St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Texas)

St. Andrew's Episcopal School, also known as SAS, is a private school located in Austin, Texas, USA. St. Andrew's enrolls students in grades 1-12 and is divided into three divisions: Lower (grades 1-6), Middle (grades 7-8), and Upper (grades 9-12) Schools. The Lower and Middle Schools share a campus in central Austin, while the Upper School campus is in the southwestern part of the city.^[2]

History

St. Andrew's Episcopal School held its first classes in a house on Pearl Street in Austin Texas. The school commenced with its first school year during the fall of 1952, serving 32 students in grades 1-3. The school later moved to 31st Street, where the Lower and Middle Schools are now currently located. The school expanded to twelve grades in 1998 with the opening of a satellite Upper School campus on Southwest Parkway. The Upper School graduated its first class in 2002.

Academics

As part of the academic requirements for graduating Upper School, students must complete a "Junior Experience," described on the school website as at least two weeks "in an environment that is dramatically different from the student’s daily surroundings,"^[3] and a Senior Project, undertaken in May of the student's senior year.^[4] To satisfy the Junior Experience requirement, the school offers trips every summer to destinations including Italy, Spain, West Virginia, China, The Galapagos, New Mexico and France, though students may also submit independent proposals.^[3] The Upper School also offers 11 AP courses.

Since 2007, 24 percent of all St. Andrew's graduates were National Merit Commended Students and 5 percent were National Merit Semifinalists. The average SAT scores of the Class of 2010 were 628 (Critical Reading), 625 (Mathematics), and 628 (Writing).^[5]

Fine arts

St. Andrew's offers a variety of performing opportunities at St. Andrew's, including choir, drama, and various musical ensembles. At the Upper School, Visual Arts, Music Theory, Jazz and Rock Bands, and Choir are offered as Fine Arts courses. The Choir has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Select Choir has performed at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.^[6] St Andrews is also the host of the 2013 ISAS Fine Arts Festival.

Athletics

St. Andrew's athletic teams compete in the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC). The Upper School fields teams in baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, diving, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Middle School sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Physical education is required in the Lower School.

The softball, lacrosse, and volleyball teams ended their 2010 season ranked #1 in SPC Division II.

Notable alumni

• Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush - Daughters of George W. Bush^[7]
• Benjamin McKenzie - actor, The O.C. and Southland, attended Lower School^[8]
• Drew Brees - Super Bowl MVP, attended Lower School^[8][9]
• Matt Belisle - Major League Baseball Player

References