AN IB WORLD SCHOOL
Sign of the Nunnery of St. George (circa 10th century), street view of St. George’s Church enclosed in the Babylon Fortress (fortress circa 1st-3rd century, church rebuilt 1909), and sculpture adorning the Church of St. George depicting the saint as a Roman officer.
By Leslie Cohen’ 08
A few stops down the metro line from Cairo’s infamous Tahrir Square sits a sleepy neighborhood with an intriguing window on Egypt’s early antiquity. Mar Girgis—or in English, St. George—is a place I’ve visited several times since moving to Cairo. For a Saint George’s alum, it holds a mystique and poses some questions I’ve been mulling over for a while.
Winding through cool and quiet alleyways, you come next to the Christian heritage sites, which bear an intriguing departure in style from the cathedrals and chapels seen throughout Europe and the United States. Safeguarding these are the walls of the late Roman Fortress of Babylon, erected under Emperor Trajan in the 1st century.
Fixed atop one of the fortress towers is the Church of St. George (rebuilt multiple times since the 10th century, most recently in 1909). Wandering through its lovely nave and contemplating several representations of the Saint in his dragon-slaying pose, I began to wonder how his legend emerged and grew into a symbol adopted and adapted by so many cultures and traditions over the years...
Four years ago, the Class of 2017 had an honorary member who didn't talk much but was very popular. Limerick was a puppy being trained by Alyson Galow '17 to be a service dog. Alyson brought Limerick into her classes to familiarize him with public settings and prepare him to help people with disabilities.
In 2021, Alyson has continued her love of animals and desire to help others by co-founding Collar Scholars at Carroll College where she is a senior majoring in Anthrozoology. This new club at the Helena, MT private college is comprised of students who assist in raising puppies who will eventually become assistance dogs through Canine Companions for Independence, a nationally affiliated, non-profit organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities, free of charge...
Clockwise from top left: MS students dig up invasive weeds above campus, Operation Christmas Child boxes, 2nd graders reading to their friends at Green Acres Preschool, and painting poster for the food drive.
Saint George’s has a long history of service. We were one of three schools that piloted Joya’s (formerly the Guild School’s) penny drive and have been dedicated to continued support of this cause. We are 2nd Harvest’s biggest food drive in the fall, raising 2,054 lbs. of food in 2020. This makes a great impact when temperatures change, the holidays are upon us, and the need in the community increases.
These are two of our annual drives led by different students each year. In addition, SGS supports other causes that come and go with the enthusiasm of the students and staff. It is important to support what students are passionate about so that we make a true difference in our community...
Amber Lincoln (SGS Class of 1994) co-curated the major exhibition “Arctic – culture and climate” at the British Museum in London. Here are her thoughts about the process of putting this exhibit together, the things she most wanted to share with visitors, and the challenges of curating a multinational exhibit in the midst of a global pandemic.
"This exhibition results from many years of working with Indigenous Arctic communities and studying the North at various Northern-focused academic institutions. I relied on cultural experts, anthropologists, archaeologists, political Indigenous leaders and friends. I pulled a lot of favors! And the widespread contributions and help we received really demonstrated just how committed Arctic scholars and Indigenous Arctic People are to sharing information about their worlds and issues associated with Climate Change...
By Mark Rickard, Physical Education and Leadership Teacher, ASB Advisor
About four years ago, one of my players on the girls’ basketball team was selected as a captain by her teammates. Directly after her selection, she approached me and asked, “As a captain, what am I supposed to do?”
I was actually a bit stunned. I assumed this girl naturally possessed the skills, knowledge and understanding that would allow her to be an effective captain. She was a multiple-year starter, fantastic in the classroom and had a very high basketball IQ. How could she not know what was expected of a captain?
I immediately looked inward and asked myself exactly what sort of leadership education I provided my captains. The answer was… not as much as I should. After asking other coaches, and receiving similar assessments, it occurred to me that this was a crucial gap that needed to be filled.
That is why the Dragon Leadership Academy was created...
Emily Stratton '08 in a mock up of the space shuttle cockpit; Emily at the Mt. Everest base camp
Saint George's students don't just participate in service projects, they organize their own service activities! "Everlasting Envelopes" is a project that current 10th grader Ava Bush created with her brother at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in March of 2020. Here's how she describes it:
"Our goal was to help the most impacted group of people during the pandemic -- the elderly. The elderly population are the most vulnerable to catch the virus, but they are also more susceptible to depression during these times because they aren’t allowed visitors or in-person contact with anyone to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19...
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