Spiritual Life

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 by focusing on spiritual growth, religious formation, and social justice.

Chapel

Really Big Chapels
Until we are able to gather in-person, our community is worshiping together each week through our Really Big Chapel videos. Each weekly video includes students representing different divisions reading, praying, and singing. Really Big Chapels are shared with our community each Friday and can also be viewed on our Youtube Channel.

Our Chapels:

Follow the liturgical year with celebrations of Christmas, Easter, and other holy days
Provide weekly opportunities for each division to gather:
- Lower School Big Chapel is held each Friday morning in the South Campus gym
- Middle School and Upper School Chapels are held weekly in the CPA on the North Campus
Are planned with intention for the age of the students
Upper School students may serve on Chapel Council
Include students as acolytes, readers, intercessors, choir members, and musicians
Encourage members of our community to add to our prayer list for each week
Are based on services in the Book of Common Prayer
Welcome family members who wish to attend

*Students are expected to attend chapel but are not required to participate.

Community Life

Our community cares for each other through:

Pastoral care: led by our chaplains and involving many members of our community
Earth Angels: a note-writing ministry of the St. Andrew's Parents Association
The efforts of the Student Support Services department, which includes the chaplains

Spiritual Growth and Religious Formation

Our classes and learning opportunities:

Lower School

Little Chapel classes utilizing the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd curriculum
The curriculum focuses on God's love through stories of Jesus the Good Shepherd, both stories of his life and the stories he told his followers, with additional lessons regarding the church year, prayer and worship, etc.
Montessori-based
Early Childhood focuses on Level I and the Elementary grades focus on Level II
Families of other faiths may join their child's class to share a book or tradition during Morning Meeting or join with other families to develop a program for the grade or division.

Middle School

Topics covered in our history classes include: creation stories, birth of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Ancient religions of Greece and Egypt, the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Christianity, the rise of Islam, Feudalism, and Medieval Europe (including the Crusades, Renaissance, and Reformation)

Upper School

World Religions and Ethics classes: required for graduation beginning with the Class of 2022

Our spaces:

The Jean Jones Chapel on the South Campus
The Chapel of St. Andrew the Apostle on the North Campus

Social Justice

Service Learning and Community Engagement:

Responds to the needs of our local and global community
Prepares our students for a life of service
Sustained engagement with community organizations, including Stewpot Community Services, the Mississippi Children's Museum, the Mississippi Food Network, the Good Samaritan Center, the Little Lighthouse, and more.

Engagement by Grade Level:

List of 2 items.

Lower School and Middle School
- grade-level projects with curricular ties
- on-campus opportunities beginning in Early Childhood
- off-campus opportunities beginning in the Elementary grades
Upper School
- service days, planned by the Student Council Committee
- graduation requirement of 100 hours of service
- Global Studies trips include service when possible
- for more information, visit the Service Learning Resource page on My SA

Diversity and Inclusion:

In the language of the baptismal covenant of the Episcopal Church, respecting the dignity of every human being
Together Saints, our process of becoming a beacon of inclusion