St. Albans School Philosophy
From the top of Mount St. Alban, St. Albans School looks up to the
Washington National Cathedral and out to the United States Capitol. Our
location serves as an embodiment and constant reminder of the School’s
motto: Pro Ecclesia et Pro Patria, for Church and
Country. Since the School was established in 1909 by the Protestant
Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, our mission has been to prepare boys to develop
and use their spiritual, intellectual, artistic, and physical gifts not for
themselves alone, but in service of the greater community. As an Episcopal
School, we welcome and embrace boys of all faiths and backgrounds to this
caring community that learns, prays, plays, sings, and eats together. We are
committed to a diversity among students, faculty, and staff that shapes and
enriches our shared experiences. We know and value each boy and over the past
century have helped boys to grow into public servants, leaders in all fields,
and citizens who live the community ideal long after they have left the School.
We set high standards for our boys in
all that we ask of them. We believe that classes should be small enough to
promote vigorous inquiry, critical thinking, and spirited discourse; that our
core curriculum of arts, sciences, and humanities, along with our
extracurricular offerings and opportunities for international experience,
develops an aesthetic appreciation for and understanding of the world, teaching
boys to express themselves clearly, independently, and confidently; that our
coordinate classes with National Cathedral School for Girls enhance
opportunities and growth for both schools; that required sports teach teamwork,
discipline, and lifelong habits of physical fitness; and that a rigorous
college-preparatory curriculum paired with a creative and inspiring faculty can
challenge every boy to realize his potential.
We believe that learning extends beyond the classroom, to the
chapel, the athletic field, the stage, and the refectory. Essential to
this belief is the community of faculty and staff, alumni and parents that
challenges and supports our boys to lead lives of honor and commitment. Through
precept and example, they learn that good character comes from kindness, from
an open heart and mind, and from embodying what has become a touchstone of
ethical behavior in the School: choosing the hard right over the easy
wrong. We rejoice as graduating seniors, so nurtured by our School, charge
forth from the Cathedral at Commencement, eager and equipped for worthy and
sustaining lives of achievement, leadership, and service.
2/22/10