St. Christopher's School, Richmond
Encyclopedia
St. Christopher’s School, founded in 1911, is a college preparatory school for boys (junior kindergarten through 12th grade) located in Richmond, Virginia
. A program of coordination with nearby St. Catherine's School
allows a broader selection of courses at the Upper School level, taught in coeducational classes on both campuses. According to its mission statement, the School seeks "to prepare a talented and dedicated group of boys for college and for life in an ever-changing world." The school puts emphasis on its honor code and on the importance of community, as well as educating "the whole boy" through athletics, the arts, and morning chapel.
"At its core, the Honor System requires from each student a commitment to refuse to tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing. The School strives to have students think, 'Honor, first' and to practice honorable behavior at all times."
, Collegiate School
and Woodberry Forest School
.
The wrestling program, considered one of the best in Virginia, holds a current streak of 10 consecutive Prep League and state VISAA championships.
generals, believing that they epitomized values that were important to foster in every boy. Throughout the years, alumni have referred to themselves as "Lees" or "Jacksons," depending on which society they belonged to. In February 2010, the school announced it would change the names of these societies to the Chamberlayne Reds and Chamberlayne Greys, honoring the school's founder as well as utilizing the school's colors. Many alumni, current students, and Richmond residents expressed disappointment in and/or frustration with the school's decision, arguing that tradition and educational opportunity were sacrificed in favor of political correctness
. The school's position was that the names "Lee" and "Jackson" were not essential to the societies' purpose and that the stigmas attached to the names could create unnecessary discomfort for members of the internal and external community.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. A program of coordination with nearby St. Catherine's School
St. Catherine's School, Richmond, Virginia
St. Catherine's School is an independent Episcopal diocesan school for girls in grades junior kindergarten through 12th grade. It is the oldest private, all-girls school in Richmond, Va. and the only independent all-girls school in Virginia for junior kindergarten - 12th grade. St. Catherine's is...
allows a broader selection of courses at the Upper School level, taught in coeducational classes on both campuses. According to its mission statement, the School seeks "to prepare a talented and dedicated group of boys for college and for life in an ever-changing world." The school puts emphasis on its honor code and on the importance of community, as well as educating "the whole boy" through athletics, the arts, and morning chapel.
Mission Statement
"St. Christopher’s School prepares a talented and dedicated group of boys for college and for life in an ever-changing world. Through a rigorous academic program, religious teachings, and a supportive community experience, the School fosters personal integrity and honor, the achievement of each boy’s full potential, love of learning, spiritual growth, respect for others, leadership, and civic responsibility. St. Christopher’s strives for excellence and seeks to make an enduring difference in the lives of its boys."Honor System
"The development of honor plays a fundamental role in the experience of a boy at St. Christopher’s. At each level of the school, the boys are taught to value and nurture personal integrity and community responsibility. The unique union between the students and the Honor System at St. Christopher’s separates it from other schools."At its core, the Honor System requires from each student a commitment to refuse to tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing. The School strives to have students think, 'Honor, first' and to practice honorable behavior at all times."
History
Dr. Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne founded St. Christopher’s School in 1911 as The Chamberlayne School. On June 11, 1920, a system of church schools was established by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, at which time The Chamberlayne School was renamed St. Christopher's School.Headmasters
- Dr. Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne (1911–1939). Note: Dr. Robert Wylder Bugg bridged the gap after Dr. Chamberlayne's death on April 2, 1939, and before Dr. Williams was able to contractually step in at the start of the 1940-41 school year.
- Dr. John Page Williams (1940–1951)
- Dr. Robert Wylder Bugg (1951–1964)
- Warren P. Elmer (1964–1973)
- George J. McVey (1973–1997)
- Interim Headmaster (1997-1998)
- Charles M. Stillwell (1998–present)
Athletics
St. Christopher’s School belongs to two athletic associations, the Virginia Prep League and the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA). St. Christopher's has longstanding athletic rivalries with Benedictine High SchoolBenedictine High School (Richmond, Virginia)
Benedictine College Preparatory is a private, Roman Catholic military high school in Richmond, Virginia. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia.-History:...
, Collegiate School
Collegiate School (Richmond, Virginia)
Collegiate School is a preparatory school for boys and girls located in Richmond, Virginia. The student body of Collegiate comprises about 1,500 total students from Kindergarten through 12th Grade...
and Woodberry Forest School
Woodberry Forest School
Woodberry Forest School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia, in the United States. Woodberry's current enrollment is 402. Students come from 28 U.S...
.
The wrestling program, considered one of the best in Virginia, holds a current streak of 10 consecutive Prep League and state VISAA championships.
Academic
- McVey Hall (Lower School)
- Wilton Hall (Middle School)
- Chamberlayne Hall (Upper School)
- Gottwald Science Center
- Murrell Bookstore
- Luck Leadership Center (Under Construction)
- Ryan Hall (Under Construction)
Athletic
- Kemper Athletic and Fitness Center
- Bolling Field House
- Scott Gymnasium
- Knowles Field
Arts
- McVey Theatre and Dance Studio (at St. Catherine's School)
- Grace Branch Moore Fine Arts Center (St. Catherine's)
Student Publications
- The Pine Needle (Newspaper)
- The Pine Needle Online (Web-based Newspaper)
- Raps and Taps (Yearbook)
- Hieroglyphic (Arts Journal)
- The Oak Needle (Satirical Newspaper)
- Paperboy (Middle School Online Publication)
Literary Societies
For 95 years, St. Christopher's School maintained the Lee and Jackson literary societies to advance the study of literature and public speaking. Dr. Chamberlayne named these societies after the leading ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
generals, believing that they epitomized values that were important to foster in every boy. Throughout the years, alumni have referred to themselves as "Lees" or "Jacksons," depending on which society they belonged to. In February 2010, the school announced it would change the names of these societies to the Chamberlayne Reds and Chamberlayne Greys, honoring the school's founder as well as utilizing the school's colors. Many alumni, current students, and Richmond residents expressed disappointment in and/or frustration with the school's decision, arguing that tradition and educational opportunity were sacrificed in favor of political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
. The school's position was that the names "Lee" and "Jackson" were not essential to the societies' purpose and that the stigmas attached to the names could create unnecessary discomfort for members of the internal and external community.
Notable alumni
- Tom WolfeTom WolfeThomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
, novelist - Don ManciniDon ManciniDon Mancini is an American screenwriter, producer, and film director. Mancini is best known for creating the character of Chucky, and writing all of the films in the Child's Play series. Mancini was also the executive producer of Bride of Chucky, and he directed the latest entry in the series;...
, filmmaker, producer, and director - G. Manoli LoupassiG. Manoli LoupassiGeorge Manoli Loupassi is an American politician of the Republican Party. Since 2008 he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represents the 68th district, made up of parts of the city of Richmond and Chesterfield County.-Personal life and non-political career:Loupassi was born...
, politician, member of the Virginia House of DelegatesVirginia House of DelegatesThe Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the... - A. Donald McEachin, politician, member of the Virginia Senate
- Mason BatesMason BatesMason Bates is an American composer of symphonic music. Distinguished by his innovations in orchestration and large-scale form, Bates is best known for his expansion of the orchestra to include electronics...
, composer - Dean H. KingDean H. KingDean King is an American author of narrative non-fiction on adventure, historical and maritime subjects. His books include Skeletons on the Zahara and Unbound , both published by Little, Brown. He is the author of companion books to Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series of novels and is the...
, novelist - Henry Hager, husband of former First Daughter Jenna Bush
- Robert Pratt, professional football player
- Brent Bookwalter, professional cyclist, Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
contender in 2010 - Ted PriceTed PriceTed Price is the President and CEO of Insomniac Games, Inc. - an independent game developer which he founded in 1994. Since its inception the company has grown to approximately 210 people...
, CEO of Insomniac GamesInsomniac GamesInsomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1994, Insomniac has released titles for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. It created Disruptor, the first three Spyro the Dragon games, and the Ratchet &...