Our School

History

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer was born in 1723 of Swedish and English descent at Coates Retirement (now Ellerslie) estate, near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Md. Little is known about his childhood or education, but as an adult he came into possession of a large estate near Annapolis, called Stepney, where he lived most of his life. He never married. The web of his far-reaching friendships included such illustrious personages as George Washington. As a young man, Jenifer served as agent and receiver-general for the last two proprietors of Maryland. He also filled the post of justice of the peace in Charles County and later for the western circuit of Maryland. In 1760 he sat on a boundary commission that settled disputes between Pennsylvania and Delaware. Six years later, he became a member of the provincial court and from 1773 to 1776 sat on the Maryland royal governor's council. Despite his association with conservative proprietary politics, Jenifer supported the Revolutionary movement, albeit at first reluctantly. He served as president of the Maryland Council of Safety (1775-77), then as president of the first state senate (1777-80). He sat in the Continental Congress (1778-82) and held the position of state revenue and financial manager (1782-85). A conservative nationalist, Jenifer favored a strong and permanent union of the states and a Congress with taxation power. In 1785 he represented Maryland at the Mount Vernon Conference. Although he was one of 29 delegates who attended nearly every session of the Constitutional Convention, he did not speak often but backed Madison and the nationalist element. Jenifer lived only 3 more years and never again held public office. He died at the age of 66 or 67 at Annapolis in 1790. The exact location of his grave, possibly at Ellerslie estate, is unknown.

Text copied from National Archives and Records Administration/The Founding Fathers' Page.

Vision

To educate and encourage all students to be the best they can be.

Mission

At Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School, by setting goals and establishing sound practices, we will collaboratively set the stage for our students to achieve success and fulfill our mission of teaching and learning, thus enabling each student to be the best they can be. 

Belief Statements

We believe that schools should teach the whole child to be successful and productive citizens by teaching different learning styles while meeting their academic and social needs in a safe environment.

We believe that a good school, with the assistance of all stakeholders, will accept children for who they are in order to achieve their goals.

We believe that a quality instructional program includes structure, organization, and uses multiple learning styles to differentiate and engage students in an environment that collaborates to teach the whole child.

We believe that a good school staff member is one who respectfully cooperates, communicates, instructs, and volunteers so that all staff and students are inspired to achieve.

We believe that a successful student is able to: 

• Set goals for themselves and their future
• Ask questions and seek information in order to be a life-long learner
• Confidently make decisions in order to problem solve

We believe that an effective classroom is one in which teachers and students work together to create a positive learning environment for all, where students are achieving personal as well as academic success.

We believe that an effective school faculty is one that perseveres and works toward one common goal – STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT!