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Crusader Club Presents Check from Holiday Potpourri
 The Crusader Club recently presented a check to Head of School Gary Herring for $200,000 from funds raised through 2015 Holiday Potpourri events.
“I am very thankful to all of our volunteers for their hard work,” Herring said. “We are grateful to God for blessing us through this amazing event.”
The Crusader Party with Live Auction kicked off the school’s 50th anniversary in August, and the 41st annual Holiday Potpourri was held in October at the home of Anne and Charles Pringle in Fondren.
 This year, funds raised will support three key enhancements to the school – a Chromebook laptop for each fifth and sixth grader; remodeling projects around the building, including new paint, lighting, flooring, and design; and the creation of an Idea Lab, where students have access to technology to work together creating projects that correlate with classroom curriculum.
"God provided so richly for us this year, not only in funds raised but also in the hospitality and warmth of the Pringle family, in the relationships He grew among our families, and through the hard work and generosity of our parents, sponsors and community partners,” said Mamie Hollingsworth, Holiday Potpourri chairman.
“More than 300 parent volunteers came together, giving of their time, talents and prayers in support of this school that has given so much to our families and community for the last 50 years. To God be the glory for his faithful provision for us."
To view photos from this year’s event visit http://www.fpds.org/news/media-gallery and scroll down to Holiday Potpourri 2015.
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Surface Drifter Project
 First Presbyterian Day School was the sole participant in a Student Drifter project in the Gulf of Mexico. The drifter was built by four sixth grade boys, Charlie Hight, Chambers Malouf, Blake Martin, and Braden Stewart, with instruction by science teacher Patti Lewis. The unit, typically a junior high or high school level project, was tracked for almost three months by fifth grade science classes using latitude and longitude. The only Student Drifter in the Gulf of Mexico, the unit took a circular route out into the Gulf and landed in a marsh in Lake Pontchartrain.
The boys built the drifter using parts ordered from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and worked with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to launch the unit three miles south of Horn Island near Biloxi. The Student Drifters project was established more than 10 years ago as a research-based program by scientists at the NOAA lab in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. As originally conceived, the programs’ primary objectives were to engineer and deploy low-cost, hand-built, ocean drifters. In recent years, the drifter program has broadened its scope and invited local schools and educators to become involved in drifter building, deployment, and tracking.
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Alumni Spotlight
What does FPDS mean to you? FPDS Class of 2009
“I loved growing up learning details about the Bible because now I have a good foundation of knowledge to further my growth.”
Katie Carter, Mississippi State University
“First Presbyterian Day School gave me an incredible foundation for high school. I felt so prepared after leaving FPDS.”
Camille Hood, Mississippi College
“Good memories, old friends, and great life lessons.”
Thomas Phillips, University of Mississippi
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FPDS 2015 Christmas Project: Brown Elementary School
Each year the Day School establishes a Christmas project to model for our students the blessing of giving to those less fortunate. This Christmas we have encouraged our teachers, parents, and students to give monetary gifts for Brown Elementary in honor or memory of family members or friends. These gifts will be used to purchase items that the school has requested, such as a piano keyboard and laminating machine, as well as to create and stock a “clothes closet” for replacement student uniforms. We are also furnishing and equipping a "reward" game room for their students who demonstrate excellent behavior. In addition, each classroom will bring assigned items to pack in gift bags to be delivered to the students as Christmas gifts. Please join us in prayer for this project and partnership.
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Fourth grader Hayes Hathorn served as principal of the day on Thursday, November 19, a prize he won through this year's Holiday Potpourri silent auction. Mr. Hathorn decided that teachers could wear jeans the next day and provided the faculty with a Chick-fil-a breakfast. He also rewarded the students with no homework the day he served.
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New Stage Theatre Celebrates 50 Years
First Presbyterian Day School third and fifth graders had the opportunity to attend performances of A Christmas Carol at New Stage Theater, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. Congratulations, New Stage!
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