St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Mississippi)

St. Andrew's Episcopal School is an independent, coeducational, preparatory day school in Ridgeland, Mississippi serving more than 1,100 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. 98 percent of St. Andrew's graduates attend four-year colleges and universities.

Founded in 1947, the school occupies two campuses: the South Campus houses the Lower School (pre-kindergarten through grade 4) in Jackson, and the North Campus houses the Middle School (grades 5-8) and Upper School (grades 9-12) in Ridgeland.

The School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), and is affiliated with the Mississippi High School Activities Association. The School also holds ties with St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson.

School Crest, Motto, Colors, Mascot, Hymn and Prayer, Quick Facts

The school crest was designed in 1978 by an art teacher. It contains a navy circular band surrounding a shield of the same color. The school's name and the date 1947 (its founding) are inscribed on the circle. The shield is divided into four sections by a red and white cross in the form of the cross on which Saint Andrew was martyred. The top section contains a white magnolia, the state flower of Mississippi. The left section contains the Episcopal shield. The right section is a lamp. An anchor (sometimes referred to as an "anchor of faith") is in the lower section, representing Saint Andrew's vocation as a fisherman and the school's religious affiliation. The school motto (Invenpenis Viam Aut Faciemus) appears between the outer circle and the shield.

The motto, officially adopted in 1979, is "Inveniemus Viam Aut Faciemus" and translates to "We will find a way or we will make one."

The official school colors are blue and white.

The school mascot is the Saints.

The school hymn is "For All The Saints" (sung to the tune of Sine Nomine).

The St. Andrew's Episcopal School Prayer

:Almighty and heavenly father, who has blessed us with the joy and care of children::Bless, we pray you, St. Andrew's Episcopal School;:Give our teachers, parents, and students light and strength so to train and learn, :that all of us might love whatsoever things are true and pure and lovely;:Grant us grace to choose the good and to reject evil;:Give us knowledge and understanding of the mysteries of your creation;:All this we ask in the name of Him; :Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Trivia

*Portions of the film A Time to Kill were filmed in the chapel now located on the school's North campus. The scenes inside a white frame church (in the beginning and end of the film) were filmed in the Camden Chapel (moved to campus after filming). The Chapel has since been renamed the David E. Wood Chapel, in honor of the school's former headmaster.

*Unlike most other private schools, St. Andrew's is a member of the MHSAA in which all public schools and most of the Catholic schools compete. Approximately ninety-four percent of Mississippi students participating in high school activities compete in the MHSAA.
*The Varsity Baseball team, coached by Mark Fanning, won the District 6-2A championship in 2006 and 2007

*Historically known for their strong Football and Baseball programs, the St. Andrew's Boys Soccer team won the MHSAA 1A-2A-3A State Championship in 2006 and 2007, beating their rival St. Joseph relatively easily the past two years.

*St. Andrew's is a Cross Country powerhouse, sending student-athletes to colleges and universities across the U.S. to continue running in college after winning numerous State Championships in their days at SA.

*The St. Andrew's Slow-Pitch Softball team of 2008,coached by Mark Fanning, is currently first in their district and is going into play-off's 21-1, an unheard of record for any St. Andrew's sport.

*The Varsity Football team, led by Head Coach David Bradberry, won the District 6-2A championship in 2006, finishing with a 12-2 record and South State runners-up.

*Ole Miss sophomore football player Brent Smith graduated from St. Andrew's.

*In 2004, St. Andrew's hosted the first high school lacrosse match in the state of Mississippi, hosting a team from Memphis.

*St. Andrew's has a strong record in the field of science research having sent many people over the years to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the American Junior Academy of Sciences.

*St. Andrew's also has a nationally competitive speech and debate team.

*"Worth Magazine" named St. Andrew's as one of the Top 100 Ivy League feeder school in the United States of America.

*In 2005, St. Andrew's received $1 million from the Malone Family Foundation to provide scholarships for "gifted" students with need. As of the fall of 2006, there were approximately ten Malone Scholars attending St. Andrew's.

*St. Andrew's also has a very strong Advanced Placement program, with courses offered in at least fifteen subjects. Of the 28 Advanced Placement State Scholars named by the College Board, all but two have been St. Andrew's graduates.

May Day

St. Andrews celebrates May Day as an event where the entire preschool through fourth grade participates. Every year, the entire fourth grade class wraps the May Pole to the tune of Waltz Of The Flowers. The other grades perform different dances, usually having a theme with the school's past. The school's Sixtieth Anniversary May Day was no different from the others, with the exception of a few banners placed on the wall.

Quick Facts

*19% of the St. Andrew’s Class of 2007 were National Merits Finalists, the highest percentage of any school in Mississippi.

(29.7% of the St. Andrew’s Class of 2008 were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists, Commended Students, or National Achievement Semifinalists.

*The average ACT score for the Class of 2007 was 28.

*The average SAT score for the Class of 2007 was 1892.

*26 of Mississippi’s 28 AP State Scholars have been St. Andrew’s students.

*78% of the class of 2007 received college scholarship offers; collectively, the class was offered more than $7 million in scholarships.

*In 2007, St. Andrew’s was named Mississippi’s Best All-Around 2A Sports Program for the 8th consecutive year and the 14th time in the last 16 years.

*In 2007, St. Andrew’s won state championships in boys’ cross-country, boys’ soccer, girls’ cross-country, girls’ track and field, tennis, and girls’ bowling.

*The St. Andrew’s Upper School band has received superior ratings at the State Band Festival for 11 consecutive years.

*St. Andrew’s is the only school in Mississippi and one of only 22 schools nationwide to receive a $2 million Malone Family Foundation grant to create scholarships for academically gifted students with financial need.

*The 2006-2007 Annual Fund campaign raised more than $500,000.

*The St. Andrew’s Touchstone Endowment stands at more than $8 million.

*In 2007, a St. Andrew’s graduate became the first student in Mississippi history to receive the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship Award to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

*St. Andrew’s is the only school in Mississippi with a Chair of Membership in Emory University’s Barkley Forum for Speech and Debate.

*A St. Andrew’s student won the 2007 National Student-Athlete Scholars Award.

*A St. Andrew’s student won the 2007 American Visions Art Award.

*St. Andrew’s 2007 College Fair brought representatives from more than 50 four-year colleges and universities nationwide to the St. Andrew’s campus.

*St. Andrew's also celebrates Pi day on March 14.

ee also

*List of private schools in Mississippi

External links

*http://www.gosaints.com/