Mission

St. James Academy offers, in a Christian environment, a program of excellence for the intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical development of our school community to promote a global perspective and intercultural understanding, to prepare each individual for lifelong learning, and to live a creative and compassionate life worthy of a child of God and a contributing member of our world.

Philosophy

St. James Academy, founded in 1821, is a learning community dedicated to providing an Episcopal, coeducational experience for students (of any color, national, religious, or ethnic origin) in PreKindergarten through Eighth Grades. The Academy provides small group instruction addressing student learning styles, individual attention, and personal concern for the individual facilitating a balance among Pursuing Knowledge, Building Community, and Serving Others as children are to become citizens of a global community.

Pursuing Knowledge

Promoting excellence through rigorous academic expectations;
Encouraging open-minded curiosity, understanding and collaboration;
Promoting the value of lifelong fitness and principled competition through participation in vigorous free-play, physical education, and intramural and interscholastic athletics;
Emphasizing visual and performing arts to encourage self-confidence and self- expression.

Building Community

Modeling a positive Episcopal ethos of open discussion and reflection;
Nurturing relationships to foster a safe community that allows individuals to recognize mistakes, make amends, rebuild trust, and realize potential;
Encouraging parent participation and collaboration as an integral part of school life.

Serving Others

Addressing spiritual and moral developmental needs and responsibilities in day-to-day relationships, daily prayer, regular worship, Faith in Action (community service), and Middle School Faith Development classes;
Instilling a sense of balance, fairness, and mutual respect in a Christian environment;
Committing to serve others through partnerships, individual and group projects.

Global Awareness Statement

The St. James Academy (SJA) community offers a multicultural curriculum to promote intercultural understanding and respect. Students are encouraged to take intellectual risks, to challenge their own assumptions, and to work cooperatively in order to understand and synthesize different points of view inclusive of gender, religion, national origin, and socioeconomic status. These pursuits create and sustain a culture of inclusion grounded in the SJA mission. SJA has incorporated the International Baccalaureate (IB) mission statement into daily planning: “IB aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

St. James Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of education policies, admission policies, scholarship and financial aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.