Episcopal Tradition

St. Andrew's stands apart from many other schools in that we are uniquely rooted in Christianity and in the Episcopal tradition. This means...

We welcome.

We respect the dignity of every human being and celebrate our diverse community.

We wonder.

We value lifelong learning, human reason, and critical thinking in the pursuit of knowledge and truth.

We worship.

We dedicate weekly chapel time - grounded in the Episcopal and Anglican traditions - to the worship of God and the holistic growth of our bodies, minds, and spirits. We draw upon the many faiths in our community for lessons of wisdom, compassion, and values.

We love.

We draw strength from the teachings of Jesus, which inspire us to live a life of service to others and to seek justice, equity, and peace in our world.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is an educational community that strives to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We express our faith and tradition through our chapel services, our community life, and our focus on both spiritual growth and religious formation. St. Andrew’s began within the walls of St. Andrew’s Church – now St. Andrew's Cathedral – a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, and we are thankful to have a continuing relationship with the Cathedral.

List of 3 items.

Chapel

Our weekly chapels in all three divisions give our community the time and space to worship together. Our chapels include readings, songs, prayers, and a short sermon. Each service is led by a chaplain, and students participate in age-appropriate ways as readers, acolytes, musicians, and more. Lower School Big Chapel begins at 8:15 each Friday. Middle School Chapel begins at 8:30 on Wednesdays, and Upper School Chapel begins at 10:00 on Wednesdays. Parents and other members of our community are invited to attend any of our chapel services. We expect that all students will attend chapel, but students are not expected to participate in ways that conflict with their personal beliefs.
Community

St. Andrew’s is a diverse community of students, faculty, parents, staff, and alumni. We believe that we are strengthened by our diversity. We teach our students to respect the dignity of all people, and we teach them that they can make a difference in the lives of the people around them. We model those values by taking care of each other, reaching out to families with notes, prayers, or meals in times of sadness and in times of joy. We also model these values through our service work within all our communities, both local and global.
Religious Formation

St. Andrew’s offers opportunities for spiritual growth and religious formation in all three divisions for both students and employees. Our early childhood students participate in Chapel classes centered on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd curriculum, which focuses on Jesus as the Good Shepherd. For our elementary students, the Catechesis curriculum is supplemented with lessons on the connections between our tradition and being of service in our community. Our Middle and Upper School students may participate in religion classes that explore scripture, ethics, theology, and the world’s religions. Members of our community are encouraged to contemplate and comprehend the implications of a changing world while becoming well-anchored in their own moral and religious values.