Beyond the Storied Cloisters, what do other schools think of SJS?

By Mia Hong

When Bella Hendricks applied to St. John’s while an eighth grader at Pin Oak Middle School, friends teased her for being interested in an institution associated with elitism.

“I feel like everyone was under the impression that all private schools are snobby and pretentious,” she said.

Like Hendricks, many students apply to two or more of the independent schools in Houston, including Episcopal, Kinkaid and St. John’s.

Although Knights, Falcons and Mavericks often live in the same neighborhoods, play on the same club teams together and socialize on weekends and at annual events like Cotillion, students have not come to a consensus on which is the preppiest of the prep schools.

“Honestly, we think St. John’s is just as preppy, if not more so, than us,” said Thomas Carr, a junior at Kinkaid. “Y’all are in the heart of River Oaks — it’s those people who have the reputation for being more elitist.”

Emmy Heath, a sophomore at Kinkaid, said that the Mavericks’ reputation as academic high-achievers fuels their notoriety.

“It’s extremely competitive there,” she said, “and there’s too much pressure for them to be smart. They’re too academically focused, but they brag about it all the time like it’s cool or something.”

Episcopal On Sjs

We're always teasing each other for fun, because Episcopal and St. John's just have that kind of bond.

According to Carr, the Mavericks’ elitist image is further reinforced by the aesthetic of the traditional student attire.

“The students at St. John’s have to wear real uniforms, which is embarrassing,” he said.

One of the highlights of Kinkaid Week is Dress Like Kinkaid Day, in which seniors

In April 2022 , Memorial High School administrators hired taser-wielding, horse-riding police officers to prevent students from jaywalking. "That would never be a problem at your school," one Memorial student said. ILLUSTRATION | Lucy Walker deck themselves out in sparkling tiaras, purple tennis sweaters and other Falcon-esque regalia. Meanwhile, Kinkaid seniors “Mock the Mavs” by donning thick taped-up glasses and pigtail braids and posing with their TI-84 calculators.

“It’s a super cool tradition,” Carr said. “It’s fun walking around campus and just seeing a bunch of nerds everywhere.”

Sta ers on the Knight Times, the Episcopal school newspaper, say the Mavericks t the ultimate nerd trope.

“The biggest stereotype for St. John’s is that its students are very academically focused, very hardworking,” said senior Mark-Anthony Mey, student council vice president and Knight Times sta er. “I know a lot of St. John’s students personally, and I just know y'all are always super, super busy with schoolwork.”

In their October issue, the Knight Times published a cartoon featuring a trick-ortreater decked out in nerd garb: taped glasses, suspenders, a bow tie — the works.

When asked what their costume was, the trick-or-treater said, “a Maverick, duh.”

“Obviously, there’s that competitive aspect of our relationship because of sports, but I know it’s never meant in a rude way,” Mey said. “We’re always teasing each other for fun, because Episcopal and St. John’s just have that kind of bond.”

Sjs On Sjs

It's cool to be smart, to like school, to be passionate about what you're learning, and to challenge yourself.

Carr adds that, despite their athletic rivalry, the relationship between the schools inspires camaraderie between the student bodies rather than hostility.

“At the end of the day, it’s all just friendly competition,” Carr said. “St. John’s is Kinkaid’s rival school, and we make fun of you all the time, but we love y’all, too.”

As neighbors to the Falcons, however, students at Memorial High School have polarizing takes on each member of the independent school trio.

“Memorial de nitely loves Kinkaid more, and I don’t really know much about Episcopal except for the fact that they’re probably rich like the rest of your trio,” said Meghan Kao, a junior at Memorial. “But St. John’s? You’re just over there studying in the corner.”

For Kao, even the campus security manifests the cultural chasm between Memorial and St. John’s. In April 2022, Memorial hired police on horseback to crack down on student jaywalking.

Everyone knows the only real Houston priavte schools are the holy trinity: St. John's, Kinkaid, and Episcopal.

“I guess it’s been e ective, because who wants to get chased down by a horse with tasers?” Kao said. “That would never be a problem at your school, being in River Oaks and all.”

St. John’s students, apparently, jaywalk o -campus, according to students at the high school across the street.

“Sometimes, when I’m leaving school, I see St. John’s students just walking wherever,” said Tara Suttitum, a junior at Lamar High School. “That’s really all I know about you guys: you’re smart, and you guys don’t really care about crosswalks or tra c lights; you just walk wherever you want to walk.”

Three years ago, Hendricks ignored the teasing and enrolled at St. John’s. Now a junior, she “thrives” in a community where academic achievement is celebrated, not stigmatized.

Director of Admission Courtney Burger has seen this same situation play out time and time again as applicants to St. John's face peer pressure regarding the academic stereotypes surrounding the School.

“There are high schools where it’s cool to be something else,” she said. “But here, it’s cool to be smart, to like school, to be passionate about what you’re learning, and to challenge yourself both inside and outside the classroom.”

Kinkaid On Sjs

There's too much pressure for them to be smart. They're too academically focused, but they brag about it like it's cool or something.

Burger admits that the School is not for everyone. According to Burger, for students who want to live the high-school experience they see on TV, St. John's just might not be the right t.

“That’s why there are so many other great choices in Houston,” she said. “But for kids that are looking to come here, that is their choice. In applying here, they choose academics — they choose us.”

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