The Oregon Episcopal School (also known as OES) is a private, coeducational college preparatory school in the Raleigh Hills suburb of Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

.

History

Established in 1869, OES is "the oldest Episcopal school west of the Rocky Mountains." Known as St. Helen's Hall at the time of its founding, it was originally a boarding and day school for girls. In 1964, Bishop Dagwell Hall was added, expanding the academic program to boys, and in 1972 the two institutions were merged into Oregon Episcopal School. Currently, the school serves children from prekindergarten to twelfth grade and includes day-school and boarding programs.

Academics

The Beginning, Lower, and Middle schools consist entirely of day students, but the Upper School includes a large boarding program. Approximately one fifth of the Upper School's student body resides on campus, and around three fourths of those boarding students hail from outside the United States.

In 2007, the Portland Monthly

Portland Monthly

Portland Monthly is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers events and culture in Portland, Oregon. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 by siblings Nicole and Scott Vogel. Nicole had previously worked for Cendant Corporation and Time Warner, and Scott had been a journalist at The...

 magazine named the school one of the best in Oregon.

Mascot

OES's official mascot

Mascot

The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

 is an Aardvark

Aardvark

The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...

, nicknamed "Tim Shelton." He was chosen by the student body to replace their previous mascot, the falcon.

State championships

• Men's Lacrosse: 2004, 2009
• Women's soccer: 2005, 2011
• Women's volleyball: 2006
• Women's tennis: 2008, 2009, 2010
• Men's tennis: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
• Men's soccer: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009

Disaster on Mount Hood

One of the worst climbing accidents in U.S. history occurred in May 1986 when seven sophomore students and two faculty froze to death during an excursion on Mount Hood

Mount Hood

Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...

. Of the four survivors, three had life-threatening hypothermia

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...

; one had his legs amputated.

The OES disaster spurred the development of the Mountain Locator Unit

Mountain Locator Unit

A Mountain Locator Unit or MLU is a radio transmitter designed to be used by mountain climbers as an emergency locator beacon when the wearer needs rescue....

, an inexpensive transmitter which helps searchers find climbers in distress.

Matthew Hanly resignation

Matthew Hanly, head of OES from July 2007-June 2009, resigned for "a series of bad decisions" after sexually suggestive messages in his work email account were accessed, distributed to parents, and provided to the media.

Notable alumni

• Virginia Euwer Wolff
  Virginia Euwer Wolff
  Virginia Euwer Wolff is a prize-winning American author of children's literature, born in Portland, Oregon 25 Aug 1937. She attended an all-girls' school called St. Helen's Hall , before attending Smith College. She married Arthur Richard Wolff in 1959...
  
  , 1955 - writer
• Ben Westlund
  Ben Westlund
  Ben Westlund was a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was elected State Treasurer in 2008. Previously, Westlund served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Republican from 1996 to 2006, as an independent from 2006 to 2007, and then as a Democrat...
  
  , 1967 - Oregon State Treasurer
  Oregon State Treasurer
  The Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder heads the Oregon State Treasury, and with the Governor...
  
  
• Peter Holmstrom 1987 - musician, The Dandy Warhols
  The Dandy Warhols
  The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
  
  .
• Henry Abbott 1990 - Basketball analyst and blogger for ESPN.com
  ESPN.com
  ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
  
  .
• John Robinson
  John Robinson (American actor)
  John Robinson is an American actor. He portrayed John McFarland in Gus Van Sant's Elephant and Stacy Peralta in the skateboarding film Lords of Dogtown....
  
  2005 - actor