St. Stephen's, (formerly St. Stephen's International School), is a boarding and day school in the heart of Rome, located on the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; la, Collis Aventinus; it, Aventino ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the sou ...

near the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and lar ...

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

, and

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...

. The school's motto is ''Mens Voluntas Gratia'' ().

Founding

St. Stephen's was founded in 1964 by Dr. John O. Patterson, the former Headmaster of the

Kent School Kent School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut, United States. Frederick Herbert Sill established the school in 1906. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States. Acade ...

in Connecticut. Patterson and his team of educators selected Rome because of its rich history and proximity to some of the major moral, artistic, philosophical, and political antecedents of the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

. Patterson intended for the school to be a haven where students from around the world could come to learn and grow together—a truly international setting. In 1975 it became the first school in Italy to adopt the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

Student Body

There are about 250 international day students who live with their families in Rome. Many of them have parents who work for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and other international organizations. The school is home to about 50 students, who board on campus for 9 months of the year. The boarding students come from around the world, and spend holidays and summers away from the school. A small number of boarders come from the United States to complete either a semester or year abroad.

Academics

In addition to the mandatory liberal arts curricula, the school offers additional courses in Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Latin.

University Matriculation

Among the most popular choices of St. Stephen's alumni are

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen's International School Private schools in Italy Boarding schools in Italy International Baccalaureate schools in Italy International schools in Rome Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in Italy