The Middle School Select Choir had a victorious performance at the 59th Annual New Jersey Music Educators Association Middle School Choral Festival at Rutgers University. The festival included performances from 11 middle schools from across the state. The adjudicators were Ms. Nicosia of Rutgers University and Dr. Guerrini of TCNJ. Though this was not an official competition, the MS Select choir was simply victorious! All aspects of our performance were scored with 9s and 10s! They brought the audience to their feet in applause at the end of their set and received much praise from their peers and judges alike.

We are proud to announce that senior Christina Chun has been awarded the 2012 Hubert Alyea Award, sponsored by Princeton University and the Princeton Section of the American Chemical Society. Christina was nominated for this award by Stuart's science faculty because of her enthusiasm for the study of sciences and her excellence in all scientific disciplines. Christina also received prestigious recognition as a John Jay Scholar at Columbia University. In the fall Christina will be attending Princeton University.

On Tuesday, members of the SPARKS robotics team visited Princeton University for an fun-filled engineering field trip. The trip culminated with some great liquid nitrogen demos from Professor Houck, including penny smashing and ice cream making—delicious and educational!

The Stuart Alumnae Association is proud to announce Leigh Morlock, Class of 2000, as the 2012 recipient of the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award.

In 2009, Leigh took her experience in theater and fashion to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she launched Push Pull Cambodia, a fashion social enterprise that uses business as a tool to combat poverty. Read more about Leigh on her blog. Be sure to join us on May 19 for Alumnae Day 2012 to see the award presentation.

Stuart was shining last night at the Rush Holt Annual Student Congressional Art Exhibition. All of the work our students submitted, eight artworks in total, was amazing. Three students were awarded prizes: Wenjia Tang '12 was awarded First Prize in the Computer Generated category, Vanessa Li '14 was awarded First Prize in the Photography category, and Jen Liu '12 was awarded Second Prize in the Computer Generated category. Congratulations to the winners and all of our students who participated!

See photos of the artists and the winning pieces.

After four months of rehearsal Stuart's Fifth Grade is beautifully prepared to perform this year's Lower School Musical, "Annie, Jr." This event is the culmination of their Lower School drama and music curriculum. Thank you to all the parents who helped throughout the year to prepare all the costumes and props and to assist with back stage management. We hope you come to see the show!

Saturday, May 5, 2:00 PM
Box office opens at 1:15 PM
$8 General Admission, cash or check

Congratulations to Stuart Senior Amethyst Carey who was recently named First Team All-Prep in Girls Track by The Star-Ledger. Amethyst was also the NJ State Prep B Indoor Shot Put Champion this past winter. Look for more exciting news from this talented athlete as she takes to the track this spring. Great job Amethyst!

We are back from our Spring break trip to France! Thirteen students and two chaperones, Madame Amir and Madame Hoppenot, were part of the trip. We all had a wonderful time visiting Paris, the Loire Valley and being hosted by Parisian families.

See photos from the trip in the photo gallery.

Stuart alumna (and parent!) Molly Hillenbrand Vernon '96 sure is keeping busy these days with her new book Luxaby Lily and the move of her store Luxaby Baby to a larger space in Princeton. Catch up with Molly in this week's Town Topics.

From Amelia Earhart to Mother Teresa, the Lower School students delighted the Stuart community with the many remarkable women who appeared at Women We Admire Day on Friday, March 9. The students were also visited by admirable Stuart alumnae Shelley Wollert '94, Dr. Keo (Feurstein) Van Why '99, and Mia Tinari '00, as well as role models from the Upper School. The special day culminated with a fitting tribute to Mrs. Shukwit, a woman we certainly all admire.

View photos from the day in the photo gallery.

Wednesday we celebrated 100 Days to Graduation! In preparation for this wonderful Stuart tradition, the Preschool and Junior Kindergarten students made special crowns for the seniors. The little ones sang a special song and they all paraded through the Stuart halls to cheering fans! The celebration concluded with a special luncheon for the seniors, at which the seniors were officially inducted into the Stuart Alumnae Association. Congratulations to our impressive graduates to be!

See photos from the day in the photo gallery.

Please join us for a very special intimate book talk on Sunday, March 4 at 4:00PM with Nancy Kehoe, RSCJ, PhD. Dr. Kehoe, a member of Stuart's Board of Trustees, will be discussing her book Wrestling with our Inner Angels: Faith, Mental Illness, and the Journey to Wholeness.

Krystal Knapp, founder and editor of PlanetPrinceton.com, visited with three of Dana Day's classes this week to share her experiences in local and global journalism. Ms. Knapp was a staff writer at The Trenton Times for several years and was the editor of an English language news digest in Beirut, Lebanon. She is a graduate of Smith College and holds a master's degree from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Wow! Beautiful, easy and amazing! For the 13th year, Stuart girls - students, moms, aunts, teachers, alumnae - have been giving the gift of their hair for sick children through Locks of Love. This year was no exception, as 13 girls and women participated, including mother/daughter Teri and Brianna Giancola, (wife/daughter of Stuart chef Damon Giancola). Past donors stopped by to encourage this years' participants and we had repeat performances with much reminiscing about Locks of Love events of the past. Many, many girls are already reporting that they're growing their hair for next year!

Special thanks to Shannon Rangecroft for coordinating the event and to everyone involved for their hard work and dedication to the challenge. See photos from the event in the photo gallery.

The Sparks, Stuart's all-girl, rookie robotics team, started out the year with almost zero experience in robotics. Just five months later, their hard work, tenacity, and vision earned them a 4^th place finish (out of 24 teams in their division) at the FTC NJ State Championships on Feburary 12!

Senior Amethyst Carey placed first in the shot put competition this past weekend and won the State Prep B Title with a new school record of 33 feet and 6 1/4 inches.

Freshman Emily Morgan also set a new school record at the Prep B Championships in the 800 meter run with a time of 3:07.2.

We're so proud of our record-setting girls! Congratulations!

Sparks, Stuart's rookie robotics team, is headed to Newark this Sunday for the New Jersey FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) championship event! The Sparks earned a spot at this event by outperforming other more experienced teams at a previous qualifying tournament—an amazing accomplishment for their first year as a team! After spending the year working diligently, creatively, and collaboratively to design, build, and program a robot, the girls will compete this Sunday with other robotics teams in the tri-state area for a ticket to the FTC world championship event later this spring.

Congratulations to Clare Long who was recognized as a "Knight in Shining Armor" by Rutgers Athletics and Johnson and Johnson for her work in collecting items for the troops overseas at a Rutgers basketball game on January 31st. What an inspiration to others!

The Princeton Patch recently interviewed Stuart senior Alisha Mehndiratta to learn more about Alisha and her essay, for which she won a second place prize in Princeton University's MLK Literary and Video Contest. Alisha is a wonderful Stuart ambassador, true to the Sacred Heart goals and criteria which come through loud and clear in the Patch article titled "Stuart Student Embodies Spirit of MLK, Jr." Read the article and Alisha's full essay.

The Upper School Sacred Heart to Heart Club, which builds connections between Stuart and other Sacred Heart network schools, will be holding a Valentine's Day bake sale on Tuesday February 14th. With more than ten participating schools, this is a Network-wide event to support the construction of a Sacred Heart school in Haiti. Stop by the Hearts for Haiti bake sale on Valentine's Day for a treat to support our sisters in Haiti!

Catherine Huber, Senior Class President, put on a nun's habit to make the announcement with Mrs. Soos. Congé (in French means to depart) is a Sacred Heart tradition - The girls are taking the day off off school and heading to Market Fair for a movie, hang out, and grab a bite to eat. See more photos from the announcement. Enjoy girls - you deserve the break!

On Friday, Amanda Sharp ’08 visited Madelaine Shellaby’s Upper School Art class and demonstrated the creation of plaster molds for casting rubber. Currently a student at Arcadia College, Amanda recently won the regional II Excellence in Costume Design Award in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. After Spring Break, she will go on to compete in the National US Institute of Technical Theater competition in Long Beach CA, where she will be competing for a free masters degree at California State University, San Bernardino. We’re pulling for you, Amanda!

Last Friday, Sra. Quinlan's Grade 5 Spanish class enjoyed the chance to strengthen their language skills via a new approach. The class visited with 8-year-old María via Skype! María ia a student at Madrid's Claret School, and a friend of Sra's. María spoke with the girls—in Spanish, of course—about life at her school for Grade 5 students.

Stuart Country Day School played proud host to nearly 100 students at our first annual Stuart Country Day School Math Invitational on January 7, 2012. Stuart was well represented by 16 students from the middle school. Each was a perfect example of the effort we strive to teach here at Stuart.

Congratulations to The Sparks, Stuart's robotics team, who placed third in a competition between 35 teams over the break! This placement guaranteed the Sparks a spot in the State Championships, which will take place on February 11.

Thanks to Mrs. Park and all of the girls for your hard work and dedication and for representing Stuart. See you at the State Championships!

More info to come.

Congratulations to Stuart Alumna Caroline McCarthy who was just selected by Forbes in the first ever “30 Under 30” listing of today’s brightest young stars in Media. Caroline is a product marketing manager and Trends & Insights writer at Google where she co-edits Think Quarterly, Google's in-house magazine. She covered social media early on for CNET. The printed Forbes issue will be out in January, but you can read about it online here.

We are excited to host our First Annual Stuart Math Invitational for Middle Schools on January 7, 2012. We are looking forward to students from local area schools joining us for a friendly math competition. Going forward, we plan to expand our Math Invitational to schools throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania - it will be a great opportunity to showcase our unique Sacred Heart Community and our beautiful Stuart campus. If you'd like to learn more, please contact Brian McCarty at bmccarty@stuartschool.org.

Congratulations to eighth grader Isabella Kopits for the recent academic honors she has garnered. Isabella received High Honors from Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY), as well as similar recognition from Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP).

On Thursday, students, faculty, parents, and alumnae gathered in Cor Unum for one of the most unique and special traditions at Stuart, the Junior Ring Ceremony. At this beautiful candlelit ceremony, juniors are given their class rings by seniors and alumnae family members. Dr. Fagin, Rev. Msgr. Gregory Malovetz, and Mrs. Soos each took a moment to speak about the ties that bind our community together and to reflect on all that the ring with the deer drinking from the stream represents. Afterwards, the Front Hall was filled with excited juniors having their rings turned - 114 times! 100 times plus their class year, plus one for luck. See photos from the ceremony and reception in our photo gallery.

Stuart's very first blog post is from Head of School, Dr. Patty Fagin and is titled "Where will you spend Christmas?" We hope that guest bloggers will join us from throughout the Stuart community as we share ideas and inspiration about faith, education and community, all grounded here at Stuart in the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria and our rich Stuart history and traditions. You can find the Stuart Blog on our website under About Stuart or click here.

Congratulations to Anushka Makhija, Grade 9, who was presented with an Award for High Honors by the John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) on November 5th at a ceremony at the Nicholas Music Center at Rutgers. Anushka’s award was based on her peformance on the SAT taken in eighth grade.

On Thursday, the Business Club hosted business development consultant, Kathie De Chirico. She spoke to a crowd of Upper School students in the A/V room about women’s initiatives including leadership positions in business. Thanks to the Business Club for putting together this informative event.

Before Thanksgiving break, the Kindergarten class was busy creating and curating the Eric Carle Museum. Each student took great pride in their collage as they talked about their artwork with museum visitors. The girls welcomed questions from the visitors and responded with information regarding Eric Carle’s techniques and their own methods of recreating his work. Congratulations to the Kindergarten class on this tremendous project! See photos from the exhibition.

Twenty Stuart girls from Grades 9–12 represented the newly independent Republic of Georgia at the Rutgers Model United Nations Conference from November 10–13. Model UN is another example of Goal 5, Criteria 4 as it’s great opportunity for Stuart girls to exercise leadership. The girls debated, wrote resolutions, and gave speeches with about 30 other schools, and were very prominent female leaders in the male-dominent committee meetings. Special congratulations go to Charlotte LaNasa, who won Best Delegate award for Non-Government Organizations!

The 8th Grade musical, Seussical Jr., will delight young and old as our favorite Dr. Seuss characters come to life, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and a little boy with a big imagination--Jojo. "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think" captures the show's spirit of imagination, as the colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

Watch a clip from a rehearsal of Seussical Jr.

Bundles of Love to Russia is the brainchild of Alyssa Ellsworth who was adopted from Russia when she was 10 months old. Alyssa is collecting baby products to send to babies and toddlers in Russia. Click through to read her story and for a list of items needed. Donations must be collected by November 1.

The Stuart halls were once again hustling and bustling with excitement as everyone jockeyed for position to see the entries in this year's Upper School Pumpkin Contest. Creativity and imagination took center stage this year - congratulations to all who participated! Take a look at photos courtesy of Upper School students and faculty.

Dr. Patty Fagin reports that New Taipei City is beautiful, with the Danshui River on one side and the mountains of Taiwan on the other. She is in Taiwan representing Stuart at the Fourth International Conference for Heads of Schools of the Society of Sacred Heart. 56 International Heads of School from 15 countries are currently meeting in Taiwan, hosted by the Sacred Heart School in Taiwan, Pali. Click through for additional photos of Dr. Fagin and Olen Kalkus, Headmaster at our brother school, Princeton Academy.

Today Stuart welcomed a group of 16 visiting French students and two teachers. They have come from Paris to stay in the USA for two weeks. They arrived at Stuart at 8:30 PM on Thursday for a nice "French time" potluck dinner with our students. Despite the time difference for our visitors, they all immediately started to chat and get to know one another.

On Saturday, October 15 the Campus Ministry and Outreach Clubs worked at the Crisis Ministry in Trenton. They stocked shelves, greeted clients with hot coffee and donuts, and helped to fill shopping carts from the Food Pantry.

The JK, First and Second Grade Spanish students are making connections with their Sacred Heart counterparts at Sophianum in Lima, Peru. The girls have been learning about Peru in anticipation of this activity. Our students extended their friendship by creating a photo card filled with hand written information in Spanish about Stuart. We sent several "deer" related gifts and hope to receive some nice information about the llama in return. We have already heard from the first graders who sent lovely illustrated pictures of their homes. ¡Viva la amistad! Hurray for friendship! See photos of the students sharing their gifts.

To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Upper School held a Pink Out on Wednesday. A suggested donation of $2 allowed the girls to wear pink and dress down for the day. Donations will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The day ended with an information session followed by a prayer for those affected by breast cancer. See more photos from the day.

On this year's museum trip, the Junior Class visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Afterward, they walked to 91st Street where they were greeted by members of the Junior Class at the Convent of the Sacred Heart who provided tours of their historic New York City campus.

Conge is a traditional surprise holiday celebrated in Sacred Heart schools. It is a day when students and faculty enjoy a break from their classroom routine and share a special day together. Today the Lower School community will enjoy a day filled with art activities, fun presentations and just some plan old fashioned play day activity – complete with a moon bounce, cotton candy and ice cream sundaes.

This week, 7th grade Spanish students used the iPad to explore the geography of Northern Spain as they began a Project Based Learning Unit in which they will develop their own fictional city.

Juniors in Dr. Mia Manzulli's Honors American Literature class were invited to examine the intersection of public and private spaces as imagined by Edith Wharton in her 1913 novel, The Custom of the Country. Students staged dramatic scenes, painted landscapes, and re-created New York drawing rooms at the turn of the last century ...in miniature. Students will travel to New York next week to visit the American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum, along with the Gilded Age mansions that now house the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Visitors are welcome to stop by room U13 and see these creations in person.

On Tuesday, October 4, the First Graders learned about harvesting wheat at Howell Farm. They were able to "broadcast" wheat seeds in the field, peel away the layers of the seeds, grind down the seeds, and sift the wheat flour for a wheat bread recipe. The trip was topped off by sampling the delicious, warm wheat bread that was made using the freshest of ingredients! We look forward to our next trip to Howell Farm in November.

Sister Helen Prejean, anti-death penalty activist and best-selling author, will speak at Stuart on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, as part of Stuart's Women in Leadership program. Dead Man Walking is an account of her experience counseling death row inmate, Patrick Sonnier.

We couldn't have asked for a better day for our first STUART Fest! The relaxing day was filled with tennis, field hockey and soccer; great burgers flipped by Stuart Dads, delicious desserts and sides, music, face-painting, tie-dyed tees, cake walks and more! Congratulations to the Tennis/Field Hockey powderpuff football team who overtook Soccer - and to the Faculty/Staff/parents team who came out victorious in a lighthearted game of soccer against students. Many thanks to SPA, the Stuart Athletics Department, JV and Varsity Athletes, and parents who pitched in, for putting together such a wonderful day for all ages. Visit the Stuart Photo Gallery to see pictures from the day.

It may have been raining outside, but inside the sun was shining brightly every time the 5th graders hit the hallways in their spectacularly crazy sunglasses. Thanks for bringing your sunshine to Stuart 5th Grade! See photos.

Making Cross Country news Wednesday, Junior Elisa Mercando set a new course record for 2.4 miles during the Varsity Cross County home meet vs. Villa Victoria at Farm View Fields. Stuart runners, Margaux Glovier and Emily Morgan took 2nd and 3rd place behind teammate Mercando. An impressive finish for our dedicated athletes, who despite their outstanding performance had to forfeit the meet due to lack of Stuart participants.

On September 21, the Upper School celebrated UN International Day of Peace with a prayer service prepared and led by the Campus Ministry Club. Amethyst Carey, Olivia Neubert, Margaret LaNasa, Amy Hallowell, Amani Ahmed, Caroline Scott and Agnes Carlowicz led prayers to end violence against women, the use of nuclear and smaller weapons, and marginalization and discrimination.

On September 14, we honored the rich international diversity of our community in our annual Flag Ceremony. First and second generation students, faculty, and staff representing 47 countries participated, and the Tartantones performed in this truly exquisite and uniquely Stuart tradition. See photos.

On Wednesday afternoon, all students, faculty, and staff donned green or white t-shirts and joined their teammates on the Long Family Field for a healthy dose of competition and fun on Green and White Day. Led by Director of Athletics Kim Ciarrocca and her staff, both teams performed admirably. The Green Team’s comeback was narrowly thwarted by the creative efforts of the White Team. Photos of the day’s festivities are available in the photo gallery.

Stuart's nature trail really took a beating from Hurricane Irene. Thanks to Princeton Open Space and the Middle School, the trail is in better shape today. Last Saturday, despite the rain, a group of MS students, their parents, faculty and staff spent a few hours weeding, clipping, fixing bridges, moving rocks in streams, and clearing debris off our spectacular and serene nature trail. If you haven't yet enjoyed the trail, take the gravel pathway between the back of our building and the tennis courts, past the stream and through the woods and turn left at the nature trail sign.

Stuart's halls are once again filled with fast footsteps and cheerful voices as all classes resumed this week. Pre-School photos will be posted shortly. Check out our Photo Gallery where we'll post photos from events throughout the year. You can download photos or purchase prints directly from the Gallery at www.smugmug.stuartschool.com.

The Varsity Field Hockey team took the field for their first game of the season and posted a shut out against the visiting team from The George School. Senior Margo Schmiederer was flawless in goal, while Seniors Colleen Baker and Kassidy McNair both posted two goals apiece on the way to a 6-0 opening day victory for the Tartans. Be sure to come out and watch the Varsity and JV in action on Tuesday on the Stuart Turf Field at 4:15pm against cross street rival PDS for what is sure to be an exciting match-up. View photos from today's game in Stuart's Photo Gallery.

On Thursday Upper School students were invited to the Stuart Little Theatre to watch a webcast titled, "What Students Need to Know about 9/11: Ten Years Later" by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center. The session featured experts in the fields of Terrorism and Counter Terrorism. The Wachman Center strives to encourage a dialogue on international issues among pre-college educators, university scholars, students, and parents.

The Stuart Community congratulates Anne Murray Patterson, Stuart Class of 1976, on her appointment to New Jersey's highest court. The State Senate confirmed Ms. Patterson as the next justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday in a unanimous vote of 36-0. She will be sworn in after Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto's term expires August 31.

There were smiles and even a few tears as the Upper School students celebrated each other and congratulated their Stuart sisters who are leaving as the graduating class of 2011. Thank you to the Tartantone Selects who treated the parents, faculty and students to a lovely performance. Click here to see photos of the day.

The Middle School ended the year with a wonderful ceremony and celebration followed by a lovely reception outside in the Sundial Garden. Click here to see photos from the day.

The Pre-School and Junior Kindergarten classes ended the year on a super duper high note with a fabulous Spring Concert and topped it off with a Teddy Bear Picnic in the amazingly beautiful day. Congratulations to the Pre-School & Junior Kindergarten on a wonderful year. See photos from the day.

Pauline Enck, Rosalind Stengle and Lauren DiDonato participated in Listen Up! sponsored by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. This innovative program encourages young people to appreciate classical music by creating a work of art inspired by a piece of music performed live by the PSO.

Tues May 24 Grade 7 hosted more than fifty of their learning partners from the kindergarten of PJ Hill School, Trenton. During their visit our goal was to share with them things we have in abundance: science , art and sports. Middle School students grow in understanding and in skill in working with children. Read more ...

The first multi-school Alumni Happy Hour, held with Stuart, Hun, PDS and Lawrenceville at Metro North on Friday night of Alumnae Weekend, was a blast! Over 125 alums were there - All schools agreed that this has to become an annual event! Alumnae Brunch on Saturday was a lovely gathering, with the Class of 2006 winning the prize for most in attendance! See photos from the weekend.

The 5th Grade Class had a great time visiting the historical sites of Gettysburg that they had studied in class, and learned about from James McPherson, Princeton University Professor of History. They also enjoyed camping out underneath the clear and starry skies - see photos from the trip.

Hmm ... Are these girls dressed for "Advisory Dress-A-Like Day?" ... or "MissMatch Day?" - Last week the entire Middle School enjoyed some wise freedom during Spirit Week! Click here to see fun photos and wild outfits in Stuart's Photo Gallery.

Bringing their recent studies to life, on the heals of the 4th grade trip to Philadelphia, and the 5th grade trip to Gettysburg, the classes celebrated Colonial Day on May 19th. They all came in costumes of the time and learned stitchery and calligraphy; played games outside in the sun and enjoyed an authentic luncheon. See the photos in our Stuart Gallery.

Wasn't it yesterday that they bounced through the halls of Stuart in plaid jumpers? These Stuart girls, mostly known for their brains, athleticism and commitment to service - have truly grown into beautiful, elegant young women.The Jr/Sr Prom, Friday, May 13th, at Jasna Polana, was filled with friendship, laughter, and music. Kudos to Catherine Huber and Alexandra Taylor for all the hard work. Click here to see photos, including Prom portraits.

On Tuesday, 5th Grade students were quite honored when Dr. James McPherson, the preeminent historian on our Civil War, delivered a timely and informative presentation in preparation for their trip to Gettysburg. Dr. McPherson, a Princeton University History Professor, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for Battle Cry of Freedom, which has become the one-volume standard history of the US Civil War. We are thankful to Dr. McPherson for sharing his time and world class expertise with our community.

There's one more week to go in the Lower School Tennis Program this year. The little mighty mites have learned a lot and had a great time! The program involved an hour of instruction and play every Wednesday afternoon for six weeks. Look for news on these future stars in the coming years!

Amy Lee won first place in Printmaking and Katie Keith received second place in the Photo category from Congressman Rush Holt who addressed an audience of parents, art students, teachers and press. He declared that the arts generates millions of dollars as well as contributes a "soul" to the communities it serves.

The Children's Gallery at Red Green Blue on Hulfish Street in Princeton hosted an Opening party on Wednesday evening, May 5, for an exhibition of paintings by the Kindergarten class of Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton. The bold, colorful paintings honored the work of renowned modern artist and Princeton University graduate, Frank Stella. The Princeton University museum has numerous Frank Stella paintings in its collection. The event enjoyed 100% attendance by Stuart Kindergarten students, faculty, parents and family. The exhibition continues until May 31, 2011 at Red Green Blue.

Don't miss the 5th grade production of Nottingham on Saturday, May 7th at 2:00pm in Cor Unum - "It is wonderful! The singing, staging, dancing, sets, lights are fantastic. Kudos to Lynn Lepore, Mary Kemp, Walt Cupit and all of the parent volunteers." (Review courtesy of Jan Baldwin.) Take a look at a few photos from the first act ...

The MS/US Spring Choral Concert was last weekend. On a lovely spring day we all were thrilled to hear beautiful music from talented young women. It was a glorious experience. They sang everything from Mendelssohn to McCartney and without music. Many thanks to our talented conductor Erin Camburn and accompanist Andy Thurm and our theatre manager Walt Cupit. Two parents were instrumental ( no pun intended ) in helping to create the delicious reception also. Many thanks to Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Darnell.

At Senior Lacrosse Day we honored Kristi Hallowell, Katie Keith, Kate Neubert and Whitney Charbonneau - and their parents - for their dedication and distinguished careers here at Stuart. Our mascot, Stuie, was on hand to congratulate the girls as well. Click here to see photos.

Stuart 6^th Grader Rachel Asir certainly could tell you! On May 1^st Rachel will be playing at Carnegie Hall for the fourth time - an honor earned with a gold medal audition for piano solo at the International Golden Key Music Festival. She was also given a gold medal for cello solo. Rachel will perform Midnight Rhapsody by Melody Bober on the piano and The Swan by Saint-Saens on the cello at Carnegie Hall.

We were extremely fortunate to have Shelley Hearne '79, return to Stuart to share her very important work in the area of public health with the Stuart Middle and Upper School girls as part of the Women in Leadership Program at Stuart.

In their advisory meetings on Tuesday, April 12, Upper School students discussed the earthquake and tsunami that devastated part of Japan on March 11. The students learned how to fold paper cranes and reflected on ways to express support for the people who have lost loved ones and are trying to move forward after the disaster. In conjunction with Stuart's paper crane folding initiative, Ms. Kaeko Suzuki Liff and Mr. Kunio Yamakawa, both natives of Japan who currently reside in Princeton, visited two of Meg Caddeau's English classes to help students learn how to fold paper cranes.

The Pre-School Chickadees and Junior Kindergarten Lady Bugs decided to fold paper whales and the PS Bunnies "folded" paper lilies because the cranes were a little too difficult. In religion classes the Pre-Schoolers and Kindergarteners discussed a little about why the Japanese people were having difficulty and that they had lost many things. They learned that origami is a Japanese art and prayed for the well-being and recovery of the people in Japan.

Lower school is collecting small items for Easter Baskets. These baskets will be given to the children whot will come to the April 23rd Loaves and Fishes dinner. Send in your favorite basket item. Thank you BA

We would like to extend our gratitude to Jhumpa Lahiri for spending today at Stuart as our featured Visiting Author. From the kindergarteners to the seniors - every girl had an incredible opportunity to learn from Ms. Lahiri about her craft of writing. Stuart welcomed Bryn Mawr girls and Princeton Academy boys, and Cor Unum was full (as was the parking lot!), with hundreds of visitors who came to campus for Ms. Lahiri's public reading. Congratulations to those who orchestrated this very special day: Anne Soos, the Administrator in Charge. Lisa Eckstrom, the Chair of the Steering Committee and Steering Committee Members: Elena Nickerson, Rebecca Fazzina, and Mia Manzulli.

Congratulations to the Second Grade who was the second class to reach 100% participation in the Annual Fund! The girls were treated to an overnight Mardi Gras party at Dr. and Tim Fagin's home. Many thanks to the Upper School girls who came out to help with crafts, dancing, food, and all kinds of fun activities! See photos.

Each photo from the March Kairos retreat is truly worth 1,000 words. On this retreat, the Junior Class, 6 Senior leaders and 4 faculty members explored their values, relationships with God and with each other - The students did their own cooking and chores, shared their journeys in big and small groups, and took a long walk to the beach! Click here to view the amazing photos from this first ever Stuart Kairos retreat.

Congratulations to Stuart ninth grader Aana Bansal who won the Princeton University’s Cotsen Children’s Library annual writing contest for the 14-16 age category. The “350 for 50” contest challenged writers to write a short, 350-word story that includes the sentence "After that, things got even stranger.” All Stuart ninth graders submitted stories this year, and in 2010 the top story was written by current tenth grader Margaret Wright. To read Aana’s winning story titled "Airport," please click here.

On March 7th & 8th, the 4th grade drama classes presented short plays to the Lower School and their parents. The girls enjoyed the process involved in developing their characters and learning how to use the stage and a few props. Mrs. Moore's class told the delightful story of "The Wizard's Cat" which included two wacky wizards, three helpful Spanish gypsies, two funny French artists, two lovely French ladies, a woman who was very afraid of mice, her husband who thought she was silly, a persnickety cat, and three little kittens. Mrs. Felsenfeld's class presented the " Magic Shamrock" in which four sisters need to find a magic shamrock in a field guarded by two wily leprechauns. They need the magic shamrock to give to two not so fierce dragons in exchange for the two young brothers who the dragons had kidnapped. Along the way to the find the shamrock the girls met a very hungry snake and two large, friendly spiders. The plays were quite a hit!

The 5th Grade Environment Club is working hard on making nature-related games for the Spring Auction. With 28 enthusiastic student members already, they have had a few meetings and have formed the following subcommittees: butterfly garden, Kinder Garden, Composting, New Garden, Nature Trail, and Bird houses.

On Wednesday afternoon, 56 Stuart and Princeton Academy students came together to make "Snack Sacks" for soldiers preparing to travel from Fort Dix to active service overseas. Students brought a mixture of homemade and store-bought treats and combined them with artwork and supportive notes to create hundreds of gift bags for soldiers to enjoy as they begin their overseas deployment.

This week Todd Engelsen of Peer Servants spoke to the middle school on the potential of micro financing. Mr. Engelson spoke of his personal connections with his clients, including a woman who used a single dollar to make a pot of soup and grew her business into a full restaurant. Great inspiration and evidence on the power and potential of micro financing! Did we already say that his audience was the middle school?!

In grand tradtion on Wednesday, graduating Seniors were crowned by Pre-School and Junior Kindergarten students. The coronation was followed by a boisterous parade and a cupcake party ... a wonderful and uniquely Stuart affair!! See photos.

NJ News12 will feature Stuart's "Green" Fashion Show designers and outfits at the TerraCycle Store in their "GARDEN STATE GREEN" segment to run Tuesday, March 1st every hour, all day, between 15 and 20 after the hour. Catch NJ News12 on Comcast Cable, channel 62. We'll post it online as soon as we have a copy of the video for those who do not have cable.

On Saturday, February 5, the Upper School Student Council hosted the Annual Sock Hop for the Lower School students. It was an afternoon filled with fun activities - all Carnival Auction proceeds were donated to the ALS Foundation in honor of Ms. Mary Ramsey to thank for her for many years of dedicated teaching at Stuart. Many of us still remember her as our kindergarten teacher and we will always be grateful for her contribution to our community. See photos from the day.