St. George's Independent School was founded in 1959 as St. George's Episcopal School and now has campuses in Collierville, Germantown

Germantown

- Places :in the United States* Germantown, California, former name of Artois, California* Germantown, Connecticut* Germantown, Illinois* Germantown, Decatur County, Indiana...

, and Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

.

History

The school was affiliated with the Episcopal Church until 2004. The founding church and the school board of trustees disagreed on several issues, including who should appoint board members. After several threatened lawsuits and board member removals, the two sides agreed to an amicable separation as the school purchased the church property, and the church agreed to relocate. The school then renamed itself as St. George's Independent School. Tuition depends on which campus the child attends, and the grade of the child. The Memphis campus is designed as a campus for lower income children, and many scholarship opportunities are available.

The Germantown campus (located at 35.08326°N 89.78705°W) was built in 1959, and is the oldest of the three campuses. It serves grades prekindergarten through fifth grade.

The Memphis campus (located at 35.09316°N 89.93745°W) was the next to be founded, in 2001. It (as of Fall 2007) serves grades prekindergarten through fourth grade.

The Collierville campus (located at 35.10306°N 89.72729°W) was founded in 2002, and serves grades six through 12. The Collierville campus has two wings, which divide the school into middle school (grades 6-8), and upper school (grades 9-12). The school runs on a trimester schedule, instead of the regular semester schedule.

The school's original mascot was the dragon

Dragon

A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

, but in 2001 an additional mascot was added, the Gryphon

Gryphon

-Businesses:* Gryphon Airlines, an American-owned airline based in Vienna, Virginia* Gryphon Audio Designs, a Danish maker of audio components* Golden Gryphon Press, an American independent publishing company...

. This was due to the fact that the high school was opening in Collierville, Tennessee

Collierville, Tennessee

Collierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. The town had a population of 43,965 at the 2010 census....

, and Collierville High School was already known as the Dragons.

Mission Statement

The St. Georges mission statement is as follows:

"St. George's Independent School is a coeducational school of excellence preparing students for a life of learning and meaningful contribution through dedication to high academic achievement and the development of moral character reinforced by Judeo-Christian values."

Academics

Academics at the Collierville campus follow a traditional high school curriculum and the graduation requirements are as follows:

• English: 4 units (12 Trimesters)
• History/Social Sciences: 3 units (9 trimesters)
• Mathematics: 3 units (9 trimesters)
• Language: 3 units (9 trimesters)
• Arts: 1 (4 trimesters)
• Religion 1 (3 trimesters)
• Senior Independent Study(see section below): 2/3 (2 trimesters)
• Electives: 2 (9 trimesters)

Senior Independent Study

The Senior Independent Study is one of the requirements which distinguishes St. Georges from many other American high schools. It consists of two parts; the independent part (done first trimester of senior year), in which all students must write a 15-25 page research paper on a topic of their choice, using MLA citations and formatting. The second part is a group project done in the second, winter trimester.

Laptop Program

All students at the Collierville campus are required to have a laptop computer and bring it to all of their classes. For students who do not own and do not wish to buy laptops, the school provides laptops. The fee for these laptops is included in student's tuition and uses a lease to own program.

Athletics

St. George's competes in the Division II-A (71 Teams 6th-12th grade), West Region A of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee.-Description:...

 (TSSAA) along with:

• Bishop Byrne High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
  Bishop Byrne High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
  Bishop Byrne High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis.-Background:...
  
  
• Knoxville Webb (Knoxville, Tennessee)
• Memphis Harding Academy (Memphis, Tennessee)
• Evangelical Christian School (Cordova, Tennessee)
• Franklin Roade Academy (Franklin, Tennessee)
• Jackson Christian School (Jackson, Tennessee)
• University School of Jackson
  University School of Jackson
  University School of Jackson is a college preparatory school located in northern Jackson, Tennessee, that educates students from PreKindergarten through the 12th grade...
  
   (Jackson, Tennessee]]
• Davidson Academy
  Davidson Academy
  For the Davidson Academy in Nevada, see Davidson Academy of Nevada.Davidson Academy is a private Christian school located in Nashville, Tennessee. It has students ranging from K-3 to 12th grade.-History:...
  
   (Nashville)
• First Assembly Christian School
  First Assembly Christian School
  First Assembly Christian school is a college preparatory school located in the Cordova section of Memphis, Tennessee. FACS was founded in 1972; programs for kindergarten through Grade 8 began in 1972 and grades 9-12 were added in 1975. The school is fully accredited by the Southern Association of...
  
   (Cordova)
• Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, Tennessee)
• Catholic High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
• Tipton Rosemark Academy (Millington)
• Rossville Christian
• Southern Baptist Educational Center
  Southern Baptist Educational Center
  Southern Baptist Educational Center is a college preparatory school located in Southaven, Mississippi. SBEC was founded by a group of Baptist ministers looking to establish a school in the Whitehaven section of Memphis, Tennessee, in 1972. Programs for kindergarten through Grade 8 began in 1973,...
  
   (Southaven, Mississippi)
• St. Andrews (Sewanee)
• University School of Nashville
  University School of Nashville
  University School of Nashville is a private K-12 school located in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:Referred to colloquially as USN, the school was founded in 1888 by the Peabody Board of Trustees. The school was first founded as Winthrop Model School; in 1915, it became Peabody Demonstration School ,...
  
  (Nashville, Tennessee)