Our Episcopal Roots

As an Episcopal school, chapel is the focus of St. Paul's communal life and an integral part of the educational experience at the School. Chapel worship is conducted each week. The Lower School meets for chapel two times a week and integrates values into the curriculum. The Middle and Upper Schools attend chapel three times a week. The School respects and affirms the traditions of other faiths and makes no effort to proselytize. The goal is to have every student's faith become stronger in the course of being a part of the St. Paul's School community. The chapel and chaplains are available for any pastoral needs that arise. This includes marriages, baptisms, funerals, hospital visits, spiritual direction, and dealing with personal issues one faces from a spiritual perspective.

What does it mean to be an Episcopal school?

Episcopal schools are challenged to integrate the physical, social, academic, and spiritual development of the whole child. As a group, Episcopal schools share:

• A belief in the fundamental unity of the global family
• A belief in the equality and dignity of all human beings
• A belief in the sacredness of every individual and his or her conscience
• A belief that love, compassion, unselfishness, and the force of inner truthfulness ultimately have greater power than hate, enmity, and self-interest
• A commitment by each member of the school community to grow in service to others
• A commitment to provide opportunities for worship and development of the spiritual life
• A commitment to engage freely in ethical and religious discussion, when appropriate, in all academic disciplines
• A commitment to an atmosphere of free inquiry in all academic pursuits as we seek the truth in a learning process unfettered by dogmatic considerations.

How St. Paul's lives out its Episcopal tradition

Our Episcopal roots provide the broad themes of our institutional and educational practices that support our goal of helping each student achieve excellence.

We believe in inclusiveness. We value, honor, and seek diversity as an integral aspect of educational excellence that enriches the experiences of all.

We believe education is about the search for truth. Our pedagogical practices are based on a commitment to education, specifically in the Latin root definition of the word - to lead or draw out - rather than in simple instruction. Learning to question, consider, test, and evaluate - and then question again - are practices we strive for our students to adopt.

We believe it is our responsibility to stress morals and values in all areas of school life. We expect our students to respect others, to be responsible, and to treasure integrity.

We believe in service learning and strive to provide meaningful opportunities and experiences for our students.

We believe in the importance of spiritual growth and provide opportunities for the community to come together for worship.

Photos by Doug Slaughter '10