Sayre School

First graders are exploring the world of careers! 🎨🏗️ In the art studio, students discovered the many career paths connected to art and design, with a special focus on architecture.

After making observational drawings of buildings around campus, students put their creativity to work by drawing floor plans, designing structures, and building their own models. Future architects in the making!

Today is World Mental Health Day and a good reminder that Sayre School’s counseling team supports student wellbeing across academic, social, and emotional domains. Here are some reflections from our counselors on prioritizing students’ mental health.

“Students bring their whole selves to school every day. Therefore, we have to nurture both parts of their minds, intellect and mental health, so they can do their best learning. To support mental health is to support academic success.”
- Nicole D. Garrett, LMFT, School Counselor

“We don’t always leave the things we’re carrying at the door when we come to school. When we make space for mental health, we create an environment where students feel supported, connected, and ready to learn.”
- Callie Snowden ’10, LCSW, School Counselor

At Tuesday night's Upper School Fall Concert, "Kentucky Patchwork," the Sayre Singers and the Spartones took everybody on a moving musical trip through the Bluegrass, and from the very first note, the evening seemed to be a celebration of what makes Kentucky special.

The event included classic works by Kentucky natives John Jacob Niles and Jean Ritchie, together with songs that are connected with the history and spirit of our state such as “Guide Me As I Walk Along (Cherokee Hymn)”, “Wayfaring Stranger”, “The Run for the Roses”, “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, and the much-loved Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts”.

One highlight of the evening was when Sayre's own Grey Halton performed her original song, "Paint You", and the atmosphere charged when guest musician Greg Wilson took up the guitar and banjo. A strong sense of community was evident as the audience joined in singing "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".

Whether it was cheerful melodies or songs that addressed Kentucky's more complicated history, "Kentucky Patchwork" reminded us how music brings our traditions, memories, and sense of home together. Photos available at https://bit.ly/4zdQ0Hi.

Kentucky Patchwork: US Fall Concert 2026 Sayre Singers and Spartones presented Kentucky Patchwork, an Upper School Fall Concert featuring songs rooted in Kentucky’s history, culture, and musical traditions. From folk music by John Jacob Niles and Jean Ritchie to favorites like “Wayfaring Stranger,” “The Run for the Roses,” and .....

Fall Break Reminder! 🍁

🗓️ Friday, Oct. 9: No School (Records Day)

🗓️ Monday, Oct. 12: No School (Fall Break)

Enjoy the long weekend, Spartans! We’ll see everyone back on campus Tuesday, October 13.

U.K. Steel Band Brings Rhythm to Sayre - Sayre’s Friends of the Arts sponsored an all-school assembly featuring the talented University of Kentucky Steel Band. Students and faculty enjoyed an energetic and engaging performance.

A very special thank you to the Friends of the Arts (FOA) for bringing such an enriching cultural experience to campus. We are grateful for their commitment and continued support for the arts at Sayre.

Congratulations to the 2026 Homecoming Court! This year’s court featured 10 couples, each representing our school community's spirit and pride. Special shout-out to seniors Molly Robertson and Thomas England, crowned Homecoming Queen and King. 👑

What do Irish peat bogs, 5,000-year-old tombs, and pub menus have in common? They’re all shaping the science curriculum in Sayre’s Upper School this year! 🇮🇪🔬

Thanks to Sayre’s summer sabbatical program, science teacher Maggi O’Neill traveled to Ireland for an extraordinary archaeological journey. From studying the naturally mummified Bog Bodies in Dublin to exploring Newgrange, a monument older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids, see how her travels sparked fresh lessons on everything from skeletal biology to nutrition.

Read her first-person account 🔗 https://bit.ly/4jpgOjx

This World Teachers’ Day, we’re celebrating the accomplished professionals who bring passion and experience to our classrooms every day:

• 80% full-time faculty with advanced degrees
• Active, professional artists leading our arts curriculum
• Faculty with deep expertise in project-based learning, design thinking, and AP courses

Sixth-grade English students set sail on an epic literary adventure with Homer’s Odyssey. 🌊🔱⚔️🏛️📜 After reading a young adult adaptation of the classic tale, students brought Odysseus’s legendary journey to life by creating illustrated maps tracing his encounters, challenges, and adventures along the way.

As they followed Odysseus from one obstacle to the next, students explored what makes a story compelling, including narrative arc, literary tension, and the stages of the heroic journey. 📚📖 The project combined close reading, creativity, and visual storytelling while giving students a deeper understanding of one of literature’s most enduring adventures.

The Willows enjoyed a hands-on lesson in beauty and community as students cut fresh flowers and filled bud vases to take home. Back in the classroom, each child could select a unique bud vase and choose flowers for their arrangement. 💐🌻🌸

Interacting with students across campus is such a wonderful community-building practice for our PreK students, as well as the Middle schoolers! ₊˚⊹💙₊˚⊹

Our students get to observe older Spartans participating in service work, campus beautification and care, and being generally kind people. The older students practice patience, build leadership skills, and become increasingly mindful of the “little Spartans” as they move across campus. It really creates a sense of belonging for everyone involved. 🙌❤️🫂