Episcopal Collegiate School

Episcopal Collegiate School is an independent college preparatory school located in Little Rock, Arkansas established in 1998 under the name "The Cathedral School." In July 2003, it changed its name to Episcopal Collegiate School.^[1] It has a total student body of approximately 780 students and an average class size of 15, and the teacher to student ratio is approximately 7:1.^[2] It has a financial endowment of over $50 million, which was contributed by Jackson T. Stephens and his son, Warren A. Stephens.^[1] Episcopal Collegiate School's colors are hunter green, white, and navy blue and its mascot is the Wildcat.^[3]

Extracurricular activities

Academic

Episcopal's academic extracurricular activities include Student Congress, Quiz Bowl, diversity council, environmentally conscious society, drama club, art club, Junior Classical League, Spanish club, French club, Student Council, interact club, Harry Potter Club, chess club, ancient games club, FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge robotics clubs. The school also has an honor system, complete with an honor code, and an honor council consisting of eleven students chosen by their peers. Students are not allowed to campaign for a seat on the honor council, but instead are chosen according to how well they uphold the school motto of Respect, Reverence, and Responsibility in the eyes of their peers. Those chosen are considered to have received the highest honor a student can achieve at Episcopal.^[4]

The school's Quiz Bowl teams have five 3A classification state quiz bowl championships:

• 2005–06 Quiz Bowl State Champions
• 2006–07 Quiz Bowl State Champions
• 2007–08 Quiz Bowl State Runner-Up
• 2008–09 Quiz Bowl State Champions
• 2010–11 Quiz Bowl State Champions
• 2011-12 Quiz Bowl State Runner-Up
• 2012–13 Quiz Bowl State Champions
• 2013-14 Quiz Bowl State Champions

Athletic

Episcopal's athletic department includes baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling.^[3] In the 2012-13 season, the varsity football team won the 3A conference championship and made it to the Elite Eight. The varsity basketball team won the 3A state basketball championship, defeating Charleston in the title game. Episcopal has won numerous tennis and golf state championships and its teams are consistently recognized for academic excellence.

Affiliations

Episcopal is accredited by Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools and Arkansas Non-Public Schools Accrediting Association.^[3] Episcopal also has affiliations or is a member of each of the following organizations: National Association of Episcopal Schools, School and Student Service for Financial Aid, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Arkansas Activities Association, National Science Teachers' Association, and National Council of Teachers of English.^[3]

History

In 1996, a group of dedicated parents and community leaders spearheaded an effort to establish a new middle school with a similar Episcopal educational experience as The Cathedral School, K-6. As a result of this effort and with the endorsement of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Parish, The Cathedral Middle School was established in 1997 as an independent and separately incorporated school.^[5]

In the fall of 1998, The Cathedral Middle School opened its doors at a temporary location at the Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church. Shortly thereafter, The Cathedral Middle School Board of Trustees purchased 31 acres (130,000 m²) to build a middle school with a vision to expand to an upper school. In the fall of 2000, the doors opened for grades six through nine at the newly named Jackson T. Stephens Campus. The campus was named in honor of Jackson T. Stephens for his lifelong support of education and his significant role in making The Cathedral Middle School a reality.^[5]

The Middle School was dedicated on November 3, 2000. Construction of the Upper School began shortly thereafter and was completed and dedicated on December 7, 2001. In July 2003, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to change the name of The Cathedral Middle and High Schools to Episcopal Collegiate School to better reflect the heritage, identity, and mission of the School.^[5]

On May 11, 2004, Warren A. Stephens, President of the Episcopal Collegiate School Foundation, announced that his father, Jackson T. Stephens, along with he and his wife, Harriet Stephens, made a gift of $30 million to establish a permanent endowment for the Episcopal Collegiate School Foundation, which will assure the School's financial security in perpetuity.^[5]

On May 22, 2004, the first senior class graduated. The School realized its vision of establishing an excellent college preparatory school in the Episcopal tradition for grades 6-12. The vision of Episcopal Collegiate School is to have not only first-class facilities, but also the finest faculty and administration, the best and broadest curriculum, and to make this education available to a diverse population of students.^[5]

On April 4, 2014, the school named Thomas N. Southard as the Interim Head of School for the 2014-2015 school year.^[5]

Board of directors

Chuck Erwin (President), Debra Brown (Vice President), Lynne Franks (Vice President), Joe Hadden (Secretary), Pete Yuan (Treasurer), Larry Bowden, Michelle Carney, Robert Covington, Stacy Fletcher, Rev. Canon Christoph Keller, Ellen Kreth, Russ McDonough, Harriet C. Stephens, Joan Strauss, and Thomas N. Southard ex officio

Notes