Extra-Curricular Activities

• Jazz Band grades 7-12
  
  
• Chorus grades 7-12
  
  
• High School Drama
  
  
• JH Sports Teams:
  *Field Hockey grades 5-8
  *Cross Country Running grades 5-8
  *Track grades 5-8
  *Soccer grades 6-8
  *Girls Basketball grades 6-8
  
  
• HS Sports Teams:
  *Nordic Skiing grades 7-12
  *Alpine Skiing grades 7-12
  *Indoor Track grades 7-12
  *Field Hockey
  *Cross Country Running
  *Track
  *Soccer
  *Girls Basketball
  *Boys Basketball
  

Co-Curricular Activities

In addition to cultural events and field trips that take place as part of the regular curriculum, Sant Bani hosts a number of events or trips throughout the school year.

At some time during the year, an all-school contest is likely to occur. This contest may be an outgrowth of a book that is being read in Morning Session, or related to an outside event, but it is sure to involve mixed-age teams of students, each team probably captained by a High School Senior.

Halloween is celebrated in a big way at Sant Bani, with not only the usual pumpkin-carving contest, parade of costumes, and class parties, but also an all-school sharing of each grade’s costumes, hosted by the Senior class (in costume), and a musical faculty skit in the morning. The day ends with an all-school game of Capture the Flag.

Shortly before the Winter Break in December comes the Christmas Tea, hosted by the English Department. High School students and alumni are invited to dress up a bit and come to tea, complemented by a seasonal reading by member of the English Department and usually ending with Christmas carols sung around the piano.

On the last day before Winter Break, the various grades have parties and a Secret Santa gift exchange. If weather permits, there might be sledding for the whole school. Just before heading for home, all the school may be treated to dramatic or musical performances by student groups. The last activity of the day is an all-school sharing of Christmas carols, finishing up with a rendition of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” with each grade singing a verse, with the words usually modified to reflect the humor and taste of the particular class.

On the last day of school in Februaty befoer Projects Period the whole school may have a skating or sliding party, weather permitting. Usually, if the event has to be postponed because of weather, it will still happen in March when school resumes.

April brings Earth Day, which is normally celebrated by the whole school. Activities have included ecology or natural science speakers at Morning Session, nature related workshops, roadside cleanup of trash, dancing to native drumming, and filed games.

In June, the eighth grade has their graduation ceremony in Morning Session, with an audience of Grades Three through Twelve, as well as graduates’ siblings form the younger grades, and their parents.

From time to time the school has held a special theme day, such as a Renaissance Day or Medieval Day. Such events are planned by the faculty well in advance, and include everyone. Food, music, costumes, games, art, and drama could be parts of a theme day, with preparations happening as a part of Art Block and Club time and during the regular school day.

Field Trips

Off campus activities and programs fall into a few categories. Off-campus programs serve teh mission of the school by promoting the integration of the student into the world beyond the classroom.

Sant Bani relies on its off-campus experiences to complement the school’s nurturing, family-like environment and its rural NH loction.

Field trips occur as an integral part of the academic program. Such trips might include museum trips, nature center trips, geology filed trips or trips into historical sites. The school sponsors an all-school mountain climb in the fall, and and all-school beach day int he spring. Often a whale-watching expedition is a field trip for the older students and their teachers. Classes, groups, and individual students engages in Service projects off campus. During Projects Period virtually all the students are off campus.

Every two years, High School students go to Boston for a “Street Smarts” field trip. Students are divided into small groups, accompanies by a teacher as chaperone, and directed to a certain section in Boston where they must perform certain tasks, including travel on the subway. Eighth Graders have a Street Smarts experience in Manchester, NH.

School Clubs travel off campus for hiking, horseback riding, skating, skiing, golf, basketball, and swimming, among others.

Sports teams travel to train for skiing and basketball, and all teams travel for competition.

Orientation activities for Middle School grades take place off-campus at nearby camping facilities where the students camp overnight. The school sponsors class overnight trips for Grades Eight and twelve in a variety of locations, as far away as Quebec province.

The High School year ends with an optional High School trip, every other year. Students travel with several chaperones in vans to Martha’s Vineyard, where they spend two nights at a Youth Hostel.