St. Mary's Episcopal School (SMS) is a private, independent school for girls from age 2 through 12th grade, located in Memphis,

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. St Mary's is the oldest private school in Memphis, and has been described as being the oldest school for girls in the mid-south region.

History

St. Mary’s Episcopal School was established in 1847 by Mary Foote Pope. It is the oldest private school in Memphis. The school, founded at Calvary Episcopal Church, changed locations many times, including to

Hernando, Mississippi Hernando is the county seat of DeSoto County, on the northwestern border of Mississippi, United States. The population was 17,138 according to the 2020 census records. It is located on the south side of the Memphis, Tennessee metro area. U.S ...

in 1862 until the end of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. From 1910 to 1949, Helen Loomis guided St. Mary's through the Great Depression and the two world wars. From 1949 to 1958, Gilmore Lynn directed St. Mary's through a period of growth, to 400 students. In 1953, she moved St. Mary's to its current location at the intersection of Perkins and Walnut Grove in Memphis. Nathaniel C. Hughes was headmaster of St. Mary’s from 1962 to 1973. During his tenure, St. Mary's graduated an increasingly high percentage of National Merit Scholars, incorporated as an independent Episcopal school, and became the first independent girls’ school in Memphis to integrate its student body. Mary McClintock Davis, dean of the upper school from 1964 to 1979, "stood with Nat Hughes (the headmaster) to allow persons of all colors to be admitted" to the school. This occurred at a time when many private schools were being formed to avoid integration into the public schools. St. Mary's grew rapidly during the 1970s, with the upper school increasing from 107 to 250 students during Davis’s tenure. The school continued to have a diverse student body; in 2014, minorities represented a fifth of the student body. The school expanded physically with several large construction projects during the 2000s. In 2012 it upgraded its data, network and phone telecommunications systems to permit greater use of technology. St. Mary's Episcopal School has been supported by the Bishops of the Dioceses of Tennessee and

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. The school has been associated with the Church of the Holy Communion since 1953. It has previously been associated with Calvary Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Cathedral, and

Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church is an historic church in Midtown Memphis, Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The church's history dates back to the mid-19th century and the current structure—located in Memphis' Central Gardens, Memphis, Central Gard ...

Academics

St. Mary's is a college preparatory program. Girls can also participate in many extracurricular activities, including sports, mock trials, debate, theater, robotics, and recycling competitions. Another project by students involved recycling efforts.

Administration

The head of the school is Albert Throckmorton.Andy Meek, Memphis Daily News, 2014
Throckmorton Named to Independent Schools Board
Accessed June 2, 2014

Divisions

*Shaw Early Childhood Center: St. Mary's Place (2-year-olds), Pre-Kindergarten, Junior Kindergarten, Senior Kindergarten
Lower School: 1st–5th gradeMiddle School: 6th–8th gradeUpper School: 9th–12th grade

Athletics

St. Mary's is a member school of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. Middle and Upper School students can compete in soccer, cross country, golf, volleyball, basketball, bowling, dance, swimming, fencing, lacrosse, track and field, tennis, and

trap shooting Trap shooting is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting. The other disciplines are skeet shooting and sporting clays. Trap shooting is distinguished by the targets being launched from a single "house" or machine, ...

. The mascot of St. Mary's is the Turkey, formerly the Southern Belle. In the spring semester of 2013, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' included the St. Mary's Turkey in its Best High School Mascot Contest. Online voting led Turkey to win first place in the state of Tennessee, followed by a first-place victory in the Southeast region. The regional win advanced Turkey to the national competition, where it placed fifth.

Online School for Girls

St. Mary’s is a charter member of the Online School for Girls, an electronic setting offering advanced academic instruction for girls worldwide. The mission of OSG is to "provide an exceptional all-girls educational experience by connecting girls worldwide through relevant and engaging coursework in a dynamic online learning community." The Head of School at St. Mary's, Albert Throckmorton, serves as the vice- resident on the OSG Board of Trustees.

Notable alumnae

* Andrea Armani (Class of 1996), professor of Engineering * Gwen Robinson Awsumb (Class of 1932), first woman elected to Memphis City Council * Lee McGeorge Durrell (Class of 1967), naturalist, author, zookeeper and television presenter * Crissy Garrett Haslam (Class of 1976), wife of Bill Haslam,

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* Windland Smith Rice (Class of 1988), photographer * Arabella Page Rodman (Class of 1885), civic leader * Gabrielle Rose (Class of 1995), competitive swimmer in the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

References

External links

St. Mary's Episcopal School

St. Mary's Episcopal School faculty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Episcopal School, Memphis Schools in Memphis, Tennessee Episcopal schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1847 Education in Memphis, Tennessee Girls' schools in Tennessee Schools accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 1847 establishments in Tennessee