St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Mississippi)
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St. Andrew's Episcopal School is an independent, coeducational, preparatory day school serving more than 1,100 students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Typically, 100 percent of St. Andrew's graduates attend four-year colleges and universities.
Founded in 1947, the School occupies two campuses: the South Campus houses the Lower School (pre-kindergarten through grade 4) in Jackson, and the North Campus houses the Middle School (grades 5-8) and Upper School (grades 9-12) in Ridgeland.
The School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), and is affiliated with the Mississippi High School Activities Association. The School also holds ties with St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson.
[edit] School Crest, Motto, Colors, Mascot, Hymn and Prayer
The school crest was designed in 1978 by an art teacher. It contains a navy circular band surrounding a shield of the same color. The school's name and the date 1947 (its founding) are inscribed on the circle. The shield is divided into four sections by a red and white cross in the form of the Greek letter "chi" (reminiscent of the cross on which Saint Andrew was martyred). The top section contains a white magnolia, the state flower of Mississippi. The left section contains the Episcopal shield. The right section is a lamp. An anchor (sometimes referred to as an "anchor of faith") is in the lower section, representing Saint Andrew's vocation as a fisherman and the school's religious affiliation. The school motto (Inveniemus Viam Aut Faciemus) appears between the outer circle and the shield.
The motto, officially adopted in 1979, is "Inveniemus Viam Aut Faciemus" and translates to "We will find a way or we will make one."
The official school colors are navy blue and white.
The school mascot is the Saint.
The school hymn is "For All The Saints" (sung to the tune of Sine Nomine).
The St. Andrew's Episcopal School Prayer
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who has blessed us with the joy and care of children: Bless, we pray you, St. Andrew's Episcopal School; Give our teachers, parents, and students light and strength so to train and learn, that all of us might love whatsoever things are true and pure and lovely; Grant us grace to choose the good and to reject evil; Give us knowledge and understanding of the mysteries of your creation; All this we ask in the name of Him, who learned as a youth, Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
[edit] Interesting Facts about St. Andrew's
- Portions of the film A Time to Kill were filmed on the school's campus. The scenes inside a white frame church (in the beginning and end of the film) were filmed in the school's historic Camden Chapel (moved to campus after filming). Scenes where Sandra Bullock's character is attacked by Ku Klux Klan members was filmed on the school's football field.
- Unlike most other private schools, St. Andrew's is a member of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), in which all public schools and most of the Catholic schools compete. Approximately ninety-four percent of Mississippi students participating in high school activities compete in the MHSAA.
- St. Andrew's has a long history of success in Cross Country. The girls' team, led by Andy Till, has won 13 straight MHSAA 2A State Championships. The boys' team, led by John Applegate, have won 11 straight MHSAA 2A State Championships. Graduates have run competitively for Princeton, Yale, and Amherst.
- In 2006, the Varsity Football team, led by Head Coach David Bradberry, star runningback Bradford Blackmon, and trainer Dolph Woodall, enjoyed its most successful season with a record of 12-2, advancing to the MHSAA 2A South State Championship, losing 26-21 to eventual champion East Marion High School. The Middle School Football team posted a 2006 record of 6-1.
- The Varsity Tennis team, led by Paul Buckley, won the MHSAA 2A State title. Tennis competition in the MHSAA is co-ed.
- The Varsity Baseball team, coached by Mark Fanning, won the District 6-2A championship in 2006.
- The Boys' Soccer team, coached by Eric Johnson, won the MHSAA 1A-2A-3A State Championship in 2006.
- Vanderbilt freshman basketball player JeJuan Brown attended St. Andrew's as a sophomore.
- In 2004, St. Andrew's hosted the first high school lacrosse match in the state of Mississippi, hosting a team from Memphis.
- St. Andrew's has a strong record in the field of science research having sent many people over the years to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the American Junior Academy of Sciences.
- St. Andrew's also has a nationally competitive speech and debate team. It is the only program to have a chair at the Barkley Forum, the Speech and Debate society at Emory University. Three St. Andrew's students have competed in the final rounds of national tournaments: Ellen Underwood (2nd in Dramatic Performance, NCFL 2003), Neil Maneck (6th in Extemporaneous Commentary, NFL 2004), Anna Hopper (3rd in Expository Speaking, NFL 2006).
- Worth Magazine named St. Andrew's as one of the Top 100 Ivy League feeder school in the United States of America.
- World-renowned athlete and coach Gerard McCall coached baseball at St. Andrew's from 2003-2006.
- In 2005, St. Andrew's received a $1 million grant (with a subsequent $1 million awarded in 2006) from the Malone Family Foundation to provide scholarships for gifted students with financial need. As of the fall of 2006, there were approximately ten Malone Scholars attending St. Andrew's.
- St. Andrew's also has a very strong Advanced Placement program, with courses offered in at least fifteen subjects. Of the 28 Advanced Placement State Scholars named by the College Board, all but two have been St. Andrew's graduates.
