St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Maryland)

Not to be confused with St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Texas).
St. Andrew's Episcopal School
Location
Potomac, Maryland
United States
Coordinates 39°2′46″N 77°10′35″W / 39.04611°N 77.17639°W / 39.04611; -77.17639Coordinates: 39°2′46″N 77°10′35″W / 39.04611°N 77.17639°W / 39.04611; -77.17639
Information
School type Private
Motto Auctus Mentis Spiritusque
(The Increase of Mind and Spirit)
Denomination Episcopal
Established 1978
Headmaster Robert Kosasky
Chaplain The Rev. Patty Alexander and the Rev. Sally Slater
Grades Preschool through 12
Enrollment 617
Campus size 19.2 acres (78,000 m2)
Campus type Suburban
Color(s) Red and white
Team name Lions
Website http://www.saes.org

St. Andrew's Episcopal School is a coeducational college preparatory independent school for preschool, beginning at age 2, through grade twelve. Located in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, St. Andrew's has two campuses. The Postoak Campus is located at 8804 Postoak Road in Potomac, Maryland and serves students in grades 3-12. The Potomac Village Campus (Lower School campus) is located at 10033 River Road, also in Potomac, and serves preschool through grade 2. St. Andrew's "provides a challenging coeducational college preparatory program for preschool through twelfth grade in an inclusive environment that embodies the faith and perspective of the Episcopal Church."

General information

As of 2018, total enrollment is 617 of which 46% identify as students of color or international students and 24% receive some form of financial aid. The average class size is 13 students and there is a student to faculty ratio of 6:1. The school operates on trimesters and students in grades 6-12 attend on average four classes per day. A rotating block schedule was introduced in 2018 with 65-minute classes, 10 minute breaks between classes and increased office hours and study hall options for students.

Upper School and Middle School students take five major academic courses per year – English, History, Language, Mathematics, and Science. Religion, art (visual and performing) and athletics are required at least one trimester per year.

In 2011, the school founded The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL), which puts the latest in research in Mind, Brain, and Education Science into the hands of the school’s teachers. The CTTL makes research-informed teaching and learning the central focus of faculty professional development, curriculum and program design at St. Andrew’s. It connects independent and public school teachers, leaders, and policymakers through discourse on translating research into innovative teaching and learning strategies.

The school considers itself the most research-informed school in the country with 100% of faculty trained in how the brain learns. The CTTL has won international awards and published three volumes of essays written by teachers, coaches and alumni. Every summer it hosts the Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy which attracts teachers from across the world. Its goal is to bridge research and in-classroom practice by training educators and school leaders in the science of learning.

Begun in 1998, the Oral History project, the signature academic program in the Upper School, houses the largest pre-collegiate collection of oral histories in North America, if not the world. Other signature programs include the International Development & Social Entrepreneurship class and the CTTL Student Research Fellows.

In its most recent Strategic Plan (January 2017), St. Andrew’s affirmed its mission to know and inspire each child in an inclusive community dedicated to exceptional teaching, learning, and service. The school is committed to teaching and demonstrating that academic rigor and student well-being are the complementary foundations of educational excellence.

The school is a member of College Entrance Examination Board, Cum Laude Society, National Association of College Admissions Counseling, National Association of Independent Schools, National Association of Episcopal Schools, and Potomac & Chesapeake Association of College Admissions Counseling. It is fully accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, Maryland State Department of Education, and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Advanced Placement classes are available in 14 different disciplines.

In recent years, St. Andrew’s students have been honored with awards and recognition both nationally (figure skating, fencing, rowing, artistry) and internationally (robotics, kayaking).

Campuses

St. Andrew’s main campus is home to the Upper, Middle, and Intermediate School students. This 20-acre campus is approximately 15 miles from the District of Columbia and located on Postoak Road just off the intersection with Tuckerman Lane. The Lower School is located on River Road, just off Falls Road. Beginning Fall 2019, all grades will be located on the Postoak Campus as the school is constructing a 29,000-square foot Lower School for preschool through grade 5.

The Postoak Campus, once historic Clagett Farm and later the campus of Harker Preparatory School, occupies one of the highest points in Potomac. The original farmhouse, constructed in 1810, was preserved and was renamed Kiplinger House. It is home to the Admission, Advancement and Business Officers. MacDonald Hall, a multi-purpose theater/assembly/lunch space, features a stage and light/sound booth and seating for approximately 400. In the Main Building, there are classrooms, laboratories, two studios for the visual arts, including ceramics wheels and a kiln, and a darkroom. The library holds 14,000 volumes and a design lab, none as the D!Lab, offers makerspace with tools including a laser cutter, 3D printer, and router.

In September 2016, a 43,000-square-foot Student Center opened. The facility contains two gymnasiums, a fitness center, a dance studio, student commons, a café, and dedicated space for the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning. The project also saw the development of the Izzo Quadrangle.

There are two full fields, Hope Field and Brumbaugh Field, used for softball, baseball, lacrosse and soccer. In summer 2008, these fields were covered with synthetic FieldTurf, which allow more use in all weather.

Athletics

Students can choose to participate in varsity and junior varsity sports as well as several non-competitive physical education options. The school fields 52 interscholastic teams, including 19 Middle School teams and 33 JV and varsity teams, in 14 different sports.  More than 250 Upper School students participate on these teams, with several students participating in two or three seasons.

St. Andrew's has interscholastic teams in soccer, volleyball, cross country, basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, indoor track, equestrian, swimming and track and field. St. Andrew's also offers fitness, dance and other non-competitive athletic options.

The girls' varsity teams compete in the Independent School League (ISL), and the boys' varsity teams compete in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC).

• Varsity Golf: MAC Champion 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 • Girls Varsity Cross Country: ISL Champion 2005; Maryland Private School Champion 2006, 2005, 2004, Small School State Champions 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 • Boys Varsity Soccer: MAC Champion 2003,2017 • Boys Varsity Cross Country: MAC Champion 2003; MAC Champion 2006 and 2005; Maryland Private School Champion 2006, 2005, 2004 • Girls Varsity Lacrosse: ISL Division A Co-Champion 2006, 2007 • Girls Varsity Basketball: ISL Division AA Co-Champion 2010, 2017 • Boys Varsity Basketball: MAC Co-Champion 2015 • Girls Varsity Volleyball: ISL Division AA Co-Champion 2015 • Boys Varsity Lacrosse: MAC Champions 2002, 2018

Arts

St. Andrew’s has a robust arts program that is integrated throughout the preschool through grade 12 curriculum. Upper and Middle School students can take part in musicals, plays, jazz band, symphonic rock orchestra, chorus, a capella, dance concerts, art assemblies, physical performance skills, improvisation and a talent show. Visual artists can take ceramics, studio art, advanced art and portfolio development, digital design, drawing, painting and photography. In 2018 the school won awards at the Music in the Parks competition and one student won the National Science Foundation’s Generation Nano art competition. The school has produced award-winning performers, like comedienne Whitney Cummings, and award-winning authors, like Tony Award-winning playwright Steven Levenson (“Dear Evan Hanson”).

Extra-curricular

Trips

Each year, 6th, 7th and 8th graders enjoy fall getaways to such places as Camp Varsity, Calleva and Horizon. Upper School sports teams often travel during the fall preseason, Winter Break and Spring Break.

Every year there are opportunities for trips abroad through different academic departments. St. Andrew's has long-standing partnerships with the Bokamoso Youth Centre in Winterveld, South Africa and is a partner school with Christ Roi School in Civol, Haiti. Students in the Upper School have the opportunity to travel there every year on service learning trips. Upper School students also have other travel opportunities, such as France, Spain, Mexico and Chicago. The Middle School also offers trips during spring break. In 2017, Middle School students had the opportunity to visit Hawaii.

Clubs

Each week there is a designated period during the school day when students can participate in clubs of their choice. Clubs are run by students and in 2018, there were more than 80 club offerings.

Other

Students have many opportunities to perform on stage through school plays, art assemblies, a jazz/rock show, and a talent show. The Jazz Band and the A Capella club frequently take home awards and in 2017, both won first place at the Music in the Parks competition at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Notable Alumni

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