Saint James School is an independent boarding and day school in the U.S. state of Maryland. Founded in 1842 as the College and Grammar School of St. James's, the school is a coeducational college preparatory school and the oldest Episcopal boarding school in the United States founded as a boarding school proper.

History

Saint James is the second iteration of a type of school conceived by William Augustus Muhlenberg (1796–1877), who founded model schools on Long Island in 1828 and 1836. The founding Rector of Saint James was John Barrett Kerfoot (1816–1881), who was Muhlenberg's principal disciple for thirteen years before Muhlenberg sent him to Western Maryland to extend the mission. The models established at Flushing and College Point, Long Island, and St. James, Maryland, were the mother lode for much subsequent prospecting. Graduates and staff from Saint James founded St. Paul's (The Rev. Joseph H. Coit, M.A.), Concord, New Hampshire, St. Mark's, Southborough, Massachusetts; and several other schools. Racine College in Wisconsin (1852) was modeled on Saint James, and its celebrated rector, James DeKoven, recruited faculty from Saint James.

Administration

Saint James is one of twenty-four Episcopal Schools in the Diocese of Maryland. The school is governed by a board of trustees. A Prefect Council, made up of ten seniors elected by the students and the faculty, upholds the traditions of Saint James and assists faculty members and the Headmaster in the school's day-to-day operations. Of this group, one member is elected Senior Prefect, and leads the Prefects. The Sacristans and Chapel Vestry assist in the liturgy of daily services. The Senior Sacristan is the second-ranking position for students on campus, following the Senior Prefect, and is the chief student assistant to the Chaplain, currently the Rev. Dr. Brandt Montgomery. Saint James School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and the Maryland State Department of Education. The school is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, Cum Laude Society, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and the National Association of Episcopal Schools.

Sex abuse

In the 1980s, several boarding students were sexually abused by Father Kenneth Behrel, a teacher. The school dismissed Behrel. Prosecutors in a trial that eventually resulted in Behrel's imprisonment found that the school bore some responsibility.

Campus

Saint James School is situated in a rural area. The Georgian-style buildings are in 100 acre farmland containing a natural spring, fields, and streams. Total acreage exceeds 800 acres. The school lies 5 mi southwest of Hagerstown and is approximately 70 mi from both Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Notable alumni