St. John's School is a coeducational independent school in the Upper Kirby district of Houston, Texas, USA, presenting a 13-year sequence of college preparatory training. A non-profit institution, it was founded in 1946 with the intention of providing the community with a school of exacting standards in the development of individual, spiritual, ethical, intellectual, social, and physical growth. While the means to achieve that purpose may change, it remains the basic mission of the school. The school is a member of the Houston Area Independent Schools and has no religious affiliation. The school has been coeducational since its founding in 1946. On March 23, 2007, the St. John's School students and faculty celebrated the 60th aniversary of the school's founding. Coeducation is the integrated education of males and females at the same school facilities. ... An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges, gifts, and perhaps the investment yield of an endowment. ... Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas. ... “Houston” redirects here. ... The Houston Area Independent Schools (or HAIS) is a non-profit association of more than 50 private schools located in the Houston, Texas area. ...

St. John's receives no state or federal funding. Tuition is $15,050 for Upper School students, $14,200 for Middle School students, and $11,975 for Lower School students. Many students receive partial to full need-based scholarships, as the school has a need-blind admissions policy.

Mission

The School seeks to develop the whole person in preparation for a lifetime of personal fulfillment and contribution to society. In particular, it is dedicated to the enhancement and the expansion of future leadership for Houston and the country. The School offers talented, motivated, and energetic students a genuine challenge for academic accomplishment and for development of a sense of self-worth and of personal responsibility. The School in turn holds itself responsible for providing that challenge.

Campus

The Brown (South) Campus hosts the Lower (K-5) and Georges Middle (6-8) Schools as well as the Virginia Stuller Tatham (VST) Fine Arts Center and the Smith athletic center. The Cullen (North) Campus, separated from the South Campus by Westheimer Road, houses the Upper (9-12) School. Two tunnels run underneath Westheimer Road, and connect the North and South Campuses. The school also maintains two athletic fields across West Alabama Street for field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse, and a baseball field adjacent to St. Luke's Methodist Church.

The school is located in the Upper Kirby district bordering on River Oaks, an extremely affluent residential neighborhood. While the school draws the majority of its students from the Houston neighborhoods of River Oaks and Memorial and the cities of West University Place and Bellaire, the school's student body hails from nearly every zip code in Houston and surrounding areas. River Oaks is heavily wooded and has Houstons most expensive homes River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States. ... The Memorial area of Houston, Texas is a wealthy distict west of the Galleria. ... A sculpture with the logo of the city of West University Place An electronic sign in the center of West University Place West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land... Another sign at the edge of the city limits. ...

The school is adjacent to St. John the Divine Church and Lamar High School, a public secondary school operated by Houston Independent School District. Lamar High School Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School is a secondary school located at 3325 Westheimer Road in Houston, Texas, United States, with a zip code of 77098. ... The Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center The first Hattie Mae White Administration Building. ...

The Upper Kirby district plans to establish a "teen center" at Richmond and Wake Forest geared towards students at St. John's, Lamar, Lanier, and other schools in or near Upper Kirby. Funding issues have delayed establishment of the center [1]. Sidney Lanier Middle School is a middle school located at 2600 Woodhead Street in Houston, Texas, United States, with a ZIP code of 77098. ...

History

Mewbourne Hall, Cullen Campus, St. John's School

Current headmaster John Allman (left) with United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (right)

W. St. John Garwood and Alan Lake Chidsey's dreams of creating a "school of exacting standards" in Houston became a reality at the end of World War II. In January 1946, Alan Lake Chidsey, former Headmaster of both the Pawling School (today the Trinity-Pawling School) and the Arizona Desert School and the post-war Assistant Dean of Students at University of Chicago, was asked to fly to Texas to speak at a gathering of interested members of the Houston community. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 835 KB) Summary St. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 835 KB) Summary St. ... Image File history File links Oconnorvisitssjs. ... Image File history File links Oconnorvisitssjs. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Sandra Day OConnor (born March 26, 1930) is an American jurist who served as the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. ... Alan Lake Chidsey (March 13, 1904 – October, 1981) was an American secondary educator. ...

Frontrunners of the idea, Mr. and Mrs. W. St. John Garwood, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Merrick Phelps, Mr. R. E. Smith, Mr. J. O. Winston, Jr. and the Reverend Thomas Sumners of the Church of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church were among those present at the meeting. At Mr. Chidsey’s persuasion, Mrs. William S. Farish immediately committed to her involvement with the school, and many others followed. Categories: Saints | Ancient Roman Christianity | Christianity-related stubs ... This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ...

A proposal was drafted that entailed combining forces with the St. John the Divine nursery school to create the school. St. John's first 344 students filed into St. John the Divine's chapel on Opening Day, September 27, 1946. The entire campus was six acres.

Today, SJS boasts 1,225 students. Although the school's size has grown, the number of students per classroom remains small. In the words of former Chairman of the Board, Jim Elkins III, the school seeks to "build an inclusive community ethnically, culturally, and socio-economically." Today, the school has no affiliation with the church, although it does provide non-denominational Judeo-Christian Chapel services at the church. In recent years, the Chapel program has branched out to offer more multicultural services, often hosting speakers from other faiths or non-religious backgrounds. A non-denominational church (usually Christian) is a religious organization which does not necessarily align its mission and teachings to an established denomination. ... Judeo-Christian (or Judaeo-Christian) is a term used to describe the body of concepts and values which are thought to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, and typically considered (sometimes along with classical Greco-Roman civilization) a fundamental basis for Western legal codes and moral values. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... Multiculturalism or cultural pluralism is a policy, ideal, or reality that emphasizes the unique characteristics of different cultures in the world, especially as they relate to one another in immigrant receiving nations. ...

In 1998, alumnus Wes Anderson filmed the loosely autobiographical Rushmore at St. John's, neighboring Lamar High School, and crosstown rival The Kinkaid School. Like protagonist Max Fischer, Mr. Anderson staged numerous action epic plays in the now-demolished Hoodwink auditorium of his alma mater, with titles like The Five Maseratis and The Battle of the Alamo. Anderson co-wrote the movie with Owen Wilson, who had attended St. John's competitor and fellow member of the Southwest Preparatory Conference, St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American writer, producer, and director of films and commercials. ... Rushmore is a 1998 movie directed by Wes Anderson. ... There are two Mirabeau B. Lamar High Schools, both named after Mirabeau Lamar. ... The Kinkaid School is a combined primary and secondary independent coeducational school in Piney Point Village, Texas, United States. ... Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and writer. ... The St. ...

In 1995, George W. Bush, then the Governor of Texas, served as the commencement speaker. In 2000, while he campaigned for the office of the President of the United States, Vanity Fair magazine and The New York Times reported that, as a child, Bush had been rejected for admission by St. John's. According to the article, Governor Bush consulted with his parents (the former president George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush) on this issue and was able to confirm that he had, in fact, been rejected by St. John's decades before, which had led to his enrollment at Phillips Academy, his father's alma mater. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... In politics, Governor of Texas is the title given to the chief executive of the state of Texas. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... American actress Demi Moore, on a typical Vanity Fair cover (August, 1991) Vanity Fair is a glossy American glamour magazine monthly that offers a mixture of articles based on sensational exaggerations, jet-set and entertainment-business personalities, politics, and lies. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... For the former professional wrestler, see Cathy Dingman. ... Phillips Academy (also known as Andover, Phillips Andover, or simply P.A.) is a co-educational University preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12. ...

In 2005, Sandra Day O'Connor, then a current Supreme Court Justice, visited St. John's School. Other notable visitors to St. John's over the years have included former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, whose first U.S. performance was at St. John's in 1993. Sandra Day OConnor (born March 26, 1930) is an American jurist who served as the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. ... In order to become a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, an individual must be nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the U.S. Senate, with at least half of that body approving in the affirmative. ...

Today, the school covers 28 acres at the corner of Westheimer and Claremont, and the school has an enrollment of 1,225 students supported by over 200 faculty and staff.

Mascot

The new Maverick mascot at the unveiling on May 7, 2004

The St. John's mascot has a controversial history. The original mascot, The Crusaders, lasted only three years due to its religious connotations. The Rebels was selected as a replacement in 1949, with Confederate symbol Johnny Reb as the mascot. Image File history File links Maverickunveiling. ... Image File history File links Maverickunveiling. ... Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ... Johnny Rebel or Johnny Reb was the slang term for any Confederate soldier, or the Confederate army as a whole, during the American Civil War. ...

In 1990, the Upper School students voted to discontinue the mascot and nickname, under the leadership of their African-American Head Prefect (student body president). A year later all symbols of the Confederacy were disassociated from the school, although the nickname "The Rebels" was retained with the hopes it could be connected with the American Revolution or more generally as an ambiguous invocation of nonconformity and independent thinking. Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem (none official) God Save the South (unofficial) The Bonnie Blue Flag (unofficial) Dixie (unofficial) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Religion... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen...

In the spring of 2004, by a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees, St. John's School officially changed its mascot to The Mavericks in order to further distance themselves from any Confederate connections. The change was supported by a majority of faculty, though a large number of students and alumni opposed the change. Today, the Maverick mascot is well regarded and widely used by members of the community.

Academics

St. John's Upper School students graduate having completed at least three courses in mathematics, three courses in a foreign language, four courses in English and writing, two courses in science, three courses in history and social studies, two years in physical education, and a year in the arts (music, visual arts, theater, or dance).

The school reports that the median SAT (New Scholastic Aptitude Test I) score for the Class of 2007 was 2170 out of 2400 (720 critical reading, 730 math, 720 writing). For other uses, see SAT (disambiguation). ...

Student life

Sports

St. John's offers a wide variety of sports. Students may participate in cross-country, volleyball, field hockey, or football in the fall season, soccer, basketball, swimming, or wrestling in the winter, and golf, tennis, lacrosse, softball, baseball, or track and field in the spring.

The Maverick football team plays the annual homecoming game against its traditional rival, The Kinkaid School at Rice Stadium. The contest culminates Kinkaid Week, a week of activities designed to rally school spirit for the big game. The Kinkaid School is a combined primary and secondary independent coeducational school in Piney Point Village, Texas, United States. ... Rice Stadium is a football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. ...

The lacrosse program at St. John's has traditionally been very strong, producing numerous All-American athletes in the sport. In 2006, both the men's and women's lacrosse teams won the Texas High School Lacrosse League Championship.

A variety of student organizations support the sports teams. The cheerleading program features three squads: 8th grade, junior varsity (9th and 10th graders), and varsity (11th and 12th graders). Drum Corps is a musical ensemble that provides spirited entertainment at sporting events, especially football games. Pots and Pans is a recently established group that lends their percussive talents to the sidelines and stands, following in the footsteps of the legendary but now-defunct Lee Field Loonies.

The Arts

Students can participate in the arts either in classes for academic credit, performing ensembles, or extracurricular organizations. The first arts organization created was Johnnycake, founded by the original headmaster in 1949. It is one of the oldest organizations at St. John's. Open to all Upper School students, Johnnycake provides opportunities in all aspects of theatrical production from technical crew to set and costume designing to performance. Johnnycake supports three main theatrical productions in the Upper School as well as other smaller student productions. Shortcake, the middle school division of Johnnycake, offers two to three production opportunities in the Middle School. In both Upper and Middle School, students may enroll in theater class to fulfill their fine arts requirement.

Students can participate in many choral groups. Any male student in 4th through 12th grade may participate in the Boy Choir in addition to their regular choral assignment. In grades 4 and 5, students may participate in the co-ed St. John's Singers. The highlight of the year for the St. John's Singers is the Spring Fling, the annual spring musical production. In Middle School, girls may participate in Cantatores. Upper schoolers have many options, from the all-women Les Chanteuses, mixed Chorale, and the selective chamber choir Kantorei. The Chapel Singers are a small volunteer choir that sings frequently at Upper School chapel services. Every other year, Kantorei makes an international tour to perform across the globe. Recent visits have included Brazil, Canada, Austria, Italy (including a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica), and the Czech Republic.

There is no formal marching band at St. John's, but there are many musical ensembles and smaller bands. In Middle School, Beginner Band is open to class seven and eight students who are interested in learning to play a wind instrument. The Middle School Intermediate Band performs a repertoire ranging from standard band to pop and jazz. Students more adept at string instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass) can join the orchestral group, Sinfonia. The Upper School features both a Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band as well as the Chamber Strings. Sporting events are frequently cheered on by the Drum Corps.

Another type of performing ensemble offered is dance. In 7th grade, students may join the Impulse dance ensemble as an extracurricular involvement. In 8th grade, Impulse is offered as a course to fulfill the fine arts requirement. Upper School dance is a co-curricular course taken for credit. The program consists of four levels in ascending order: Caprice I, Caprice II, Caprice III, and Terpsichore. Just for fun, informal tap dance lessons are sponsored by Tap Club for Upper School students.

Student organizations

The Review is the official student newspaper of St. John's School. Established by the first headmaster Alan Lake Chidsey, it is one of the oldest student organizations on campus. The Review publishes issues monthly and produces a magazine issue annually. A favorite feature in each issue is Word for Word, a collection of recent memorable quotes from members of the SJS community. An informal online newsletter, The Hall Monitor, is created and read by Middle School students.

The SJS Academic Challenge Team, in the past few years, has been a successful quiz bowl team at local, state, and national levels. Also known as the Academic Team or Nerd Squad, the group competes in local, state, regional, and national tournaments of academic, intellectual, and sometimes esoteric topics related to anything from mathematics, science, the humanities, or "trash" (pop culture, sports, etcetera). The team often attends tournaments hosted by the Texas Quizbowl Alliance and other institutions. Most notably, it won the NAQT High School National Championship in 2002, placed third in 2003 and 2004, and advanced to the semifinals of the PACE NSC in 2004. National Academic Quiz Tournaments (LLC) is a question-writing and quizbowl organizing company founded by former players in 1996. ...

Upper School student clubs include Rock Climbing Club, Anime Club, FACETS, Student Technical Society, DotA-Playing Club, Tap Club, Chess Club, ECOS, Knitting Club, Stock Market Game Club, Soccer Club, Model UN, Debate Club, Ultimate Frisbee team, and more. National Academic Quiz Tournaments (LLC) is a question-writing and quizbowl organizing company founded by former players in 1996. ...

School uniform

St. John's requires that students wear the school uniform at all times. Most uniform pieces must be manufactured by Sue Mills, a school uniform supplier. The St. John's plaid, only available from Sue Mills, is distinctive from other Houston area schools. Students in Bangkok Over one thousand students in uniform during an assembly at a secondary school in Singapore. ...

The uniform for all male students consists of belted khaki or twill shorts or pants, worn with a white or powder blue oxford shirt or a white, red (Lower School), black (Middle School), or navy (Upper School) polo shirt. Khaki is a common material in military uniforms Khaki is a type of fabric or the colour of such fabric. ... A twill weave can easily be identified by its diagonal lines. ... A Lacoste tennis shirt A polo shirt, originally called a tennis shirt and also known as a golf shirt, is a T-shaped shirt with a collar, (typically) two or three buttons down a slit below the collar, two small slits on the bottom of either side, and an optional...

Lower School girls may wear a red or plaid jumper over a white peter pan collar blouse with red piping, khaki or twill shorts or pants with a red or white polo shirt, or a plaid skort with a red or white polo shirt. Middle School girls may wear a red or plaid skirt with a white polo shirt or khaki or twill shorts or pants with a white or black polo shirt. Upper School girls may wear a red or plaid skirt with a white or navy polo shirt or khaki or twill shorts or pants with a white or navy polo shirt.

Grey slacks for both males and females are a previously unpopular uniform option that have gathered a small cult following among students. Sue Mills also offers various non-uniform accessories in the trademark plaid, including backpacks and headbands.

Students are required to tuck in shirts, and a 2004 survey conducted by The Review found that untucked shirts accounted for the vast majority of detentions and other disciplinary action.

Headmasters

• Alan Lake Chidsey, 1946-1966
• Elwood Kimball Salls, 1966-1976
• Thomas Read, 1976-1981
• James R. Maggart, 1981-1991
• E. Philip Cannon, 1991-1998 (1991-1992 as interim headmaster)
• John Allman, 1998-present

Alan Lake Chidsey (March 13, 1904 – October, 1981) was an American secondary educator. ...

Admissions

St. John's seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its student body. Consequently, the School does not discriminate in admissions or educational programs against any individual on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, or religion. St. John's admits 42 students to kindergarten each year. The class grows to 60 at first grade, 110 at sixth grade, and 135 at ninth grade. Financial aid is available.

New students typically come from a variety of other private and public schools in Houston. For instance, some students of River Oaks Elementary School, West University Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, the Presbyterian School [2], River Oaks Baptist School [3], Annunciation Orthodox School [4], and The Village School [5] matriculate to St. John's. There are several schools named River Oaks Elementary River Oaks Elementary, Houston in Houston, Texas River Oaks Elementary, Austin in Austin, Texas River Oaks Elementary, Galt in Galt, California River Oaks Elementary, Woodbridge in Woodbridge, Virginia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... West University Place, often called West University, or West U in short, is a city located in Harris County, Texas. ... Sidney Lanier Middle School is a secondary school located at 2600 Woodhead Street in Houston, Texas with a ZIP code of 77098. ... Presbyterian School is a combined primary and secondary independent school in Houston, Texas, United States. ... River Oaks Baptist School is a private primary and secondary school located in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston, Texas. ... Annunciation Orthodox School, or AOS, is a private school located in Houston, Texas established in 1970. ... The Village School is a Pre-K through 8th private school located in western Houston, Texas, United States. ...

Notable alumni

• Wes Anderson, Academy Award nominated writer, producer, and director of films
• William S. Farish III, former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom
• Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, anthropologist and primatologist
• Molly Ivins, famed political columnist
• Ken Keeler, comic writer and television producer
• Mike France, a senior writer at Businessweek
• Peter Roussel, former United Nations ambassador and columnist
• Christy Haubegger, founder of Latina
• Steven A.Owsley, notable actor and filmmaker</ref>

Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American writer, producer, and director of films and commercials. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... William Stamps Farish III (born March 17, 1939 in Houston, Texas) is an American businessman and a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2001-2004). ... An ambassador, rarely embassador, is a diplomatic official accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of his or her own country. ... Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (note: Hrdy is Czech for proud) (born July 11, 1946) is a U.S. anthropologist who has made several major contributions to evolutionary psychology and sociobiology. ... Primatology is the study of primates. ... Molly at the 2005 DemocracyFest, Austin TX Mary Tyler Molly Ivins (August 30, 1944 – January 31, 2007) was an American newspaper columnist, political commentator, and best-selling author from Austin, Texas. ... Keeler at the 2003 Writers Guild Awards, after winning in the animation category. ... BusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. ... Peter RousselBold text ....PublicRelations Consultant. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

References

External links

• History of SJS
• St. John's School website
• Houston Association of Independent Schools (HAIS)
• Satellite photo of St. John's
• The Review, the official student newspaper of St. John's School
• The uniform of St. John's School