St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Maryland)

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St. Andrew's Episcopal School
Auctus Mentis Spiritusque
The Increase of Mind and Spirit
Address
8804 Postoak Road
Potomac, Maryland, Maryland 20854
Information
Denomination Episcopal
Head of school Robert Kosasky
Enrollment

455
School type Private school
Grades 6 through 12
Campus Suburban
Campus size 19.2 acres
Hours in school day 8
Mascot Rampant Lion
Team name Lions
Color(s) Cranberry and cream
Newspaper Mane News
Established 1978
Homepage www.saes.org

St. Andrew's Episcopal School is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school for grades six through twelve, located in Montgomery County, Maryland. St. Andrew's is one of many prestigious private schools located in the area, a list which includes the Landon School, Connelly School of the Holy Child, Georgetown Preparatory School, The Heights School, and the Holton-Arms School. St. Andrew's graduation is held annually in the nave of the Washington National Cathedral. Beginning on July 1, 2008, St. Andrew's will join with St. Francis, a nearby elementary school, to create a school that runs from preschool through twelfth grade.[1]

Contents

[edit] General Information

As of 2008, St. Andrew's supports an enrollment of 455 pupils, with its academic calendar consisting of three 11-week trimesters.

Athletics

St. Andrew's has interscholastic teams in soccer, volleyball, cross country, basketball, wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and track and field. St. Andrew's also offers fitness, dance and other non-competitive athletic options.

The girls' varsity teams compete in the Independent School League (ISL), and the boys' varsity teams compete in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC).

Ethnicity

  • African American: 6%
  • Asian American: 3%,
  • Caucasian: 76%
  • International: 4%
  • Latino/Hispanic: 4%
  • Middle Eastern: 1%
  • Multiracial: 3%
  • Native American: 1%
  • No Declaration: .2%

Religious Declarations

  • Episcopal: 30%
  • Jewish: 12%
  • Other Protestant Denominations: 25%
  • Roman Catholic: 20%
  • Other: 7%
  • No Declaration: .004%

[edit] History of St. Andrew's

St. Andrew's has come a long way[neutrality disputed] from the idea of two Episcopal elementary school heads, who saw the need for a coeducational high school for their graduates. In 1978, after three years of planning, St. Andrew's opened in the basement of Pilgrim Lutheran Church on Massachusetts Avenue with 40 students in grades seven, eight and nine, nine part-time teachers, and a school library comfortably housed on four shelves.

Growth by the 1979-80 school year necessitated a move to larger space in Clara Barton Elementary School of Cabin John and only two years later, to the former North Bethesda Junior High School. By the time St. Andrew's graduated its first senior class in the spring of 1982, it had grown to 245 students and 28 teachers and entered the ranks of full-fledged independent college-preparatory schools.

In September 1998, St. Andrew's dedicated its 19.2 acre campus in Potomac, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, the school reached its maximum enrollment of 455 students, grades six through twelve.

Because its roots stemmed from the determination of the founding trustees, St. Andrew's never has forgotten its purpose or convictions:[neutrality disputed] a diversity of students, an emphasis on the arts, a sports program open to all who sincerely try to make a team, and the regular teaching and practice of spirituality.

In 2002, St. Andrew's hired a new headmaster, Robert Kosasky. He created a new long-term plan, supervised a self-study for reaccreditation by AIMS, and has placed emphasis on marketing and fundraising, as well as faculty development and compensation and building diversity in the community.

In the spring of 2006, St. Andrew's began an oral history project in anticipation of the school's 30th anniversary. Juniors in the Advanced Placement United States History class, having already done comprehensive interviews in the winter as part of the St. Andrew's American Century Oral History Project, were assigned pivotal members of the St. Andrew's community, both past and present, to interview about their memories of St. Andrew's. The student interviewers transcribed their conversations, which will be archived in both audio and text form in the Dreyfuss Library. The next phase of the St. Andrew's Archives Collecting Oral Histories Project will be open to all members of the St. Andrew's community who wish to interview other members, using the initial work of the students as a model.

A senior Historical Methods elective at St. Andrew's recently completed a collection of online essays on the history of various aspects of the school.

On February 28, 2008, Headmaster Robert Kosasky announced to the student body that St. Andrew's would unite with nearby St. Francis Episcopal Day School to create the first coed, preschool through 12th grade Episcopal school in Washington, DC, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Under the plan, the middle and high schools would remain at their current campus on Postoak Road and the lower school (preschool to third grade) would stay at the "Potomac Village Campus" located at River and Counselman Roads. The combined school would be called St. Andrew's Episcopal School. In 2009, a fourth grade will be added to the Postoak Campus followed by a fifth grade in 2010.

[edit] Philosophy

The St. Andrew's Philosophy Statement reads:

St. Andrew's Episcopal School endeavors to provide a comprehensive coeducational college preparatory program for grades six through twelve in an environment that embodies the faith and perspective of the Episcopal Church. The school values the educational advantages of a diverse student body composed of a wide spectrum of racial, religious, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds. Middle and Upper School programs are designed to serve students of varied abilities capable of academic achievement in an environment of educational excellence. To promote excellence, St. Andrew's strives to develop a dedicated professional faculty and administration who respect and appreciate students.

St. Andrew's emphasizes a supportive rather than competitive atmosphere, nurturing intellectual, spiritual, moral, aesthetic, and physical growth. The school believes that the development of each individual's intellectual potential, personal integrity, and sense of self-worth encourages each to live a creative and compassionate life. Because St. Andrew's values the benefits of community, the school fosters in all members a desire to live a life of responsibility to each other and to the larger community.

St. Andrews' new tagline is More Than Academic Rigor, referring to the school's "four pillar" approach: Academics, Athletics, Arts, and Spiritual Life.

[edit] The New Campus

In September 1998, the community dedicated the 19.2 acre campus in Potomac, Maryland and cut the ribbons on a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m²) brand-new main building.

The land, once historic Clagett Farm and later the campus of Harker Preparatory School, occupies one of the highest points in Potomac. The original farmhouse was preserved and is used for administrative offices. No evidence has ever been found to substantiate stories that the farm was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Next to this house is scenic Bruder Garden (at right).

Classrooms include three state-of-the-art Upper School laboratories and prep rooms, plus rooms outfitted for Middle School science.

MacDonald Hall, a multi-purpose theater/assembly/lunch space, features a stage and light/sound booth. There are two studios for the visual arts, including ceramics wheels and a kiln, and a darkroom.

The gymnasium, inherited from Harker Prep, serves as the basketball court and the location for all-school chapel. Facilities in a second athletic building, also inherited from Harker Prep, include a weight room and a dance studio that doubles as a wrestling room.

There are two full fields, Hope Field and Brumbaugh Field, used for softball, baseball, lacrosse and soccer, as well as four tennis courts. In summer 2008, these fields are set to be covered with synthetic FieldTurf, which will allow more use in all weather and will lower maintenance costs.

A two-story library houses 14,000 volumes, an audio-visual classroom and several computer research stations, and is staffed by three librarians.

[edit] Extra-Curricular

St. Andrew’s provides opportunities for students to pursue interests and develop talents outside the classroom. Through a varied co-curricular program, St. Andrew’s encourages students to exercise self-sufficiency, responsibility, and leadership, and to express themselves intellectually, socially, creatively,spiritually, and athletically.

Trips: When kids come together in a different environment, they see one another in new ways and can see new possibilities. Each year, 6th, 7th and 8th graders enjoy fall getaways to such places as camp varsity and horizon. There is also a challenging fall "Leadership" weekend, available to students in 9th to 12th grades. Upper School spring sports teams often use Spring Break for travel and practice on warm weather fields.

Athletics: Students can choose to participate in varsity and junior varsity sports as well as several non-competitive physical education options.

Current Middle School Clubs:

  • Sudoko Club
  • Middle School Student Council
  • Film Making Club
  • The Club(Started by MS President, Alexa Klein-Mayer, does activities such as squirrel fishing, hide and seek on campus, and apples to apples tournaments)

Current Upper School Clubs:

Leadership Weekends: Twice each year, St. Andrew’s offers overnight retreats for Upper School students. These trips focus on group dynamics, the roles individuals play in a group, and group problem solving. Other: Students have many opportunities to perform on stage through school plays, art assemblies, a jazz/rock show, and a talent show.

[edit] Famous Alumni

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Maryland Briefing. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.

[edit] External links

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Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference