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St. Albans School
"Pro Ecclesia et pro Patria"
Location
Washington, D.C.
Information
Headmaster	Z. Vance Wilson
Type	Independent College Preparatory School for Boys
Mascot	Bulldog
Established	1909
Enrollment	About 550 (grades 4-12)
Information	(202) 537-6435
Publications	* The Bulletin (alumni magazine) * The St. Albans News (official newspaper) * The Independent (unofficial newspaper) * Albanian (yearbook) * Gyre (literary magazine) * Grace
Homepage	http://www.stalbansschool.org/

For other schools with a similar name, see St. Albans School

St. Albans School is a private college preparatory school for boys, in Washington, D.C.. The School's motto is "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 550 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 has a reputation of being one of the most rigorous schools in the country; graduates include Former Vice President Al Gore, and Senators Evan Bayh and John Warner, among many other notables. Children of many American politicians and business leaders attend, leading GQ Magazine to name Mason Lecky, the admissions director, number 42 in the 2007 "The 50 Most Powerful People in DC" ^[1]

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, a program that the school continues today.

The faculty at the school includes numerous teachers with Ph.D and Masters degrees, as well as nationally-recognized and award-winning teachers. The school also maintains one writer-in-residence, who teaches English classes while developing their work. The School’s seventh headmaster is Vance Wilson.

Contents 1 School philosophy 2 St. Albans School Honor Code 3 Athletics 4 Traditions 5 Extracurriculars and clubs 6 Notable alumni 7 The School of Public Service 8 Expansion and renewal 9 References 10 External links

St. Albans School is a college preparatory school for boys, chartered by the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation (PECF), and is run in the Episcopalian tradition but welcomes students of all faiths. The School is dedicated to fostering the spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of its students. St. Albans challenges its students to achieve excellence and to embrace responsibility, and it expects them to act always with honor and to respect and care for others.

Spiritually rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, St. Albans strives to develop in its boys awareness and love of God and a sense of moral responsibility. The School believes that the spiritual growth of its students gives meaning to their intellectual and physical endeavors. Toward this end, St. Albans seeks to provide an understanding of the Christian faith, as expressed through the Episcopal tradition. As an Episcopal School with a pastoral commitment to all, St. Albans welcomes boys of all faiths and respects the religious beliefs of all members of the School community.

The objective of the School's rigorous academic program is to teach each student strong skills of analysis and expression; to instill core knowledge in the arts, sciences, and humanities; to foster the ability to think critically, creatively, and independently; and to inspire intellectual curiosity and a passion for learning. Through its varied academic and extracurricular offerings, St. Albans encourages its students to develop their unique talents and to pursue knowledge that will serve both the individual and society.

An integral part of the curriculum, the required athletic program seeks to instill values and to teach skills for life-long fitness and health. Through participation in sports, each boy develops strengths of body and character. Emphasizing discipline, teamwork, competitive spirit, and sportsmanship, the athletic program teaches important lessons for life's challenges.

St. Albans School is a diverse family that welcomes and values individuals from all backgrounds. Such diversity is essential to a vital community of learning and growth. In nurturing the hearts, minds, and bodies of its students, St. Albans prepares boys for fulfilling lives of responsibility, leadership, and service to others.

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."

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St. Albans competes in the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC), a league of private schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Other members of the league are The Bullis School, Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia), Georgetown Preparatory 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. All students are required to participate in the athletic program, either at the intramural or Junior Varsity/Varsity level. There is also a Voyager program in which students engage in rock climbing or whitewater paddling.

• St. Albans has one of the strongest athletic programs in the D.C. area.
• The St. Albans basketball team has frequently been ranked in the Washington Post's Top 25, most recently in 2003 when they were ranked 12th in the area. Longtime coach and local legend Bob Brown recently retired and was replaced by Maryland alum and former pro basketball player Duane Simpkins.
• St. Albans has held the most titles in baseball since the creation of the IAC, winning 44 titles since 1942. They most recently won the 2007 title while finishing number 8 in the DC area.
• St. Albans lacrosse is perennially ranked in the area and the nation, and in 2007 won the IAC title.
• St. Albans crew is arguably the best program in the area and nearly always competes with its rival Gonzaga for the Foley cup. They have won the D.C. Championship Regatta eight out of the last nine years, and in 2007 the team went to the finals at Stotesbury Regatta, the largest and oldest high school regatta in the country.
• St. Albans also has one of the best track and field and cross country programs in the area. Led by the renowned coach Jim Ehrenhaft '83 St. Albans wins IAC titles nearly every year.
• St. Albans' traditional sports rivals are Georgetown Preparatory School and the Landon School.
• St. Albans also boasts a strong football program. In 2007 the bulldogs went 9-1 (4-0) and won the IAC Title. They were led by second-year coach Gary Schnell.

• There is a dress code, mandating shirt, tie, and jacket. Sneakers are permitted, but jeans are not.
• Lunch is served family style at assigned tables in the refectory, where the whole Upper School faculty and students eat together, as does the Lower School.
• The format of the School is English-style with forms instead of grades. The Grades 4,5,6 are Forms C,B,A, and 7-12 are forms I-VI.
• 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.
• The school prayer:

  Vouchsafe Thy blessing we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon this School and upon all other works undertaken in Thy fear and for Thy glory, and grant that all who serve Thee here, whether as teachers or learners, may set Thy holy will ever before them, and seek always to do such things as are pleasing in Thy sight; that so both the Church and Commonwealth of this land may benefit by their labors, and they themselves may attain unto everlasting life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

  This prayer was taken aboard the Apollo 11 mission, in 1969, and read by St. Albans alumnus Michael Collins '48.

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." ClosePerspectives is a newsmagazine that features in-depth reporting on stories related to campus life as well as broader news issues and is published by the PECF.

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 competitive groups such as "It's Academic", Fed Challenge, Catholic Club, and a math team. Fundraising groups have been common in recent years, and most dances held at the school donate their profits to charity, including a tsunami relief concert which featured the band, The Walkmen, which includes four St. Albans alumni.

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 nontraditional 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.

St. Albans also has a rich tradition of aquatic sports. The Lawrence Pool, a 6 lane, 25 yard pool with a 1 meter diving board, houses the St. Albans and NCS Swimming and Diving programs in the winter. Other local schools and club teams rent the pool and hold meets there as well.

Michael Abramowitz, National Desk Editor of The Washington Post Charles F. Bass, former United States congressman John Warner, United States senator Evan Bayh, United States senator John Bellinger, Legal Advisor to the State Department James Bennet, editor of The Atlantic Monthly magazine[2] Joshua Bolten, Former director of OMB, and currently 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[citation needed] D. Stuart Dunnan, Headmaster of St. James School 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[citation needed] Frederick Hauck, astronaut Bill Hobby, '49, 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, 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[citation needed] Damian Kulash, Lead Singer of rock band OK Go Matt Lewis, Writer for FOX's emmy-award winning HOUSE. Nick Lowery, former professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs John Willard Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International Inc. Ken Masterman-Smith, inventor of the communications satellite Project SCORE David Nalle, font designer and game author (see Ysgarth RPG) Bill Oakley, former executive producer of The Simpsons Jonathan Ogden, 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" Burr Steers, director of the film "Igby Goes Down" Strobe Talbott, former deputy secretary of state from 1993 until 2000 Russell E. Train, former Director of the EPA Gore Vidal, author/writer (not a graduate, left to attend Philips Exeter Academy) John Warner, United States senator Josh Weinstein, former executive producer of The Simpsons Jeffrey Wright, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor ("Angels in America", "Basquiat", "Syriana")

School of Public Service (SPS) is a leadership program that begins with an intensive four-week summer academic session held in Washington, DC from June 17th to July 14th. Only 30 rising high school seniors are selected to participate in SPS, located at St. Albans School on the grounds of the National Cathedral. 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, the 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 policy and their desire to be contributing members of the group. For more information about this unique program, click on School of Public Service.

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

Construction is expected to be largely done for the 2009 Centennial Celebration.

1. ^ http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5843&pageNum=9
2. ^ "On March 1, the Atlantic Media Company's Chairman named James Bennet as The Atlantic's next editor.", Atlantic, March 1, 2006. 

St. Albans School homepage

v • d • e Interstate Athletic Conference
Members The Bullis School • Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia) • Georgetown Preparatory School • Landon School • St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) • St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School

Coordinates: 38°55′43″N, 77°4′17″W