For over 100 years, we have made it our mission to educate boys in the ways they learn best.
For His Future
A LOOK INSIDE OUR UPPER SCHOOL
Creating a strong foundation
We’re passionate about teaching boys and getting them ready for life.
At St. Christopher’s, our Upper School students have the opportunity to come into their own. Boys are encouraged to find their own voice and carve a path for their future through academics, activities, arts, athletics and spiritual life.
In preparation for college, our academics are appropriately rigorous and include coeducational experiences and shared resources with our sister school, St. Catherine’s, which is located just down the road from our campus.
Leadership opportunities abound in the Upper School both in and out of the classroom. Above all, we care about developing young men who possess honor and integrity.
Our Community Pillars
The St. Christopher’s experience is shaped by three foundational Community Pillars that guide and inform our curriculum and institutional priorities in educating our boys and creating an inclusive and welcoming community.
HONOR & INTEGRITY
Saints strive to be honest, kind, and compassionate, choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. We care most about developing young men who possess honor and integrity.
PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
Saints strive to do their best in every endeavor. We value hard work and perseverance both inside and outside the classroom, focusing on process more than outcome.
COMMUNITY & BROTHERHOOD
Saints strive to understand and act upon the notion that we are part of something larger than ourselves. We value leadership, service, and the lifelong relationships that are formed in our community.
Always Instilling Honor
Our faculty and staff promote choosing the hard right over the easy wrong, a distinct part of the St. Christopher’s School experience.
What sets us apart
Our educators know the value of lasting mentorship.
For Boys
AN INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED SCHEDULE
In preparation for college, the Upper School schedule helps students learn how to balance academics with wellness, work independently and manage their free time.
ST. CATHERINE’S COED OPPORTUNITIES
The School shares resources with St. Catherine’s and offers coed classes, activities, programs and projects so boys get a chance to work with girls as peers as they move toward the path of college and beyond.
FREEDOM TO EXPLORE
Boys can choose elective classes based on their interests. This helps Upper School students explore multiple subjects to discover (and grow) personal passions.
AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES
All students in the Upper School participate in an afternoon activity at the end of the academic day. Options include athletics, arts programs, community service and School publications. There’s something for everyone.
For Parents
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
A St. Christopher’s education helps expand our students’ horizons and challenges them to think critically while preparing them for life. We are continuously adding new electives such as sports psychology, neuroscience and civil engineering.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
St. Christopher’s relational teaching model helps to form relationships that lead to boys working harder and trying new things.
SUPPORT FOR SUCCESS
Our Upper School Academic Support Department is dedicated to helping boys make the most of their studies. This team helps with time management, study and organizational skills.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
From chapel services to fundraisers and community outreach, our students learn that service and responsibility to others is their highest calling.
By the Numbers
165
14
38 student-run clubs interscholastic sports teams community service hours required
50 distinct course offerings including coed opportunities with our sister school, St. Catherine’s
Our Pillars In Action PILLARS IN ACTION
The Upper School offers a variety of academic paths, allowing boys to pursue their interests while being challenged to think critically and deepen their understanding of subjects that intrigue and inspire them.
Throughout their four years, boys will experience coed learning with our sister school, St. Catherine’s, as students take classes together on both campuses.
9TH GRADE
This first year puts a focus on students becoming the best they can be while adapting to high school expectations. Boys are now able to choose arts electives including creative writing, theatre, music ensembles and visual arts. During 9th Grade, students participate in the BUILD (Boys Using Innovation to Learn and Design) program where they are introduced to the design thinking process and get hands-on experience with 3D printers, Glowforge and more.
10TH GRADE
Boys in 10th Grade will expand their academic opportunities and begin to explore the disciplines that they find most interesting. Students also have the opportunity to take more honors classes. Each boy is encouraged to make the most of his coursework and continue his pursuit of excellence through relationships with teachers, coaches, advisors and other students.
Pursuit of Excellence
11TH GRADE
As one of the most academically challenging years for our boys, 11th Grade features a more rigorous workload including Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Boys can choose to work on a capstone project, collaborating one-on-one with a faculty mentor. This project culminates Senior year.
12TH GRADE
By Senior year, all classes are coed with St. Catherine’s students, and our boys have a great degree of choice in crafting their schedules. In their final year, students are required to take English and history electives along with their selections from a variety of other courses. Students can also take leadership roles in the Missionary Society, Honor Council and Student Council.
Ready for the Future
The College Counseling Office guides each student and family individually through the college application process, to develop a list of appropriate options and advise on all phases of the admissions process.
PILLARS IN ACTION
At St. Christopher’s, community and brotherhood are found in our hallways, our fields, our gatherings and beyond. Lifelong friendships, service to others and leadership are emphasized throughout the school years.
School, working closely with him and his parents during his journey.
Each advisory group is part of a House System designed to promote community, brotherhood, school spirit and belonging.
LEADERSHIP
The important role of leadership begins in the 9th Grade, where students develop an individual understanding of their abilities and how to build class unity. By the time the boys are Seniors, the focus shifts to leadership roles within the School community and taking those skills with them as they graduate.
Community & Brotherhood
RETREATS
Students will engage in many bonding activities throughout their Upper School experience. The boys will head west as a class to Camp River’s Bend for rites of passage activities as they work on their own personal development and strengthen their brotherhood bonds with classmates. The end goal is to connect and reflect on the relationships they have built during their time at St. Christopher’s.
X-TERM
A year-long experiential learning opportunity, X-Term includes local, regional, national and international trips and community service opportunities for Upper School students in 9th-11th Grades held in conjunction with St. Catherine’s School.
Pair Up
Each St. Christopher’s Senior is paired with a Kindergarten buddy who they build a friendship with throughout the year at special events. Upper School students have the opportunity to connect with younger students as peer advisors or Middle School Mentors, meeting for breakfast once a week.
PILLARS IN ACTION
Each student lives within St. Christopher’s honor system and understands that honesty and integrity are part of their education and the foundation they are building. Being responsible to themselves and their peers influences young men now and into the future.
THE HONOR CODE
The School promotes honor and integrity as a way of life rather than a set of rules. Each year, all students in the Upper School commit publicly to uphold the Honor Code and to refuse to tolerate lying, cheating or stealing.
HONOR COUNCIL
Boys nominate their peers to serve on the student-run Honor Council, where they embrace and uphold the Honor Code.
Honor & Integrity
THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY
Throughout the Missionary Society’s 100-year existence, boys have helped organize fundraisers and opportunities for hands-on service benefiting those in need, all the while learning firsthand the satisfaction of helping others. One Senior is voted as the President of the Missionary Society. He and other members lead Chapel through readings of scripture and prayers and help organize community service events such as Rise Against Hunger.
We are taught by great teachers, mentors and coaches, and we lead by example. Our call is to carry on (founder) Dr. Chamberlayne’s mission beyond the walls of this School.”
- Miles Harvey ‘23 “
Chapel Talk
Many Seniors choose to give a Senior chapel talk, sharing a message they have learned along their St. Christopher’s journey.
EXPLORE YOUR INTERESTS
In the game
Boys at St. Christopher’s benefit from participation in athletics and physical education, which helps build strength and character. Being part of a team teaches the values of teamwork, loyalty, sportsmanship, perseverance, hard work, courage and self-sacrifice.
It instills lifelong habits of health, fitness and physical discipline. St. Christopher’s Athletics fosters a sense of community, strengthens relationships and enhances leadership skills.
INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS TEAMS
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Football
• Golf
• Lacrosse
• Mountain Biking
• Soccer
• Squash
• Swimming & Diving
• Tennis
• Track & Field
• Waterman
• Wrestling
The Benefits of Creativity
90% of a child’s brain development happens by age 5, * which means that the years leading up to and including Kindergarten are crucial for your son’s development. These are the prime years to help your child learn life skills like problem-solving and communication. That is why we have designed our Junior Kindergarten (JK) and Kindergarten (K) programs to nurture creativity and encourage curiosity while setting a positive tone for the
The arts are an integral part of every student’s experience at St. Christopher’s. Boys have the opportunity to explore their interests, whether in the visual, industrial or performing arts.
Students benefit from the positive impact this brings in and out of the classroom with areas such as critical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence and more.
Stellar Arts Program
Students can develop their creative side through extensive performance opportunities including Glee Club and Beaux Ties a capella group. Coed offerings in coordination with St. Catherine’s School include: Ampersand theatre group, select choir Saints Singers, jazz band and more. School publications allow budding writers to hone their craft as well.
Musical elective courses for Upper School students include: AP Music Theory, History of American Popular Music, Songwriting Workshop, Rock & Roll Revolution and Fundamentals of Music Theory.
Bringing out the best in boys
In addition to a focus on academics and leadership, we promote an integrated and holistic approach to the well-being of every boy.
We honor our legacy of being founded in the Episcopal School tradition. This means that we see each person as a child of God, we value inclusion and spiritual growth, and we seek to educate students for lives of meaning and service.
A SPIRIT OF TRADITION
St. Christopher’s traditions bring the School together in brotherhood and fun. From the Homecoming Pep Rally to reading challenges, athletic events, a Halloween costume contest and science competitions, boys are encouraged to enjoy school life.
WELL-BEING
During their four years of Upper School, our students grow from boys to young men. Through chapel programs, advisory and House meetings and Upper School Health classes, we engage our boys in opportunities to consider what it means to live a healthy and balanced life. St. Christopher’s also has a full-time counselor in each division who is dedicated to students’ health and wellness.
Like Our Boys, We Are Always Learning
The Center for the Study of Boys, our research and professional development center, helps train our staff in best practices to engage and teach boys. Upper School students have the opportunity to serve on The Center for the Study of Boys Advisory Board, bringing speakers to campus and creating programming for the community.
