Saint George's School, Spokane
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint George's School is the only K-12 independent college preparatory school in Spokane, Washington. The campus is located on 120 acres along the Little Spokane River. Saint George's School has a well balanced tradition of academic, artistic and athletic excellence.
| Head of School | Mo Copeland |
|---|---|
| Established | 1955 |
| School type | Independent Day School |
| Religious affiliation | None |
| Location | Spokane, WA, USA |
| Enrollment | 394 |
| Faculty | 66 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Mascot | Dragon |
| Colors | Red, White |
Contents |
[edit] History
Saint George's School was established in 1955 as St. George's Episcopal School on the former summer estate of Louis Davenport called Flowerfield. At that time there were 45 students in grades seven through nine. Initially, students were required to share space with the livestock in the stable while construction of the original school building was underway. By 1957, association with the episcopal church was severed and the school name was officially changed to Saint George's School. In June of 1959 Saint George's held its first commencement exercises as nine seniors crossed graduation bridge to the music of the Angus Scott pipe band, a tradition that is honored to this day.
[edit] Today
Today, the Saint George's School campus consists of the Davenport House (the estate's original home), the Upper School, the Middle School, the Lower School, the Errol Schmidt Athletic Center (ESAC), Metters Gym, The Little Gym, the Lower School Art House, the Caretaker's Cottage, the maintenance cottage, and the maintenance building. Additionally, there are libraries in both the Lower School and the Upper School.
Saint George's is currently composed of close to 400 students in grades K-12. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9:1, and over 30% of students receive financial aid from the school.
St. George's mission statement reflects the four traits which are emphasized throughout the school: honesty, respect, genorosity of spirit, and effort.
Committed to excellence, Saint George’s School challenges its elementary and secondary school students to develop their intellectual, artistic, creative, and athletic potential through a rigorous yet flexible college preparatory curriculum.
In 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates were the featured speakers of St. George's graduation. The class of 2008 will be the 50th graduating class of St. George's.
[edit] Activities
St. George's consistantly performs well at the statewide Math is Cool competition and the Knowledge Bowl, as well as recent sucess in debate competitions. Their chess team and robotics team have both won numerous awards. Dances, plays, and concerts are well-attended and involve the majority of the student body.
A multitude of traditions are celebrated at St. George's, including a Dragon Dance on the lawn at the beginning of the year and the seniors walking across the graduation bridge to receive their diplomas. Great use is made of the campus' forest and the adjacent river, and students often organize hikes, rock climbing, and canoeing trips.
[edit] Athletics
St. George's has a no-cut athletic team policy which allows all students to participate in sports regardless of previous experience. Teams compete in the Panorama League of Washington's WIAA Class 2B. Their mascot is the Dragon and their colors are red and white.
St. George's high school teams have won a total of 16 state championships, including:
Girls cross country: 5
Girls basketball: 4
Boys cross country: 3
Girls track and field: 1
Boys tennis: 2
Boys soccer: 1
Notable team performances include
Girls basketball:
1st (1994, 2000, 2002, 2004)
2nd (1992, 1993, 1999, 2003)
3rd (1998)
Boys basketball:
2nd (1996, 2001, 2002)
4th (1974)
7th (1993, 1998, 2003)
Boys soccer:
1st (2000)
2nd (2004)
3rd (1997, 1998, 2007)
4th (1993)
Girls volleyball:
3rd (2003)
4th (2001)
8th(2000)
Girls cross country:
1st (1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000)
2nd (1992, 1997, 2006, 2007)
3rd (2003, 2004)
4th (2002)
Boys cross country:
1st (1993, 2006, 2007)
2nd (1991, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2005)
3rd (1997)
4th (2002, 2004)
Girls softball:
4th (2002)
Boys track and field:
3rd (2008)
Girls track and field:
1st (1995)
Boys tennis:
1st (2002, 2004)
[edit] Notable alumni
- David Shannon (1978), author and illustrator of many notable children's books including No, David!
- Polly Powell (1975), senior broadcast producer for the NBC Today Show
- Deborah Dewey (1972), prize-winning pianist, Seattle
- Ernie Majer (1967), head of Geophysics/Geomechanics for the University of California, Berkeley
