Junior Alyson Folkens has been an active member of the Saint Stephen’s Varsity Volleyball team since she was in middle school. Even over the summer, Folkens continued to play volleyball with her club team, The Siesta Key Juniors. When The Gauntlet asked Folkens what the best part of her summer was, she said, “We won Nationals, so we got to go to the Junior Olympics. We didn't win because that’s...

Everyone knows Mrs. Conn as the academic dean of Saint Stephen's in the Upper School. Something she may not be as renowned for, though, is that she loves an adventure more than the average person. She is one of the most charismatic people in the Upper School, so the fact that her charisma get converted to thrill-seeking energy seems to naturally follow. This summer her adventurous spirit brought...

Jake Conner is a high school senior here at Saint Stephen’s. He is very involved in many different extracurricular activities, notably being a class officer and the current student chaplain. One of Jake’s summer adventures was working at a law firm in Manatee County for a defense attorney, which taught him “a great deal about our Manatee County Legal System”. Jake's job was to work as a...

Although few people traveled internationally this summer due to Covid-19, Summer Grady had an opportunity of a lifetime: being able to travel to Central America. Grady is a Senior at Saint Stephens and an active participant in yearbook, publicist on the student council, and an avid photographer. During summer break, she went to Costa Rica on a volunteering trip for the organization, “Rustic Pathways”....

The summer before senior year is one of the busiest times for any student. From summer homework, to starting college applications, to deciding where to even apply to college, it’s the start to a busy and exciting last year of high school. For one Saint Stephen's student, though, this summer was just the beginning of her college athletic experience. Senior Kaitlyn Liebel has been sailing for almost...

Ms. Jurgensen is a music teacher here at SSES who is renowned for always working to better our music program. One of her specialties in her class is marimba music. This summer she traveled to a small town called Richland, Washington to work at a marimba workshop. She stayed in an Airbnb “way of the beaten path” at a local woman's home. Jurgensen says that the lady had “all kinds of different...

“During the pandemic Mr. Carlson and I bought a camper,” Mrs. Pommer said. They “were planning to go visit some of the national parks and state parks over the summer.” You’d think the Saint Stephen’s Upper School Librarian and a Physics teacher would have had a calm summer break, but clearly, this was not the case. “Unfortunately, because of bad diesel, the camper broke down and...

Isabel Sevilla, a senior here at Saint Stephen’s, is a mental health advocate, psychology enthusiast, and artist. It is in her creative and empathetic side to really get to know others and understand them on a deeper level. Sevilla says that she is “a very open person” and that one of her most likable traits is her ability to “get personal with people”. Such characteristics of hers are exhibited...

Colin Kiernan is a Senior at Saint Stephen’s. He was born and raised in the great state of Florida, and at school, Colin works as the team manager for many of the varsity sport programs such as Football, Soccer, and Lacrosse. When asked what he did this summer, Kiernan said “This summer I went to Georgia for a little while and went white water rafting”. Kiernan also mentioned that he “went...