Being an Episcopal School

What does being an Episcopal School mean for St. George's students?

It means starting many days in chapel, seeking the wise counsel of chaplains and other guest speakers. It means embracing a culture permeated with Judeo-Christian principles including the belief that every person is a child of God and that loving thy neighbor entails seeking your neighbor in everyone.

And at St. George’s, our Episcopal values also lead us to our uncommon commitment to inclusion, in an atmosphere that welcomes families of any faith. We dedicate ourselves to something stronger than mere tolerance – instilling, instead, a heartfelt respect for differences in thought and belief, and a deeply rooted conviction that seeing the whole picture means synthesizing multiple perspectives.

As part of this commitment to inclusion, we seek out pupils from many walks of life, every religious tradition, all races, and more than 50 zip codes – because we believe our classrooms should reflect the realities of our city. We know that the bridges built at St. George’s result in a genuinely transformative diversity. Our students change, inform, and enrich the experiences of their peers and, together, build a community that celebrates difference and recognizes commonality.

Learn more about St. George's Episcopal identity at the National Association of Episcopal Schools.

IN THIS SECTION

An Inclusive and Transformative Education: From the Beginning

St. George’s began as a simple idea bandied about over dinner, in a tiny Episcopal rectory, in the winter of 1959. Friends, neighbors, and a church community came together to bring the dream to life: to lay strong educational foundations, to forge fine character, and to do so bravely and joyfully. Within the year the idea became a school, and St. George’s opened its doors in Germantown to both boys and girls, and to families of all religions and races.

More than 60 years later, we are a city-spanning network of three campuses, with sprawling facilities, an exceptional faculty, and nearly 1,100 students from 50 zip codes. We added a second lower school campus in Memphis, funded by generous donors, and expanded to encompass middle and upper divisions in Collierville. And, most importantly, we have established a reputation for academic vigor, character education, and happy and successful students.

St. George's commitment to transformative diversity begins on the first day of school, in Germantown and Memphis, where we bring together students from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs. Our students do what kids naturally do: notice differences, explore them, forget them, and transcend them to form friendships. We create an atmosphere in which differences are embraced, not ignored, through the process of knowing and being known. Despite their different backgrounds, students find common ground in the simple convergences of being a teenager, being a student, being human. A shared favorite band. A mutual talent for lacrosse. A similar struggle in calculus class. As they interact and connect, St. George’s students change themselves and one another—and change, we hope, the face and fate of a city.