St. Stephen's Episcopal School (Austin, Texas)

History

Bishop John E. Hines of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas founded St. Stephen's Episcopal School in 1950. He was once quoted as saying that it was the duty of Christians "to live on the bleeding edge of the human dilemma". Hines believed girls should have equal access to education, and St. Stephen's was the first Episcopalian co-educational boarding school in the United States. The school also played a part in the 20th-century Civil Rights Movement as the first integrated boarding school in the South.

Governance

St. Stephen's has a board of trustees, including alumni and parents of former students. Day-to-day operations of the school are overseen by a head of school, who is appointed by the board of trustees with the consent of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. The current headmaster, Christopher L. Gunnin, was appointed in 2016.

Currently there is a boarding program, with students supervised by a team of roughly 38 full-time staff, as well as proctors (junior and senior students selected by staff to serve as mentors).

Religion

All faiths are welcomed, encouraged, accepted and celebrated at St. Stephen's Episcopal School. Chapel services are held in the early noons, in the form of a traditional Episcopalian worship service, sometimes featuring guest speakers and announcements. A weekly Sunday morning church service takes place during the school year, and boarding students are required to attend.

Notable alumni

• Terrence Malick (1961) - Film director, screenwriter and producer
• Marilyn Buck (1965) - Marxist and feminist poet
• Cecile Richards (1976) - Past President of Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood Action Fund
• Christina Lowery (1989) - Chief Executive Officer of Girl Rising, a non-profit
• Blake Mycoskie (1995) - Founder of Toms Shoes
• Ross Ohlendorf (2001) - Major League Baseball pitcher
• Aaron Moten (2007) - Actor
• James Carter (2013) - Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Cornell University
• Sarafina El-Badry Nance (2011) - Astrophysicist, analog astronaut, science communicator, women's health advocate, author
• Jarrett Allen (2016) - Basketball player for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers; played for University of Texas
• Mikaila Ulmer (2022) - Lemonade company child CEO

References

References

1. "The Hines Story".
2. "Board of Trustees".
3. (2016-10-21). "Chris Gunnin Installed as New Head".
4. "Chris Gunnin, Head of School {{!}} St. Stephen's".
5. "Boarding program". St. Stephen's Episcopal School.
6. "Terrence Malick: The return of cinema's invisible man".
7. "The Dark History of America’s First Female Terrorist Group".
8. TOMS. "Blake Mycoskie's Bio {{!}} TOMS®".
9. "Ross Ohlendorf Bio".
10. (18 February 2013). "Spartan magazine, Winter 2013 by St. Stephen's Episcopal School - Issuu". St. Stephen's Episcopal School.
11. "Alumni News". Issuu Inc..
12. "Jarrett Allen, St. Stephen's Episcopal , Power Forward".
13. Broyles, Addie. "Balancing keynotes and homework: A day in the life of the 15-year-old Me and the Bees founder".