Traditions
St. Paul’s
Throughout the year, we cherish the cross-divisional and whole-campus traditions that bring our community together as a family.
One St. Paul's Day
One St. Paul’s Day is a celebration of our shared campus community. Every fall, students, trustees, faculty, and staff gather on the iconic hill on campus to celebrate the strengths and opportunities our three schools gain by uniting as one. Festivities generally feature student speeches, remarks from school leaders, music from the St. Paul’s Jazz Band, St. Paul’s swag, and a dance party.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Sandbox Lunch
Lower school alumni from each senior class who have spent their entire educational journey on our shared campus are called "sandbox kids." We are grateful that these young scholars chose St. Paul’s as their community and school during their formative years. Each year we celebrate the "sandbox kids" at a special lunch in the spring.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Team Spirit
In the spring, students from across campus line the walkway on the hillside to see our varsity lacrosse teams take the iconic walk down the hill to our fields to a packed stadium to take on their rival teams.
To see some footage of this event, click here.
Kindergarten/senior tree planting
During our annual kindergarten/senior tree-planting ceremony at the lower school, each kindergarten student is paired with a senior to dedicate a tree in honor of their classes and to participate, symbolically, in planting it.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Spirit Week
Students and teachers dress in outfits inspired by daily themes during this fun and festive week!
Pre and Lower
Every day is an adventure at St. Paul's Pre and Lower School! Throughout the year, we take time to enjoy several festive and joyful traditions that have stood the test of time.
Holiday Bazaar
During the highly anticipated Holiday Bazaar, lower school students shop for affordable gifts for relatives and loved ones. Parents and faculty transform the multi-purpose room into a Whoville-inspired holiday market, complete with toys, home goods, and an array of goodies. Members of the Parents Association volunteer their time and crafting skills to make this event a success.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Halloween Parades
Pre and lower school students celebrate Halloween by wearing their Halloween costumes to school and participating in a Halloween parade. Preschool students parade through the SPSG building while the lower school parade snakes in front the lower school building, Chapin Hall, St. Paul’s School for Boys upper school building, and the Brooklandwood loop.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Lessons and Carols
Gingerbread Hunt
First graders adventure around St. Paul’s campus on a hunt for a gingerbread man that escaped while they were baking cookies, just like in their book! Students search high and low all over campus, visiting many friends along the way. This delicious and fun holiday tradition marks the holiday season every December.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Preschool Picnic
Preschool families and teachers celebrate the end of the school year during our annual preschool picnic. Our campus’s youngest learners enjoy face painting, games, and dinner on the field—the perfect conclusion to a school year full of adventures and growth.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Grandparent & Special Friend Day
Pre and lower school students welcome their grandparents and special friends to campus for a peek at their adventures in learning. The day usually consists of hands-on learning, performances, and plenty of fun!
Girls’ School
At St. Paul's School for Girls, the joy is contagious. Through our many beloved traditions, we celebrate our sisterhood and each individual in our community.
Green and White Ceremony
SPSG marks the first day of the school year with an induction ceremony led by our Green and White Team Captains. During this all-school event, new students receive their Green and White Team assignments, a precursor to the many Green and White competitions that await in the year ahead. Students who have relatives on the Green or White Teams will be assigned to the same team as their relatives.
To see photos from this event, click here.
POTH
Putting On The Hits (POTH) is one of the most highly anticipated Green and White competitions of the year. During this tradition featuring lip syncing, dancing, cheering, and plenty of Green and White spirit, middle and upper school students break off into their teams and perform two-minute, choreographed dances. Green and White teams compete by grade to see whose dance will be voted the best. Faculty and staff compete too!
To see photos from this event, click here.
Ring Day
Although many schools have school rings and ring dances, Ring Day at SPSG is truly one of a kind. SPSG class rings signify the connection and sisterhood that bond past and future generations of Gators and are a symbol of strength and perseverance. A highly anticipated tradition and rite of passage for upper school students, each senior gives a ring to their assigned junior "ring sister" in a ceremony that features dancing, singing, and speeches. Family and friends attend this festive ceremony, while alumnae relatives often surprise their junior by presenting her ring. The juniors enjoy decorated lockers from their ring sisters, blessing of the rings from the school chaplain, and a speech during Prayers from an alumna Ring Day Prayers speaker the morning of the big day. The ring dance takes place the following night.
To see photos from this event, click here.
McDavid Bowl
Every member of the school community is assigned to either the Green Team or the White Team. New students are placed on the same team as any relative in their family who went to SPSG. At the start of the year during Prayers, the newest team members are enthusiastically welcomed with green or white face paint and beads. Team placement is a momentous occasion that precedes the many Green and White competitions throughout the year. The winning team is presented with the prized McDavid Bowl at the end of the year during SPSG’s annual Class Day award ceremony.
Student-Faculty Basketball Game
Eighth grade students go head-to-head with middle school faculty during our highly anticipated eighth grade versus faculty basketball game!
Big-Little Sisters
Every fifth grade student at SPSG is paired with a senior as a part of our Big Sister/Little Sister program. Throughout the course of the school year, seniors and their fifth grade buddies bond by participating in numerous social events and activities, starting with the Big Sister/Little Sister ice cream social. One of the most highly anticipated big sister/little events is SPSG’s annual Halloween parade, where fifth graders and seniors coordinate group costumes.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Senior Skirt Signing
The senior class celebrates the end of their SPSG career by painting their uniform school skirt with the logo of the college they plan to attend after graduation. On Senior Day, the final day of school for the graduating class, students sign their classmates' skirts, symbolizing connection and lifelong sisterhood. Senior Day is also marked by final prayers and a class photo of seniors in their college sweatshirts.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Boys’ School
St. Paul's School for Boys celebrates the individual accomplishments and unique gifts of each student and collective success of our community through various time-honored traditions.
Honor Code Signing
The St. Paul’s upper school community marks the start of each school year by inviting Freshmen and new students to sign the St. Paul’s Honor Code book during a ceremony in the chapel. With a stroke of a pen, new students pledged to uphold the Honor Code which outlines that St. Paul’s students do not lie, cheat, or steal. The St. Paul’s Honor Code sets the standards and expectations for the student body and guides the student honor council on all matters of integrity.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Mother's and Others Chapel
Each spring, St. Paul’s seniors honor their mothers and special loved ones who have influenced their lives during our Mothers and Others Chapel service. During this annual tradition, the senior class reflects on the central roles these women have played in their lives and showcases their appreciation and gratitude for their loved ones.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Lessons and Carols
Lessons and Carols is a time-honored and beloved community tradition where St. Paul’s hosts a chapel service in honor of the Christmas season. The service features readings by students, a homily from the school chaplain, messages from school leadership, and vocal performances by student choral groups.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Chili Cook-off
Every November, upper school students, faculty, and staff enter chili dishes for St. Paul’s Chili Cook-Off. A beloved culinary competition and the tastiest of St. Paul’s traditions, members of our community submit their best entries in hopes of being awarded the highly sought after title of "Best Chili." The upper school community has the chance to sample and enjoy every chili creation and build relationships over a shared meal. This event usually precedes the annual St. Paul’s versus Boys’ Latin rivalry football game.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Student-faculty Basketball Game
Eighth grade students go head-to-head with middle school faculty during our highly anticipated eighth grade versus faculty basketball game!
To see photos from this event, click here.
Tie Ceremonies
A middle school rite of passage, the Tie Ceremony is a tradition that celebrates the brotherhood at St. Paul's and signifies eighth graders’ upcoming transition to the upper school. During this ceremony, eighth grade students receive St. Paul’s branded ties, which they will wear at their eighth grade closing ceremony in the spring.
Our junior recognition ceremony is a time-honored and beloved tradition at St. Paul’s. Held in the St. Paul’s chapel, students are presented with their St. Paul's rings and class bowties, a symbol of brotherhood at St. Paul’s and lasting relationships. The class bow tie features a unique design created by a junior class member. It is customary that the junior class president gives a speech during the ceremony and awards one faculty member the title of "honorary member" of the junior class.
To see photos from this event, click here.
Murals
Senior students mark the start of their twelfth grade year by signing a senior mural designed and painted by a member of their class. A rite of passage for every Crusader, all St. Paul’s students get to sign the iconic brick wall outside Pollock Gym prior to graduating.
Eighth grade students "carved" their initials onto a White Oak tree mural painted on the wall of Chapin Hall. The White Oak is the Maryland state tree and the clock on the mural is a nod to Salvador Dali's painting “The Persistence of Memory.” The time on the mural has been changed to 3 p.m. to symbolize the last time that the boys are in middle school, and the pattern within the clock is taken from the class tie.
To see photos from this event, click here.