Anyone who has relocated, switched schools, sold a home or purchased a house knows that these can be very stressful events. Last summer, my family and I faced all of these life events simultaneously. While it was a challenging time for our family in so many ways, St. George’s Independent School offered us hope, purpose and direction.
"The admission process was simple, understandable, flexible and friendly."
As soon as we found out we would be relocating from Virginia to Tennessee, we began visiting prospective schools for our two boys, Travis, rising 9th grader, and Austin, rising 6th grader. We visited numerous schools, both public and private, over the course of two months and still had a few more planned when we attended the St George’s Open House. Everything changed when we met Olivia Hammond, St George’s Director of Admission, and her amazing staff. Olivia and her team made us feel welcome and wanted, like we were a St George’s alumni family. During the Open House, we learned about the curriculum, met some of the faculty and staff and received a tour of the campus. We knew immediately that St George’s was the right school for our children and our family and decided not to apply anywhere else. We started the application process the next day. Anyone who has journeyed through a school admission process knows it can be laborious, stressful and intense. Not at St George’s. The admission process was simple, understandable, flexible and friendly. Olivia and her team answered all of our questions with patience, professionalism and poise. They even made arrangements for our children to interview over Skype so we wouldn’t have to travel to Tennessee an extra time. One less thing to stress about!
We did travel to Tennessee so our boys could be "Gryphons for a Day,” meet some of the students and spend some time in class with the faculty. Behind the scenes, Olivia and her team recruited a couple of students with similar interests to guide our boys throughout their day. They also invited parents with similar backgrounds to speak with us while our boys were busy being Gryphons. Olivia introduced us to two wonderful families, the Merkle’s and the Yost’s, both of whom had recently retired from the military, relocated to the Memphis area and joined the St George’s family. The Merkle's and the Yost’s answered countless questions, shared their experiences, and invited us into their homes. In fact, they became some of our first friends in Tennessee. When our boys were done being “Gryphons for a Day,” they approached us with smiles and excitement! Another stressor alleviated.
The St George’s treasure continued to uncover itself. After Olivia called to tell us that Travis and Austin were accepted, she connected us to yet another wonderful St George’s family, the Guden’s. Allison and Ed reached out to us quickly, gave us a tour of the area and answered countless questions about the school. Their son, Michael, and our son, Travis became friends quickly. The fear and uncertainty of the first day in a new school became a warm and exciting day with one friend making introductions to numerous other children.
"One of the other treasures of St George’s is their fantastic summer program."
Our younger son, Austin, also had a smooth transition into his new school. One of the other treasures of St George’s is their fantastic summer program. We enrolled Austin in Sixth Grade Success Camp to help ease the stress and uncertainty of the first day in a new school. Camp was exceptional because of the teacher, Ms. Traci Erlandson. She made the camp fun, friendly and informative.
Everything came together perfectly for our family and our children. The wonderful Admission staff, the simple application process, the warm families and the talented faculty are just a few of the treasures you will discover at St George’s Independent School. I look forward to meeting you at a future Open House, Coffee and Conversation event or during your tour of the Campus.
-Kevin Lane, father of Austin and Travis Lane