Winter at a Glance

Winter is upon us! SSSAS is decorating the school filled with Christmas decorations such as wreaths, lights, fake snow and much more! The school is also filled with special events that are happening during the winter time. Here are some winter events that are cherished by the SSSAS community.

Girls Basketball Invitational 

Our girls 2022 Varsity girls are competing in the Girls Invitational this year! Every year, SSSAS hosts the Girls Invitational in the Goodwin Gym. The schools St Stephens & St. Agnes invited are Saint John Paul the Great (Dumfries, VA), Kings Chrisitan Academy (Callaway, MD) and King Abdullah Academy (Herndon, VA). On Tuesday, November 29th, spectators are encouraged to wear anything camo to support the girls varsity team, and the following day, the 30th, spectators are encouraged to wear all white. Good luck to all the varsity girls playing in these very exciting games! 

66th Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament 

Another signature basketball event is the Sleepy Thompson tournament! This tournament is packed with fans, snacks and great energy. The school has been inviting schools around and outside the DMV area for over 66 years now. The schools invited to this years Sleepy Thompson are Episcopal High School (Houston, TX), The Collegiate School (Richmond, VA), Landon School (Bethesda, MD), Sidwell Friends School (Washington, DC), Glenelg Country School (Howard County, MD), Archbishop Carroll High School (Washington, DC), The Carmel School (Ruther Glen, VA), and of course St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School. 

On Thursday, December 1st, the theme that spectators should be in is black out. This day spectators can also bring toilet paper and throw it out on the court after the first made basket from the Saints team. The following day, the 2nd, spectators should wear anything neon they have, and lastly, on the 3rd, spectators should wear Christmas inspired outfits for the game. 

Good luck to Boys’ Varsity—Go Saints!

Lessons and Carols

Lessons and Carols is a beloved event in the SSSAS community. Students in 9-12 taking choir partake in Lessons and Carols. During the event, choir students sing songs and holiday classics they’ve been working on for months. It’s a great way to bring the community together, and for students, faculty, staff, and parents to sing wonderful Christmas carols!

Midterms

Out of all the winter events, midterms are definitely the least cherished by students. Thankfully we have winter break right after! During the week students get back from Thanksgiving break, and the week of winter break, students are hard at work studying for their midterm exams. Exams are in the course of three days with morning and afternoon exams. Morning exams include Science, Math and Modern Languages while afternoon exams cover more broader subjects such as AP US History, AP Statistics, and many more. Students who take the Dual Language program will have to take two language exams, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We wish students good luck while they study late preparing for their exams or procrastinate until the last minute—but just remember—winter break is almost here! 

Winter Formal

Winter Formal is St. Stephen’s and St Agnes annual dance usually held in February at the Belle Haven Country Club. Students get to dress up in dresses and suits and enjoy a night of dancing with their friends and/or dates. The dance venue will provide a creative photo wall, and the students will provide multiple dance circles. Winter Formal is a “Sadie Hawkins” style dance, which means the girl asks the guy out. Girls—get ready to make your “winfo” signs, and guys—be prepared to be asked! This change allows boys to not be so nervous while building up suspense to ask a girl out to the dance. Of course, this tradition isn’t required, but it may be a fun way to switch things up. We highly recommend that you bring your friends or date to this fun and exciting dance! 

That’s all for the events during the winter season (December – February). We hope you have a great winter break and happy holidays!