"The Gryphon" 

The beautiful bronze statue was designed and created by the class of 2008, in collaboration with St. George's dad, Kerry Smith, as a gift to the school. The bronze Gryphon now graces the lobby of the Stokes Fieldhouse on the St. George's Collierville Campus.

This prayer was offered by St. George’s Chaplain, Brendan Gorham on May 15, 2008 at the dedication ceremony of “The Gryphon.” It explains in finite detail the meaning and correlation of the Gryphon to the faculty and students of St. George's Independent School, Collierville.

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Good and Loving God –

As the Gryphon is a mythical beast with the body of a lion and the head, talons, and wings of an eagle, remind us of the qualities that the Gryphon represents.

Give us the wings of the eagle, that we may always soar to our highest potential.
Give us the vision and focus of the eagle, that we may seek and find truth.
Give us the talons of the eagle, that we may grasp all opportunities with determination.
Give us the pride of the lion, that we may be confident and secure.
Give us the strength of the lion, that we may be strong in difficult times.
Give us the heart of the lion, that we may be courageous in times of adversity.

Most of all, give us the characteristics of the Gryphon, who embodies the best ideals and characteristics of both of these noble creatures.

Like the Gryphon, give us the ability to at times fly above adversity and at other times confront it squarely.

Help us to know when to endeavor to victory and when to rise above defeat.

As the Gryphon represents the balance of these characteristics, help us to achieve balance in our lives, that we may temper our pride with humility and our caution with courage.

Help us to continue to moderate our spirit of competition with a sense of cooperation.  As the Gryphon represents the best qualities of the eagle and the lion, let all St. George’s Gryphons represent the best qualities of humanity.

Good and Loving God, continue to bless all our athletic, artistic, and academic endeavors, and for all St. George’s students who pass through these halls, remind them often that they are Gryphons now and forever more.