Saint Mary's Hall (San Antonio)

The Episcopal Diocese of Texas, under the leadership of several bishops, worked to establish schools at the parish level where the children of South Texas would be able to receive a “higher style of education” with "Godly training." The attempts to establish a school of this sort began as early as 1865 when an Episcopal school was opened. The school took on several names such as Saint Mary's School for Girls, Saint Mary's Episcopal School, Saint Mary's School, and Saint Mary's Academy Hall. Eventually, the school failed, but it left a strong need for a preparatory school.[2]

The quest to establish that school became very important to Bishop Robert Woodward Barnwell Elliott, the dynamic leader of the Missionary District of Western Texas of the Episcopal Church. In 1879, he led a movement to reestablish the school. His efforts would prove successful, and the school officially became known as Saint Mary's Hall. The first official home of the school was located in the Wolfe Building at the corner of Navarro and Martin streets in downtown San Antonio, Texas.[2]

French Place Campus

The reestablishment of Saint Mary's Hall in 1879 came at a time when Texas farmers, cattle barons, and traders were prospering and able to support the school. Bishop Elliot capitalized on this and set out to hire a leader that would help turn the school into the best educational option available. He traveled east and began a search for a headmistress. He hired the first headmistress of the school, Miss Phillippa Stevenson (a graduate of a school in New Jersey also named Saint Mary's Hall). She served as headmistress of Saint Mary's Hall in Texas for a decade. By 1889, the school had an enrollment of 105 students.[2]

In 1916, due to the decline of the facilities and the growth of the downtown area, the school's new leader, Bishop William Theodotus Capers decided to move the school to a home in the Laurel Heights neighborhood on the corner of San Pedro and Woodlawn. The home was leased from Mr. D.J. Woodward and was later purchased by the school. Bishop Capers chose the property because of its “beautiful situation and dignity.” [3] He wanted to create an environment for Saint Mary's Hall students that was “attractive and inspiring.”[4]

In 1925, Saint Mary's Hall was incorporated as a non-profit educational institution with an independent self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. Not long after, the board approved the purchase of a larger and more modern facility in the Laurel Heights neighborhood at 117 East French Place which was purchased from Alfred Ward.[5] This location became the school for the next four decades and was sold to San Antonio Academy in 1966.[6] This campus was the home for many years to headmistress, Miss Ruth Coit, who established many of the traditions still held today.[5]

Starcrest Campus

Faced with the need for expansion, the Board of Trustees decided that Saint Mary's Hall should develop a new campus to meet present needs and future demands. In 1964, through funds raised in a $2.38 million capital campaign, the school purchased 60 acres (240,000 m²) at 9401 Starcrest Drive, the school's current location.[7] To design the new campus, the school hired the associated firms of San Antonio architects O'Neil Ford and Bartlett Cocke.[7] The groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 10, 1967, and the campus was occupied on November 22, 1968, by 300 students, including 119 boarding students.[8]

When the firms of O'Neil Ford and Bartlett Cocke were asked to develop the conceptual master plan for the Starcrest Campus, the result was one that drew on Ford's unique Texas Modernist style using natural local materials which would allow his buildings to exist in harmony with the surrounding landscape.[9] Ford designed hundreds of projects throughout Texas from the 1920s to the 1970s, including the distinguishing landmark of the San Antonio skyline, the Tower of the Americas, which he designed for HemisFair '68.[10]

Although Saint Mary's Hall began as an all-girls boarding school, after its move to the Starcrest Campus, the school began to include boys in their educational program through Form 2 for many years. Initially, the board of trustees made the decision to expand the coeducational format through Form 6 in order to accommodate male students from The Montessori School who might want to continue their education at Saint Mary's Hall beyond the Montessori years. In 1979, boys were invited to attend the school through Form 8. And, in 1987, coeducation in the Upper School (Forms 9-12) was fully implemented.[11]

Similarly, since its inception, Saint Mary's Hall had been a boarding school. As the school grew, school leadership looked to a new direction for long-term sustainability and growth of the school. At the start of the 2000s, school leadership made the decision to become a day school only. After much planning, in 2005, the residence dormitories that were reserved for boarding students were converted into classrooms for the Middle School. Soon after, a monument named, Residence Clock, was given to the school in honor of the Saint Mary's Hall boarding students and the Residence Department. The names of three boarding school students are listed on the clock: Frances Dilworth Dilworth ('49), Diane Dilworth Gates ('76), and Thomas Albert Gates, Jr. ('02) as are the names of the dormitories: Abercrombie, Cowles, Meyer, and Murchison.[12]

In the fall of 2010, the school embarked on its second capital campaign … the I AM Saint Mary's Hall campaign, which successfully raised $26 million. Completed in two years (three years sooner than estimated), the campaign addressed improving, expanding, or building specific facilities that would achieve increased energy efficiency, as well as establishing a reserve fund for the maintenance of the targeted facilities. By the end of the 2012 - 2013 school year, the I AM Saint Mary's Hall campaign ended with the following accomplishments: the renovation and expansion of the Peggy Pitman Mays Dining Hall, construction of the Social Science & History Center, construction of the new Alonso Ancira Event Center, redesign of the existing McCombs Family Athletic Complex, the renovation of the Coates-Seeligson Theater/Chapel, and the new addition of the Kim & Rod Lewis Track & Field.[12][13]

In early 2014, Saint Mary's Hall invited the first undocumented immigrant to be admitted to the State Bar of California to be a speaker at their model United Nations conference. However, the school uninvited the speaker, Sergio C. Garcia, when he refused to certify that he was a citizen by signing a W-9 form. Before uninviting Garcia, Saint Mary's Hall had described him as an “experienced and exciting keynote speaker” and had expressing how unfortunate that he had been waiting for a visa for 19 years.[14]

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  Bishop Elliott
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  Bishop Capers
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  Wolfe Campus
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  Woodlawn Campus
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  Starcrest campus Upper School courtyard
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  Residence Clock
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  I AM Saint Mary's Hall capital campaign logo

Students can choose to participate in any of the 14 men's and women's sports offered throughout the year. The SMH Athletic department staff is made up of more than 60 coaches, a certified athletic trainer, and a strength and conditioning coach.[18]

Lower School students compete in community leagues playing soccer and basketball. Middle School students compete in the Independent School Athletic League with schools from San Antonio and the surrounding area. Upper School students compete in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).[18]

Over the years, more than 50 students have been named All-Area Private School Athletes by the San Antonio Express-News, and more than 25 students have earned national awards from governing bodies.[18] Additionally, many students choose to continue to participate competitively in athletics during college.[19]

The Tobin Fine Arts School at Saint Mary's Hall offers five programs: Dance, Drama/Speech & Debate, Media Arts, Music, and Visual Arts.[20] Students and faculty, who are artists themselves, have access to thousands of square feet of dedicated art space (including multiple performance areas, media labs, a photography center, an art studio with kilns, a music hall, and rooms for private practice and instruction).[21]

The academic curriculum at Saint Mary's Hall is a mixture of English, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages.[23] The faculty attends (and is encouraged to seek out) professional enrichment opportunities in their subject areas to ensure students are learning from the most up-to-date curriculum and in the newest ways. Many faculty members also lead these professional enrichment programs for their peers at conferences around the state of the Texas and the country.[24]

In the Upper School, SMH offers 20 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and the student body takes 568 AP exams annually, on average. Averages based on 2012-2016 graduation statistics.[22] [25]

Saint Mary's Hall offers students experiences and programs. Students are exposed to world religions in Chapel, meet one-on-one with their college counselor, or help plan the annual Issues Day debate. A list of SMH's distinctive programs is below:[26]

• Chapel
• College Counseling
• Study Abroad Opportunities
• Student Enrichment
• Investing in Our Faculty
• Responsible Decision Making
• Community Events
• Campus Technology

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  The SMH varsity baseball team takes a moment to huddle with their head coach during an inning break.
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  Lower School students and parents work on art projects at the Tobin Fine Arts School at Saint Mary's Hall.
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  Students at Saint Mary's Hall take part in community service projects in and around San Antonio.
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  Middle School Life Science students jot down notes in their lab notebooks during a lecture.
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  Dressed in traditional Hindu clothing, Lower School students take the opportunity to teach their classmates about Diwali (the Festival of Lights) during Morning Moments.
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  A Saint Mary's Hall family celebrates together after the Form 8 graduation ceremony.

Saint Mary's Hall is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), a member of the NAIS Commission on Accreditation. Saint Mary's Hall is also a member of the following national and regional organizations:[1]

• American Montessori Society
• College Board
• Educational Records Bureau (ERB)
• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
• Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS)
• Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC)
• Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB)

• Official web site
• San Antonio Private Schools.com
• Great Schools.org