball and basketball, teaching vocal performance, nutrition, journalism, religious education, mathematics, Advanced Placement exams and more.
For our teachers to be subject matter experts on the topics they teach, they need to continually expand their knowledge and skills. Professional development transforms our faculty into better educators by enabling them to create relevant and tailored course instructions that meet best practices. It also gives them an opportunity to step outside their routine — they get to be the student instead of the teacher. This keeps them engaged and nurtures those who aspire to leadership positions.
Technology has made itself part of every aspect of our lives, and the students who understand it are the ones who succeed. These days, technology means more than just learning basic computing. Modern learning is about collaborating with others, solving complex problems, critical thinking, and developing different forms of communication and leadership. By using tech in the classroom, teachers and students develop essential 21st century skills.
In the school setting, there’s an expectation that you’ll always do your best to stay on the cutting edge for the benefit of your students, and we undergo nearly constant assessment in order to stay current with evolving hardware and software. Maintaining that level of preparedness is expensive, and gifts to the Annual Fund make it possible.
Saint Stephen’s is the school it is today not simply because of its outstanding academic reputation, but also because of the many programs and experiences that create a well-rounded student life. Music, drama, art, athletic and academic extracurricular activities add to a vibrant campus canvas.
Support for maintenance and enhancements to the Moore Athletic Complex at Turner Fields and Hoagland Arena keeps our athletic programs – quite literally – on solid footing and helps offset the expenses (travel, lodging, officiating, etc.) that come with on-field success now regularly stretching deep into the post season. Falcon student-athletes put in the hard work year-round. Your gifts allow them to compete for championships in a first-class manner.
The area’s most comprehensive Marine Science program impacts students from Pre-K through grade 12 with instruction in a custom-designed marine science curriculum – One Ocean. Your support funds equipment for the classroom and for field study that provides each student with an opportunity to experience the wonders of the ocean environment.
Our Global Education program has grown from video conference sessions with a single school in Tanzania in 2007 to regular exchanges with more than 40 schools around the world today. Lessons are taught at every grade level that reach beyond the walls of our school to create a collaborative global classroom. Your support has helped make these connections even more real by allowing SSES to host student exchanges from Japan, Honduras, Argentina and elsewhere.
This is just a small sample of what sets Saint Stephen’s apart from other institutions, and gifts to the Annual Fund allow us to fund, launch and sustain these programs as we continuously pursue new pathways to excellence.