episcopal identity

An Episcopal School Explained

Dear Parents,

Families new to St. Johns School frequently ask me to explain our philosophy as a Church School and more particularly as an Episcopal School. Our Mission Statement says that we strive to “provide a superior education that nurtures each child’s mind, body and spirit in a Christian environment”. What do we understand that to mean?

The National Association of Episcopal Schools, of which we are a member, refers to the Church’s Baptismal Covenant which speaks of “seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself” and “striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being”. These are the guiding principles upon which we have modeled our school. Simply put it is a community that seeks to express God’s love and grace. Similar to other Episcopal schools, it was not established to be solely a community for Christians, like a parish church. It rejoices in being a diverse community of educational and human formation for people of all faiths and backgrounds. We integrate religious and spiritual formation into our overall curriculum and thereby we invite our students, parents, faculty and staff – Episcopalians and non-Episcopalians, Christians and non-Christians, people of distinct faith traditions, and people of no faith tradition – to seek clarity about their own beliefs and to honor those traditions more fully and faithfully in their own lives.

        The Rev. Paul B. Hancock
        Headmaster