Lower School News

Kindergarten

Celebrates the 100th Day of School

Kindergarten students paraded through campus to celebrate the 100 days of school and to practice their counting.

Both online and in-person students got to participate, as they all decorated t-shirts with 100 things.

Kutter Repeats as Tropicana Champion

Fifth-grader Emmie Kutter represented Maclay on January 30th in the county speech competition and won the Leon County 4H Tropicana Speech Contest. She also served as the emcee because she won the county competition last year as well. Emmie advanced to regionals in April with her speech entitled, “You Gotta Be A Llama”.

3rd Grade Egg Drop

Third-grade students hosted their annual Egg Drop Project at the Beck Family Innovation Center. The drop is a great way for our students to bring the STEM concepts to life and test their creations to not crack the egg.

Market Days

The 1st graders participated in a creative cross-curricular segment called Market Days. Students were charged with planning their own store, creating an item to sell, and were then given ‘money’ to buy, trade, or bargain. It was a great chance to learn about goods and services, practice math with purchasing, and tap into their very creative side of product development.

Manners, Please!

Third Grade students had their annual Manners Luncheon where they dressed in their best to rehearse proper table etiquette. Mr. Milford and Mr. Van served as the maître d’ while students enjoyed an excellent lunch prepared by Marauder Meals.

Lower School students worked on their Spanish skills acting out short story plays on the stage in Langford Hall.

5th graders Meet with Mayor John Dailey

Fifth grade students had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Maclay Alum and Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey as part of their citizenship unit. Mayor Dailey answered questions about the impact of COVID on our community, new parks coming to Tallahassee, and other topics.

Lower Schoolers Meet Big-Name Author

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students had the pleasure of virtually visiting children’s author Annie Burrows (Ivy + Bean, Iggy series) and illustrator Sam Ricks.

Living History Museum

First graders impressed again this year with their Living History presentations. The students selected, researched, and presented a historical character virtually for parents and classmates.

Harris named Director of Lower School

Mrs. Bentley Harris was named the Director of Maclay School’s Lower School Division. Harris has taught 2nd and 5th grade students here at Maclay and has also served as the Lower School Dean.

After a comprehensive national search, Maclay Head of School James Milford announced Mrs. Bentley Harris as the next Director of Maclay School’s Lower School Division.

Harris has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from College of Charleston and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Charleston. She was a classroom instructor for ten years including teaching Pre-K 3 at The O’Quinn School in James Island, SC before returning to her high school alma mater at Maclay School (Class of 2000) where she taught 2nd and 5th grades. In 2012, Harris became Maclay’s first Lower School Dean under then director Marty Kiser and continued under the direction of Susie Baker-Lapp until earlier this year. During one of the most challenging times in the school’s history, a pandemic, Harris was asked to take the position of Acting Director of Maclay Lower School and has served with distinction since then.

Mrs. Harris shared, “I am so proud of our Lower School faculty, staff, and families, who have rallied around each other and our students to provide an uninterrupted education throughout this extraordinary year. Together, we will continue to build on Maclay’s legacy of providing an unparalleled experience for our youngest learners. To say I am humbled is an understatement. “