Oregon Episcopal School

Oregon Episcopal School
Address
6300 SW Nicol Road Portland, Oregon, Multnomah County, 97223  United States
Coordinates	45°28′27″N 122°45′22″W / 45.4742°N 122.7561°W / 45.4742; -122.7561Coordinates: 45°28′27″N 122°45′22″W / 45.4742°N 122.7561°W / 45.4742; -122.7561
Information
Type	Private, Boarding
Religious affiliation(s)	Episcopalian
Opened	1869 (as St. Helens Hall)
CEEB Code	380915
Principal	David Lowell Head of Lower School[1]
Principal	Scott Hardister Head of Middle School[2]
Principal	Jordan Elliott Head of Upper School[3]
Head of school	Mo Copeland Head of School[4] Chris Schuck Associate Head of School
Grades	Pre K-12[5]
Number of students	836[6]
Campus	Suburban, 59 acres (240,000 m2)
Color(s)	Forest green, white, and Carolina blue    [7]
Athletics conference	OSAA Lewis & Clark League 3A-1[8]
Mascot	Aardvark[8]
Rival	Catlin Gabel School[9]
Accreditation	NAAS[6]
Newspaper	The Dig[10]
Website	oes.edu

The Oregon Episcopal School (OES) is an American private coeducational college preparatory school in the Raleigh Hills suburb of Portland, Oregon.

History

Established in 1869 by Rev. Benjamin Wistar Morris, Bishop of Oregon, OES is "the oldest Episcopal school west of the Rocky Mountains."^[11] Known as St. Helen's Hall at the time of its founding, it was originally a boarding and day school for girls. The school's original site at 4th and Madison is now the location of Portland's City Hall. A new, larger site was purchased in 1890 and a new school opened the following year. The school moved again in 1964 to its current location in Raleigh Hills and Bishop Dagwell Hall was added, expanding the academic program to boys. In 1972 the two institutions were merged into Oregon Episcopal School.^[12][13] Currently, the school serves children from prekindergarten to 12th grade and includes day-school and boarding programs.^[14]

Academics

The Beginning, Lower, and Middle schools consist entirely of day students, but the Upper School includes a large boarding program. Approximately one fifth of the Upper School's student body resides on campus, and around three fourths of those boarding students hail from outside the United States.

In 2007, the Portland Monthly magazine named the school one of the best in Oregon.

In 2014, Oregon Episcopal School was ranked the best school in the state of Oregon and the 14th best private school in the nation.^{[15] [16][17]}

Science research

OES' research-based science program is one of the best in the nation and has a long history of success in science research competitions. Over the years, many students have placed highly in prestigious competitions such as the Intel Science Talent Search, the Siemens Competition, the Google Science Fair, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Since 1995, 19 students have been named Intel National Semifinalists and National Finalists with one senior National Finalist contestant placed 2nd nationally among 40 national finalists in 2003 and one senior National Finalist contestant placed 3rd nationally in 2004.^[18][19][20] Since 2002, 36 students have been named Siemens National Semifinalists, Regional Finalists and National Finalists with one junior duo placed 1st nationally and won the Siemens Competition in 2010.^[21][22] In 2013, a senior as one of the five students competing in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair from OES, won the Best in Category award in Mathematical Sciences at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair was also named the National Finalist for Google Science Fair with research titled "Efficient Characteristic 3 Galois Field Operations for Elliptic Curve Cryptographic Applications," earning international notice in 2013.^[23][23][24]

Athletics

Mascot

OES's official mascot is an aardvark, chosen by the student body to replace their previous mascot, a falcon. At one time an eagle was also a mascot at the school.^[25] In 2013, the mascot placed second in the West in USA Today's High School Sports' Best Mascot competition.^[26]

State championships

• Men's lacrosse: 2004, 2009
• Women's soccer: 2005, 2011, 2012,2014
• Women's volleyball: 2006
• Women's tennis: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
• Men's tennis: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013
• Men's soccer: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013,2014

Controversy

Disaster on Mount Hood

One of the worst climbing accidents in U.S. history occurred in May 1986 when seven sophomore students and two faculty froze to death during an excursion on Mount Hood. Of the four survivors, three had life-threatening hypothermia; one had his legs amputated.^[27]

The OES disaster spurred the development of the Mountain Locator Unit, an inexpensive transmitter which helps searchers find climbers in distress.^[28]

Matthew Hanly resignation

Matthew Hanly, head of OES from July 2007-June 2009, resigned for "a series of bad decisions" after sexually suggestive messages in his work email account were accessed, distributed to parents, and provided to the media.^{[29][30][31][32]}

Notable alumni

• Virginia Euwer Wolff, 1955 - writer^[33]
• Ben Westlund, 1967 - Oregon State Treasurer^[34]
• Peter Holmstrom 1987 - musician, The Dandy Warhols^[35]
• Henry Abbott 1990 - basketball analyst and blogger of TrueHoop, now a part of ESPN^[36]
• John Robinson 2005 - actor^[37]

References