St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)

Infobox_School
name = St. Albans School


imagesize = 220px
motto="Pro Ecclesia et Pro Patria"
established=1909
type=Independent College Preparatory School for Boys
headmaster= Vance Wilson
faculty = 100
enrollment = About 570 students (grades 4-12)
free_label = Publications
free_text = * The Bulletin (alumni magazine)
* The St. Albans News (official student newspaper)
* The Independent (unofficial student newspaper)
* Albanian (yearbook)
* Gyre (literary magazine)
* Grace
mascot = Bulldog
location = Washington, D.C.
information = 202-537-6435
website = www.stalbansschool.org

St. Albans School is an independent college preparatory school for boys, in Washington, D.C. The School's motto is "Pro Ecclesia et Pro Patria," which translates as "For Church and Country," and its mascot is the bulldog. It is named after St. Alban, traditionally regarded as the first British martyr. The name is commonly abbreviated "STA." It enrolls approximately 570 boys between grades 4 and 12 and is affiliated with the National Cathedral School for Girls (NCS) and the co-ed Beauvoir School, for PK-3 students, all located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral on Mount St. Alban in Washington.

St. Albans School has the reputation of being one of the most rigorous and prestigious schools in the country.Fact|date=January 2008 Graduates include Former Vice President Al Gore, Senator Evan Bayh, Journalists David Ignatius and Ian Urbina, and Fox News host Brit Hume.

The school was founded in 1909 by Harriet Lane Johnston, niece of President James Buchanan, as a school for boy choristers at the Washington National Cathedral, [cite book |last=Bergheim |first=Laura |date=1992 |title=The Washington Historical Atlas: Who Did What When and Where in the Nation's Capital |page=219 |publisher=Woodbine House |isbn=0933149425] a program that the school continues today.

Seventy-one percent of the faculty at the school have advanced degrees. The school also maintains one writer-in-residence, who teaches English classes while developing his or her work. The school’s seventh headmaster is Vance Wilson.

chool philosophy

St. Albans School is chartered by the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation (PECF) and is run in the Episcopal Church traditions, but welcomes students of all faiths. The school is dedicated to fostering the spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of its students.

t. Albans School Honor Code

St. Albans has an honor code that students are expected to follow.

"Recognizing that honesty is of primary importance in an educational institution, St. Albans requires its students to observe an Honor Code in all aspects of School life. Lying, cheating, and stealing are violations of the Code; violators make themselves liable to expulsion. Any student who has violated the Code is expected to report his offense to a member of the Student Council or of the faculty. Any student who has knowledge of a violation should speak to the offender and ask him to report himself as soon as possible. If the offender fails to do so, the student is urged to report him to a member of the Student Council, the Dean of Students, or a member of the faculty."

Athletics

St. Albans competes in the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC), a league of independent schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Other members of the league are Georgetown Preparatory School, Bullis School, Episcopal High School, Landon School, and St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School. The School fields Varsity teams in fourteen sports: cross country, football, soccer, aquatics, basketball, indoor soccer, ice hockey, wrestling, track and field, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, golf, and crew.

Trivia

*Outside the main entrance of the school sits a bush that is supposedly a cutting from the Glastonbury Thorn. The tree has been replaced several times with younger cuttings from the original stock, even as recently as 2003.Fact|date=January 2008
*The school prayer was taken aboard the Apollo 11 space mission, in 1969, and read by St. Albans alumnus and astronaut Michael Collins '48.Fact|date=January 2008

Extracurriculars and clubs

St. Albans has one official student newspaper, "The Saint Albans News". Founded in 1930, it is one of the oldest, continuously published student newspapers in the country. "The Independent" is an unofficial newspaper founded by St. Albans and NCS students in response to alleged censorship by the School administration of the official newspaper. Students publish several books annually: a yearbook called the "Albanian," a collection of Chapel Talks called "Grace," and a collection of student literature called "Gyre."

St. Albans has a coordinate performing arts program with NCS that puts on eight productions each year, including dance, drama, and musical performances. In recent years, the schools have won several National Capital Area Cappies for individuals, staging, and technical accomplishments.

The school also sponsors many political clubs, and academic teams such as "It's Academic", Fed Challenge, JETS, and a math team. Fundraising groups have been common in recent years, and most dances held at the school donate their profits to charity.

The Upper School has a student council that primarily serves on the disciplinary councils and organizes social events. Each Form has three prefects, one of whom is the class president. There is also a Head Prefect, always a Sixth Form student.

The St. Albans Skip Grant program seeks out to accept and support students from a diversity of socioeconomic and ethnic groups. This program, previously called the "RISK Program," was begun by former St. Albans teacher Brooks Johnson and is now named after the program's second director, former teacher, coach and athletic director, Oliver "Skip" Grant. Currently, the Skip Grant program is led by Malcolm C. Lester, English teacher and head Lacrosse coach at St. Albans.

Notable alumni

*Charles F. Bass, former United States congressman
*Evan Bayh, United States senator
*John Bellinger, legal advisor to the State Department
*James Bennet, editor of The "Atlantic Monthly" magazinecite news |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200603u/james-bennet |work=The Atlantic Monthly |title=On March 1, the Atlantic Media Company's Chairman named James Bennet as The Atlantic's next editor. |first=David |last=Bradley |date=2006-03-01]
*Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Staff
*Clancy Brown, American actor ("The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension", "Carnivàle", and "Starship Troopers") and chairman of the board of Brown Publishing Company
*Olin Browne, Professional golfer, 3-time PGA Tour event champion
*Garnett Bruce, American opera director
*Neil Bush, son of former President of the United States George H.W. Bush, brother of current U.S. President George W. Bush
*Michael Collins, astronaut
*Garrett Donovan, co-producer of "Scrubs"Fact|date=February 2007
*Harold Ford Jr., former United States congressman and current head of the Democratic Leadership Council
*David Gardner, co-founder of The Motley Fool
*Tom Gardner, co-founder of The Motley Fool
*Al Gore Jr., former Vice President of the United States, and Nobel laureate.
*Donald Graham, chairman of the "Washington Post"
*Rufus Griscom, co-founder of the website Nerve Fact|date=February 2007
*Frederick Hauck, astronaut
*Bill Hobby, Texas Lieutenant Governor 1973-91
*Jesse Hubbard, professional lacrosse player
*Brit Hume, Fox News television anchor
*Reed Hundt, former FCC Chairman
*David Ignatius, "Washington Post" Columnist
*Uzodinma Iweala, critically acclaimed author
*Jesse Jackson, Jr., United States congressman, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.
*Steven Berlin Johnson, author
*Bo Jones, former publisher and CEO of the "Washington Post", director of the Associated Press
*Draper L. Kauffman, past Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy
*Thomas Kean, former governor of New Jersey, chairman of the 9/11 Commission
*Edward Kennedy, Jr., founder of the Marwood Group
*Randall Kennedy, Harvard Law School professor
*Damian Kulash, lead singer of rock band OK Go
*Nick Lowery, former professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs
*J. W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International
*Dave Nalle, font designer and game author (see Ysgarth RPG)
*Bill Oakley, former executive producer of "The Simpsons"
*Jonathan Ogden, former professional football player, 2000 Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens
*David Plotz, writer and editor at "Slate"
*Kermit Roosevelt III, novelist and law professor
*Mark Roosevelt, superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools
*Alex Ross, music critic of "The New Yorker"
*Luke Russert, son of Tim Russert, satellite radio host [cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/17/AR2008061702644.html |title=At St. Albans, Bidding Russert Farewell - washingtonpost.com |date=2008-06-18 |accessdate=2008-09-13 |publisher=Washington Post ]
*Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics [cite news |work=The New York Times |title=Linda Potter To Wed Timothy Shriver |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E2D8163BF93BA35751C1A963948260 |date=1985-12-08] son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver;
*Burr Steers, director of the film "Igby Goes Down"
*Russell E. Train, former Director of the EPA
*Gore Vidal, author/writer
*The Walkmen, musicians (four out of the five members attended)
*Josh Weinstein, former executive producer of "The Simpsons"
*Jeffrey Wright, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor ("Angels in America", "Basquiat", "Syriana")

The School of Public Service

St. Albans established its School of Public Service (SPS), in 2002. SPS is a residential leadership, politics, and service program that takes place for a four-week period each summer, beginning in late June. Fewer than 35 rising high school seniors are selected to participate in SPS, located at St. Albans School. SPS admits both male and female students who have already shown a great deal of interest in public service, as well as an ability to positively influence others. While in the program, students gain experiences designed to heighten not only an interest in public service but also their probability of entering into and succeeding in a career in civic leadership. Students study at the highest level of scholarship, using Harvard and other case studies that are more commonly used at the graduate level. No credit is given to SPS students; rather they are motivated by their interest in public service.

In addition to using the case study method--used for graduate study in law, business, and public policy--SPS students continue the dynamic learning experience outside the classroom through policy simulations, speakers, and visits and meetings with public servants from State Department Foreign Service Officers to serving Army and Marine officers. In the past two years, SPS students have (in simulations!) run congressional campaigns, negotiated their way through a dangerous crisis with North Korea, taken steps to contain a flu pandemic sweeping the nation, and argued and decided Supreme Court cases on First Amendment and national security issues. In the "real" world, the SPS students have, among other things, visited the White House to talk with the President's Chief of Staff, had lunch with the Governor of Maryland, hosted a formal dinner for Ambassadors from around the world, attended screenings of "Meet the Press" and talked with Tim Russert, met with members of the U.S. Supreme Court, and chatted about fiscal policy with the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. For more information about this unique program, click on [http://www.schoolofpublicservice.org School of Public Service] .

Expansion and renewal

In 2004, the school announced plans to construct Marriott Hall, rebuild the athletic fields, renovate the entire Upper School, and construct a new academic building to join the existing buildings together with its Marriott Hall project. The school hired the firm SOM; with lead architect Roger Duffy to design a replacement. It features a building extension, covering a service road, and an underground performing arts center.

Construction is expected to be largely done for the 2009-2010 Centennial Year of Celebration.

References

External links

* [http://www.stalbansschool.org St. Albans School homepage]
* [http://www.stanews.org The Saint Albans News]