St. Paul Academy and Summit School

St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Location
St. Paul, MN, USA
Information
Type	Private, day
Established	SPA: 1900, Summit School: 1917, Merger: 1969
Head of School	Bryn S. Roberts
Faculty	55 for upper school
Enrollment	850 total 290 K–5 (Lower School) 240 6–8 (Middle School) 380 9–12 (Upper School)
Average class size	14 students
Student to teacher ratio	7:1
Campus	Two campuses in residential neighborhoods
Color(s)	Navy Blue and Vegas Gold
Athletics	14 sports, 34 teams
Mascot	Spartan
Average SAT scores	590–710 cr. reading 600–700 math 590–700 writing  (mid 50% ranges)
Website	www.spa.edu

St. Paul Academy and Summit School (commonly known as SPA) is a college preparatory independent day school in St. Paul, Minnesota, for students in grades K–12.

The school was established through a merger in 1969 of St. Paul Academy, a school for boys, and Summit School, a school for girls. St. Paul Academy was founded in 1900 and Summit School in 1917. The school celebrated its centennial in 2000.^[1] Accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, SPA is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Cum Laude Society, and The College Board.

Recent commencement speakers have included Al Franken, Coretta Scott King, and Garrison Keillor.

Contents 1 Academics 2 Athletics 3 Campuses 4 Hockey 5 Notable alumni/ae 6 References

Academics

In the Upper School (grades 9–12), SPA has a college-preparatory liberal arts curriculum.^[2] SPA teaches an independent curriculum that does not follow either the AP or IB curriculum models, though individual students may opt to take AP tests. Courses have been taught using Harkness tables, distinctive elliptical wooden tables that seat 12–15 students, since 2005.^[3] Each year, the school sends several juniors to semester-away programs including CITYterm in New York, Oxbow School in California, Maine Coast Semester in Maine, and Rocky Mountain Semester in Colorado.

SPA's English department offers students strong individual attention, helping students develop their analytical reading and writing skills. General courses are offered during freshman and sophomore years, while semester-long electives are offered during junior and senior years.

The language department offers instruction in French, German, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese (simplified characters) and has optional international exchange programs for students in grades 10–12 with partner schools in France, Germany, Spain, and China. All students in grades K-5 study Spanish but then have the option to change their course of study in the Middle and Upper School.

For freshman through junior year, the history department has required courses that include two years of World History and one year of American history. In senior year, all history courses are electives.

SPA's math department offers a variety of courses that take most students through a study of Calculus as a senior, prefaced with Algebra 2, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus..

The science department at SPA offers earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years, respectively. In senior year, semester long electives are offered, including genetics, space science, marine biology, and field biology.

The music offerings include two jazz bands, one orchestra, string and wind ensembles, a large choir, a female choir, and a smaller choral group. The ensembles all offer a fall concert ("Pops Concert") where contemporary music is played as well as a spring concert where more traditional music is featured. SPA also hosts a free music competition every spring for singers and musicians from SPA and the surrounding area.

SPA has a laptop program in its Middle and Upper Schools whereby the school provides each student in 6th through 8th grade with a laptop and students in grades 9 through 10 must purchase one from the school. The program originally gave the middle schoolers Toshiba laptops, but instead is now giving them Nobi Netbooks. The Laptops have a suite of programs on them, and much of the homework process is streamlined through one note^[4]

Graduation requirements include that seniors complete a 5–8 minute speech in front of the Upper School on a topic of their choice (Senior Speech), as well as a month-long internship in May (Senior Project).

Athletics

St. Paul Academy and Summit School is a member of the Tri-Metro Conference, part of the Minnesota State High School League. The school mascot is a Spartan, and the school's main rivals are Breck School, Blake School and Minnehaha Academy. According to school legend, SPA won the right to wear its school colors (Navy Blue and Vegas Gold) in a football game against Blake more than a century ago. The SPA-Blake rivalry is still regarded as the oldest high school rivalry in the state of Minnesota. SPA offers 15 varsity sports, and 34 teams. To date, Spartan sports teams have won 29 State titles since the school joined the MSHSL in 1975. In 2010 the boys varsity soccer team went to the state tournament and seniors Conor Perkkio and Nick Forsgren were voted to the all-State tournament team. In 2011, the boys varsity team made another run to the Metrodome for the state tournament and placed fourth yet again. Goalkeeper Ben Braman was named to the all tournament team.

State Championships-MISL and MSHSL
Season	Sport	Appearances	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Tennis, Girls	19	9	1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988
	Football, Boys	1	0
	Soccer, Girls	5	0
	Soccer, Boys	16	4	1986, 1987, 1991, 1994,
	Cross Country, Boys	8	3	1990, 1991, 1992
	Cross Country, Girls	3	0
	Swimming and Diving, Girls (Co-op with Highland Park)	2	0
Winter	Alpine Skiing, Boys	unknown	0
	Alpine skiing, Girls	3	0
	Nordic Skiing, Boys	1	0
	Nordic Skiing, Girls	1	0
	Fencing, Coed	n/a	9	1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2006
	Hockey, Boys	15	5	1941, 1942, 1961, 1962, 1974
	Hockey, Girls	0	0
	Wrestling, Boys ( inactive )	0	0
	Gymnastics, Girls ( inactive )	0	0
	Dance, Girls	0	0
	Basketball, Girls	0	0
	Basketball, Boys	0	0
	Swimming and Diving, Boys (co-op with Highland Park)	0	0
Spring	Golf, Boys	0	0
	Golf, Girls	0	0
	Tennis, Boys	9	4	1993, 2004, 2007, 2008
	Baseball, Boys	0	0
	Track, boys	1	1	1993
	Softball	1	0
	Track, Girls	2	0
Total		86	34

Campuses

The school consists of two campuses: the Goodrich Campus and the Randolph Campus.

• The Goodrich Campus, site of the old Summit School for girls, is the current home of the Lower School (grades K–5, ~290 students) and contains the Sarah Converse Auditorium, home of SPA theater productions. It is located at 1150 Goodrich Avenue.
• The Randolph Campus, site of the old St. Paul Academy for boys, is the current home of the Middle School (grades 6–8, ~240 students) as well as the Upper School (grades 9–12, ~380 students). Drake hockey arena and the Harry M. Drake Gallery are both located on this campus, 1712 Randolph Avenue.

School hours are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with exceptions for after-school activities. The school has art programs as well as sports.

Hockey

SPA has what is thought to be the oldest varsity hockey squad in the state of Minnesota. The first official team was recorded in 1905. The opponents the team faced during the early years included local colleges St. Thomas as well as the University of Minnesota, who didn't field a team until a few years after the Academy. The Hockey team has won five Minnesota Independent School League (MISL) tournaments, in 1941, 1942, 1961, 1962, and 1973. Practices are held in the Drake Arena.

Notable alumni/ae

• F. Scott Fitzgerald attended the school from 1908-1911. Later, he became one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. His works include The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise.
• Karen Ashe ('72) is director of the Neurobiology of Alzheimer’s Disease Research Laboratory at the University of Minnesota
• Ann Bancroft ('74) was the first woman to successfully complete expeditions across the Arctic and Antarctic.
• James J. Barnes ('50) is a historian, Rhodes Scholar, Fulbright Scholar, and Harvard University Woodrow Wilson Fellow.
• Charles Berde ('69) is a Professor of Anesthesia and Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and is co-founder and director of the Pain Treatment Service at Children's Hospital Boston.
• Leo Cullen (soccer) ('94) is a former American soccer player.
• John Doar ('40) was a prominent civil rights attorney in the 1960s, who most notably defended James Meredith in his attempt to enroll in the then-segregated University of Mississippi.
• Catherine "Cack" Ferrell ('02) was a professional runner for Nike who represented the United States at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa and at the 2007 Pan-Am Games, where she won the silver medal in the 5000 meter run.
• Paul Georgieff ('01) was a contestant on season six of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV.
• Christopher Gores ('96) played soccer professionally for a team in Puerto Rico.
• Reynolds Guyer ('53) invented the Nerf children's toys.
• Stanley S. Hubbard ('51) is the founder of Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns TV stations across Minnesota, Wisconsin, *Seth Janus ('91) is program director of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Minnesota
• Rebecca Jarvis ('99) is a financial reporter for CNBC and was a finalist on The Apprentice (Season 4)
• Dave Kansas ('85) Prominent financial writer
• Roger G. Kennedy ('44) served as Director of the National Park Service and of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. He was a Vice President of the Ford Foundation and has worked for the departments of Labor, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Education.
• Manuel Lagos ('90) Played soccer professionally and for the United States national team during the Olympics.
• Steven Levitt ('85) is the author of 2005 New York Times bestselling book Freakonomics. He led the SPA Quiz Bowl team to nationals two years in a row as a high school student.
• Joan Mondale ('48) is the wife of former Vice President Walter Mondale.
• William Pedersen ('56), partner in Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, is the lead architect on the Shanghai World Financial Center, one of the world's tallest buildings.
• Tony Sanneh ('90) is a professional soccer player who has won two Major League Soccer Cups and played every minute for the United States in the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan.
• Davidson Sommers ('22) was an international policy expert who served as general counsel to the World Bank, Vice Chairman of the Overseas Development Council, Chairman of the Board of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, and as an advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• John Tate ('42) is an internationally renowned number theorist and winner of the 2010 Abel Prize
• George Tesar (’69) is chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Cleveland Clinic
• Jean West ('45) served as a commissioner of the St. Paul Port Authority and as president of West Premium Corporation.

New York, and New Mexico (including the Twin Cities ABC affiliate KSTP).

References

Tri-Metro Conference Teams Schools Blake Bears · Breck Mustangs · Brooklyn Center Centaurs · Concordia Beacons · DeLaSalle Islanders · Minnehaha Redhawks · Mounds Park Panthers · St. Agnes Aggies · St. Anthony Huskies · St. Bernard's Bulldogs · St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders · St. Paul Academy Spartans · Visitation Blazers