St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School
Encyclopedia
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School (SSSAS) is an independent Episcopal coed private
college preparatory school
in Alexandria, Virginia
. The school was created from the 1991 merger of St. Agnes School (a girls school founded in 1924) with St. Stephen's School (a boys school founded in 1944). The school consists of three campuses within a 1.5 mile radius. The Lower School, grades JK-5, is located on Fontaine Street; the Middle School, grades 6-8, is located on Braddock Road; and the Upper School, grades 9-12, is located on St. Stephen's Road.
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School serves students from across Northern Virginia
, Maryland
, and Washington, D.C.
Currently enrolled students hail from the City of Alexandria
, Arlington County
, the City of Fairfax
and Fairfax County
, Loudoun County
, Prince William County
, Montgomery County
, Prince George's County
, and the District of Columbia. The old St. Stephen's was one of the founding schools of the Interstate Athletic Conference
, a league composed of private schools that once dominated the region's high school sports scene. With strong emphases on academics, arts, athletics, and community service, SSSAS regularly sends graduates to the Ivy League and other elite private colleges and universities. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School also boasts a strong alumni network for graduates.
The Board of Governors consists of 27 members. Twenty-three members are elected, two serve ex officio and do not have voting rights, and two are non-voting members of the Association of Parents and Teachers and the Alumni Association. The Board is primarily responsible for the school's finances, and determines the school's long-term policies.
. Its foundation, the Honor Code, states, As a member of the St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do. The student-run Honor Council is responsible for the administration of the Honor Code in the Upper School. Every year in the fall, at the beginning of the school-year, students pledge their commitment to the Honor System by signing copies of the Honor Code.
(boys) and Independent School League
(girls). The girls' lacrosse team is a perennial power, currently ranked in the top five in the nation, having finished the 2008 season undefeated. In 1997 the girl's lacrosse team was ranked #1 in the nation. The 2010 girls varsity lacrosse won the ISL league title and the VISAA State Championships. The in 2009, the girl’s lacrosse team won their third consecutive VISAA title as number one.
The success of the girl’s lacrosse team lies behind Kathy Jenkins, the team’s coach. In 2008 Jenkins had been coaching the team for 32 years, and had even started the whole program along with Alice Spellow. Jenkins, who is also works as a fifth grade PE teacher and coaches the seventh and eighth grade teams, works to teach girls how to play at a very young age, and as one athlete puts it, "Coach Jenkins basically breeds lacrosse players". Many of the varsity team has been at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes since the lower school, and so are raised by Jenkins to succeed in the sport. Jenkins teaches the girls initially to master a wooden lacrosse stick instead of a metal one, which she claims is easier to throw and catch with. Jenkins asserts that asserts that in order to be a top team, intensity and dedication are integral, but wishes that the girls on her team would feel less pressure.
The school's wrestling
program also has a rich history, regularly turning out state and IAC
champions; three wrestlers to date have won the Lehigh National Prep Tournament, two of them twice. The 2010 varsity softball team won the ISL AA Tournament Championship and also finished the season tied for first place in the league. The 2010 boys varsity lacrosse team won the VISAA State Championship. The girls varsity tennis
won the ISL Championship in 2010. The girls varsity field hockey
also won the ISL and State Championships in 2010. Many St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School's athletes go on to play at the collegiate level each year. Recent SSSAS alumni compete for Wake Forest University
, Yale University
, Dartmouth College
, The College of William and Mary, Denison University
, Princeton University
, Duke University
, Cornell University
, University of Pennsylvania
, Kenyon College
, Georgetown University
, Columbia University
, Norfolk State University
, Davidson College
, University of Virginia
, Colgate University
, Amherst College
, Middlebury College
, Trinity College
, Williams College
, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
, Vanderbilt University
, and University of Maryland, College Park
, among other schools.
The sports offered include: baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.
was nominated for four Cappie Awards (Critics and Artist Program) including lighting, make-up, and supporting actor, putting each in the top five out of 54 productions. The instrumental and choral programs also have particularly strong reputations. In 2010, students won seats in regional musical groups including the All-District Chorus and All-District Band, as well as participating in solo and ensemble juried events. In 2010, the Upper School String Orchestra received a rating of "Superior" as a level five orchestra at the District X Festival. Also in 2010, the Wind Ensemble received a rating of "Excellent" for the fifth straight year as a level four wind ensemble. In addition, more than 25 students have been inducted into the Tri-M, the high school music honors society.
In 2003, the school completed construction of a Chapel and Performing Arts Center (CPAC). The auditorium seats 500 and has complete blackout capability to darken the space during daylight hours. The stage is full-sized and is equipped with complete theater rigging, an S model Steinway baby grand piano, and complete sound and lighting systems. There is a green room equipped with audio of live on-stage acts and male and female dressing rooms with special lighting and paging systems. The CPAC also includes music classrooms, a recording studio, and a music library.
lived in the time immediately following the death of Jesus
. Stephen would preach to his followers and peers about Jesus’ life, and would often quote him. His downfall came when he quoted Jesus, saying that the Church could be burned to the ground and Christianity
would still remain unmarred. Many took this as blasphemy, and so according to the law of the time he thus stoned to death in 36 AD. St. Stephen is considered by many to be one of the first Christian martyrs, and is also the namesake of the all-boys school, which later would merge with St. Agnes to become St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School.
was martyred at a very young age for the crimes of blasphemy and sacrilege. She was arranged by her parents to marry a Roman man, but she refused, saying that the only lover she would ever have would be God
. When the man she was arranged to marry came to rape her, the Lord struck him dead and she was thus accused of witchcraft and later burned at the stake. St. Agnes is considered a double martyr
, dying for both her religion and her virginity.
. The school hosted the second, third, and fourth annual “Students For Sustainability” conference in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The third sustainability conference earned local recognition, where a few attendees were interviewed on by Fox 5 reporters. Students For Sustainability is a conference in which approximately 100 students from the Washington D.C. metro area come together to learn about the issues and discuss plans for achieving better sustainability in schools.
Additionally, John McCain
, senator
and Republican
presidential candidate in 2000
and 2008
, attended St. Stephen's from 1946-1949 before ultimately graduating from Episcopal High School
in 1951.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
college preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. The school was created from the 1991 merger of St. Agnes School (a girls school founded in 1924) with St. Stephen's School (a boys school founded in 1944). The school consists of three campuses within a 1.5 mile radius. The Lower School, grades JK-5, is located on Fontaine Street; the Middle School, grades 6-8, is located on Braddock Road; and the Upper School, grades 9-12, is located on St. Stephen's Road.
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School serves students from across Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Currently enrolled students hail from the City of Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Arlington County
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
, the City of Fairfax
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
and Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, Prince William County
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
, Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, and the District of Columbia. The old St. Stephen's was one of the founding schools of the Interstate Athletic Conference
Interstate Athletic Conference
The Interstate Athletic Conference is an all-boys high school sports league made up of six private high schools in the Washington, D.C., area, competing in twelve varsity sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track...
, a league composed of private schools that once dominated the region's high school sports scene. With strong emphases on academics, arts, athletics, and community service, SSSAS regularly sends graduates to the Ivy League and other elite private colleges and universities. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School also boasts a strong alumni network for graduates.
Advanced Courses Offered
Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Comparative Government, Economics (Micro and Macro), English, European History, French Language, Latin, Music Theory, Physics, Psychology, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Statistics, Studio 2-D Art, Studio 3-D Art, US Government and Politics, and US HistoryEnrollment
There are 1140 students total enrolled at SSSAS. The Lower School, representing Junior Kindergarten through Fifth grade has 424 students with the following breakdown: 13 in Junior Kindergarten, 57 in Kindergarten, 69 in First grade, 68 in Second grade, 74 in Third grade, 72 in Fourth grade, and 71 in Fifth grade. The Middle School, representing grades 6 through 7 has 271 students total with the following breakdown: 77 in Sixth grade, 100 in Seventh grade, and 94 in Eighth grade. The Upper School, representing grades 9 through 12, has 445 students total with the following breakdown: 113 in Ninth grade, 122 in Tenth grade, 113 in Eleventh grade, and 97 in Twelfth grade.Statistics
27% of the student population is students of color. 21% of students receive grants in aid. 65% of the faculty holds advanced degrees.Administration
The school is governed by a Head of School, Joan G. Ogilvy Holden, an Assistant Head of School, Bob Weiman, and a Board of Governors.The Board of Governors consists of 27 members. Twenty-three members are elected, two serve ex officio and do not have voting rights, and two are non-voting members of the Association of Parents and Teachers and the Alumni Association. The Board is primarily responsible for the school's finances, and determines the school's long-term policies.
Honor Code
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School is known for its student-established honor system, which is modeled after the honor system at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. Its foundation, the Honor Code, states, As a member of the St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do. The student-run Honor Council is responsible for the administration of the Honor Code in the Upper School. Every year in the fall, at the beginning of the school-year, students pledge their commitment to the Honor System by signing copies of the Honor Code.
Athletics
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School competes in the Interstate Athletic ConferenceInterstate Athletic Conference
The Interstate Athletic Conference is an all-boys high school sports league made up of six private high schools in the Washington, D.C., area, competing in twelve varsity sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track...
(boys) and Independent School League
Independent School League
There are several expansions of Independent School League and ISL:* Independent School League can refer to the Boston area Independent School League, a group of 16 New England preparatory schools....
(girls). The girls' lacrosse team is a perennial power, currently ranked in the top five in the nation, having finished the 2008 season undefeated. In 1997 the girl's lacrosse team was ranked #1 in the nation. The 2010 girls varsity lacrosse won the ISL league title and the VISAA State Championships. The in 2009, the girl’s lacrosse team won their third consecutive VISAA title as number one.
The success of the girl’s lacrosse team lies behind Kathy Jenkins, the team’s coach. In 2008 Jenkins had been coaching the team for 32 years, and had even started the whole program along with Alice Spellow. Jenkins, who is also works as a fifth grade PE teacher and coaches the seventh and eighth grade teams, works to teach girls how to play at a very young age, and as one athlete puts it, "Coach Jenkins basically breeds lacrosse players". Many of the varsity team has been at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes since the lower school, and so are raised by Jenkins to succeed in the sport. Jenkins teaches the girls initially to master a wooden lacrosse stick instead of a metal one, which she claims is easier to throw and catch with. Jenkins asserts that asserts that in order to be a top team, intensity and dedication are integral, but wishes that the girls on her team would feel less pressure.
The school's wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
program also has a rich history, regularly turning out state and IAC
Interstate Athletic Conference
The Interstate Athletic Conference is an all-boys high school sports league made up of six private high schools in the Washington, D.C., area, competing in twelve varsity sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track...
champions; three wrestlers to date have won the Lehigh National Prep Tournament, two of them twice. The 2010 varsity softball team won the ISL AA Tournament Championship and also finished the season tied for first place in the league. The 2010 boys varsity lacrosse team won the VISAA State Championship. The girls varsity tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
won the ISL Championship in 2010. The girls varsity field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
also won the ISL and State Championships in 2010. Many St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School's athletes go on to play at the collegiate level each year. Recent SSSAS alumni compete for Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, The College of William and Mary, Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University is a four-year, state-supported, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership.-Academics:...
, Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
, University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
, Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, and University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, among other schools.
The sports offered include: baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.
Arts
The award winning school theatre program, known as the Stage One Players, has won several regional awards for their performances including the Cappies. The 2009 fall production of A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
was nominated for four Cappie Awards (Critics and Artist Program) including lighting, make-up, and supporting actor, putting each in the top five out of 54 productions. The instrumental and choral programs also have particularly strong reputations. In 2010, students won seats in regional musical groups including the All-District Chorus and All-District Band, as well as participating in solo and ensemble juried events. In 2010, the Upper School String Orchestra received a rating of "Superior" as a level five orchestra at the District X Festival. Also in 2010, the Wind Ensemble received a rating of "Excellent" for the fifth straight year as a level four wind ensemble. In addition, more than 25 students have been inducted into the Tri-M, the high school music honors society.
In 2003, the school completed construction of a Chapel and Performing Arts Center (CPAC). The auditorium seats 500 and has complete blackout capability to darken the space during daylight hours. The stage is full-sized and is equipped with complete theater rigging, an S model Steinway baby grand piano, and complete sound and lighting systems. There is a green room equipped with audio of live on-stage acts and male and female dressing rooms with special lighting and paging systems. The CPAC also includes music classrooms, a recording studio, and a music library.
St. Stephen
Saint StephenSaint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
lived in the time immediately following the death of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Stephen would preach to his followers and peers about Jesus’ life, and would often quote him. His downfall came when he quoted Jesus, saying that the Church could be burned to the ground and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
would still remain unmarred. Many took this as blasphemy, and so according to the law of the time he thus stoned to death in 36 AD. St. Stephen is considered by many to be one of the first Christian martyrs, and is also the namesake of the all-boys school, which later would merge with St. Agnes to become St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School.
St. Agnes
Saint AgnesSaint Agnes
Agnes of Rome is a virgin–martyr, venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass...
was martyred at a very young age for the crimes of blasphemy and sacrilege. She was arranged by her parents to marry a Roman man, but she refused, saying that the only lover she would ever have would be God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. When the man she was arranged to marry came to rape her, the Lord struck him dead and she was thus accused of witchcraft and later burned at the stake. St. Agnes is considered a double martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
, dying for both her religion and her virginity.
Students For Sustainability
St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School has a drive for sustainabilitySustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. The school hosted the second, third, and fourth annual “Students For Sustainability” conference in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The third sustainability conference earned local recognition, where a few attendees were interviewed on by Fox 5 reporters. Students For Sustainability is a conference in which approximately 100 students from the Washington D.C. metro area come together to learn about the issues and discuss plans for achieving better sustainability in schools.
Initiatives
The cause for the school’s aim towards more sustainable options is to demonstrate to the students the importance of positive environmental changes. The school believes that in order to prepare their students for the world as it is in 2011, they must educate them on what the issues are and the role that human’s have played in its cause. The school seeks to see this through by creating a sustainability committee, a group of students, faculty, staff, and administrators from all three campuses who get together to achieve the school’s goals of sustainability. St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes also has sustainability initiatives within each campus. At the lower school, there is Kinder Garden, a project in which the kindergarteners plant and maintain their own garden. Another is the Fifth Grade Sustainability Committee, a group of fifth grade students who oversee all smaller student-led projects. The middle school has Students Engaging in Environmental Dedication or SEED, where the students promote awareness of how an individual can make “green” choices and positively effect the environment. This group encourages students and faculty to engage in sustainable acts, and sets an example through their SEED garden. At the upper school, there is the Perkins Courtyard. The Perkins Courtyard is home to harvested vegetables and native plants maintained by the upper school students. The vegetables are served in the dining halls of all three campuses.Notable alumni
- Fred BarnesFred Barnes (journalist)Frederic W. Barnes is an American political commentator. He is the executive editor of the news publication The Weekly Standard and regularly appears on the Fox News Channel program Special Report with Bret Baier...
(St. Stephen's Class of 1960), noted political commentator and Fox News personality - Thomas BoswellThomas BoswellThomas M. Boswell is an American sports columnist.Boswell has spent his entire career at the Washington Post, joining it shortly after graduating from Amherst College in 1969. He became a Post columnist in 1984. Writing primarily about baseball, he is credited with inventing the total average...
(St. Stephen's Class of 1965), Washington Post senior sports columnist - Tipper GoreTipper GoreMary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...
(St. Agnes Class of 1966), née Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson - Margaret Stender (St. Agnes Class of 1974), founding President and CEO of the WNBA's Chicago Sky
- Christopher MeloniChristopher MeloniChristopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
(St. Stephen's Class of 1979), actor who portrayed Chris KellerChris KellerChris Keller is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, portrayed by Christopher Meloni from 1998 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner ID 98K514. Convicted June 16, 1998 - felony murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, driving under the influence and...
on the HBO prison drama OzOz (TV series)Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
and Elliot StablerElliot StablerDet. Elliot "El" Stabler is a fictional character on the TV crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. He was the partner of Olivia Benson before retiring, following a shooting.-Character overview:...
on the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
police drama Law & Order: SVU - Amy ArgetsingerAmy ArgetsingerAmy Argetsinger is a staff writer for the Style section of The Washington Post. She shares the column known as "The Reliable Source" with Roxanne Roberts. The two appeared regularly on Friday evening segments of MSNBC's Tucker before the show was cancelled...
(St. Agnes class of 1986), journalist, staff writer for the Style section of The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation... - Jennifer GriffinJennifer GriffinJennifer Griffin is a Fox News correspondent, currently reporting from The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. as national security correspondent. Prior to her reassignment , she had reported from Jerusalem for the network since joining it in 1999.She is credited with conducting a rare interview with...
(St. Agnes class of 1987), national security correspondent for Fox News - Dave FlemmingDave FlemmingDavid Braxton "Dave" Flemming is an American sportscaster and television personality, currently working as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball as well as the Stanford Cardinal football and basketball teams.Flemming grew up in Alexandria, Virginia,...
(St. Stephen's class of 1994), radio broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants; youngest radio broadcaster in MLB - Terrence WilkinsTerrence WilkinsTerrence Olondo Wilkins is a former wide receiver and punt returner for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League. He signed with the Colts on November 10, 2003. He also played with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. He has 1,466 career receiving yards in the...
, former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver - James Richardson (Class of 2001), drummer and guitarist for MGMTMGMTMGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
- Elizabeth Eckert (Class of 1999), singer and songwriter
- Michael SchwimerMichael SchwimerMichael Fredarick Schwimer is a Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.The 6' 8" closer was drafted by the Phillies in 2008, out of the University of Virginia...
(Class of 2004), player for the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
Additionally, John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential candidate in 2000
John McCain presidential campaign, 2000
John McCain, the United States Senator from Arizona, launched his first candidacy for the presidency of the United States in the 2000 presidential election....
and 2008
John McCain presidential campaign, 2008
John McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
, attended St. Stephen's from 1946-1949 before ultimately graduating from Episcopal High School
Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia)
Episcopal High School , founded in 1839, is a private boarding school located in Alexandria, Virginia. The Holy Hill's campus houses 435 students from 30 states, the District of Columbia and 17 different countries...
in 1951.