StM News

Senior Sofia DiVincenti led third graders in an exploration of oobleck, a suspension of cornstarch and water that can behave like a solid or a liquid. Across campus, Ashley Gaspard discussed the properties of light through glass while examining the stained glass windows in the Dan and Frances White Chapel. Meanwhile, Manny Bejeran delivered a sermon during an Upper School Chapel. Students in the Class of 2024 took over the leadership roles of St. Martin’s for the entire day of February 1 in the annual tradition of Senior Leadership Day. Their capability echoes the skills of previous classes that took on the challenges of leadership and impressed students and teachers alike. 

Senior Leadership Day began in 1980, thanks to the inspired vision of English teacher June Wells. On a day to be called “Senior Teacher Day,” the seniors would take over many of the adult positions in the school for a day. 

Wells’ idea initially found enthusiastic support among the seniors, while faculty and administrators were hesitant, but willing to give the experiment a try. Today, nearly 45 years later, this day provides our seniors the opportunity to practice and demonstrate leadership. This demonstration of leadership is precisely why the name for the day changed in the 1990s to reflect both the focus and the range of positions students assume on that day. 

This year, seniors assumed positions in support roles around the school, including maintenance, clergy, admissions, and administration, as well as serving as classroom teachers and librarians. Students assume significant responsibility for the day and must prepare with their chosen faculty or staff member, dress appropriately, arrive early and stay late, and demonstrate both mastery of the material they are teaching or the role they are serving in and the self-confidence that is built through such an experience. 

“As freshmen, St. Martin’s students participate in Shadow Day, when they observe mentors in the New Orleans community to learn about various professions,” said Ms. Mary Bond, who organizes the day. “As an extension of this program, our seniors genuinely assume the leadership positions of their mentors on our campus. The seniors are no longer shadowing adult mentors; instead, they have authentic leadership roles on campus for Senior Leadership Day.” 

Many seniors throughout the years have remarked that Senior Leadership Day is one of their most exhausting and challenging, and it helped them develop a new appreciation for educators. Seniors who have been at St. Martin’s since their Lower School days often talk about how they remember the excitement of the day to have the “big kids” serve as their teachers for the day. Interaction and relationship-building with students from other divisions is a hallmark of the St. Martin’s experience and one of the reasons StM enjoys such a strong, tight-knit community.