Cultivating Human Flourishing at St. Stephen’s Academy
Culture
At St. Stephen’s Academy, we believe that school culture is intentionally built and serves as a powerful force in shaping the affections, values, and virtues of our students. Our culture is founded upon the Gospel and character of Jesus Christ and lived out in a community of committed students, highly-involved families, and devoted staff. Weekly Chapel gatherings, school-wide character development, uniforms, and shared decorum serve to solidify our identity and maintain a focus on the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. In the Upper School, our house system, annual trips, and protocol events are purposefully designed to reinforce our culture and strengthen community.
Chapel and Assembly
Students gather on their respective campuses twice weekly for Chapel. This is a time to meditate on scripture, praise the Lord, and pray together. Each month, Lower School chapel focuses on a new character trait, such as humility, faithfulness, perseverance, kindness, and so on. Students explore these traits with a call and response liturgy, memory verse, and related hymn. Upper school students recite an array of carefully chosen catechisms, creeds, prayers, and scripture, always concluding with the Doxology.
Assemblies are a weekly celebration of the SSA community. In the Lower School, assemblies consist of class recitations that serve to showcase students’ learning and bring about a shared experience between grade levels. Upper School students begin assembly with their house chants and then move into announcements, peer recognition, and celebration of individual and school-wide accomplishments.
House System
In 2014, St. Stephen's Academy established a house system to enhance the school's culture and provide a framework for student life in the Upper School. House systems originated in English boarding schools in the 19th century, where students lived, ate, and slept in separate houses during school terms. The advantages of such systems were quickly recognized and even today, American college campuses strive to achieve similar goals through dormitories, fraternities, and sororities.
St. Stephen’s house system aims to do the following:
- encourages collaboration and builds a sense of community among students and teachers
- provides opportunities for students to interact with peers from different grades and establish relationships that they would not otherwise have
- helps them develop individual responsibility and a greater understanding of their responsibility towards others
- promotes school culture through various competitions in athletics, arts, and academics
Houses
St. Stephen’s Academy has four houses: Castile, Capet, Essex, and Milan. Each house takes its name and heritage from prominent houses of Medieval Europe, which played a significant role in shaping their respective nations by providing leadership, promoting virtue, and developing culture.
Milan
Castile
Essex
Capet
High School Trips
| Cultivating Character and Fellowship
These trips, varying each year in destination and focus, provide invaluable opportunities for our students to grow in Christian fellowship and develop lasting friendships.
9th and 10th Grade | E.T.C. series
The Experience – Team Work – Challenge (E.T.C.) series for our 9th and 10th graders is a 3-day event filled with activities designed to promote unity, character growth, and an appreciation for artistic excellence.
11th Grade | Pacific Northwest Adventure
Our 11th graders embark on a multi-night trip, exploring the natural beauty and wonders of the Pacific Northwest, enhancing their understanding of the region, and bonding with their peers.
12th Grade | Senior Trip
In their senior year, students travel to the East Coast, visiting cities rich in history and culture. This trip connects classroom learning with real-world experiences and marks a significant step in their educational journey.
Protocol
What is protocol? According to Sandra Boswell’s book Protocol Matters, protocol refers to etiquette, manners, decorum, and social arts that result in joyful social interactions. At St. Stephen’s Academy, 7th-12th grade students participate in a protocol event each year with their respective cohort – middle school or high school. The events promote opportunities to practice decorum around social engagements such as eating dinner and dancing.
For Christians, protocol presents an opportunity to put Philippians 4:8 into practice: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”