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We foster knowledge and values for a lifetime through the implementation of our Five Pillars for Success: Faith, Classic Curriculum, Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Global Readiness.
St. Richard's Operational Commitments
- To serve children of demonstrated academic ability whose needs can be met in a challenging, structured classroom.
- To seek new knowledge and technology which will improve the students' learning as we choose curriculum content from classic and modern masterworks and insights of many cultures
- To promote imagination, creativity, critical thinking skills, and time management in all areas of the curriculum.
- To strive to provide the finest academic education with superior, caring faculty.
- To be rich with traditions celebrating learning and community life.
- To set and maintain high standards to encourage and measure the performance and participation of the students.
- To welcome students from all faith communities.
- To understand that learning occurs best with varieties of opportunities and when it can be emotionally positive.
- To exercise active commitment to the community in which we are located to maintain a spirit of mutual respect among parents, students, faculty and friends of the school.
 What does it mean to be an Episcopal School?
Being an Episcopal school signifies a very unique set of characteristics that set a school apart form other types of religiously-affiliated schools such as Catholic parochial schools or evangelical Christian schools.
Episcopal schools are Christian communities whose missions integrate spiritual formation into all aspects of the educational experience. Episcopal schools are most distinctive when they are true to this mission and when they do so in the graceful and inclusive manner which is the hallmark of the Anglican approach to education over the centuries.
As embodiments of the Christian faith, Episcopal schools are created to be communities that honor, celebrate and worship God as the center of life. They are created to be models of God's love and grace. They are created to serve God in Christ in all persons, regardless of origin, background, ability, or religion. They are created to "strive for justice and peace among all people and [to] respect the dignity of every human being." These principles are the basis on which identity and vocation are to be defined in Episcopal schools.
Episcopal schools have been established, however, not solely as communities for Christians, like a parish church, but as ecumenical and diverse ministries of educational and human formation for people of all faiths and backgrounds. Episcopal schools are populated by a rich variety of human beings, from increasingly diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds. In fact, the intentional pluralism of most Episcopal schools is a hallmark of their missions.
In practice, these principles and ideals are expressed through
- School Worship that is creative, inclusive, draws fully upon the liturgical resources of The Episcopal Church, and is a regular part of school life for all faculty and students.
- Community Life, in which reflection, prayer, and matters of the spirit are honored and cultivated and the physical, mental, and emotional health of all are supported and nurtured.
- Religious Formation and Study that is meaningful, academically substantive, and age-appropriate; and in teaching the Christian tradition, fosters dialogue with other faith traditions.
- Social Justice, which is the integration of the ideals and concepts of equity, justice, and a just society throughout the life of the school; the embracing and honoring of diversity; and the inclusion of community service and service-learning as an integral part of the life of the school.
By weaving these principles into the very fabric of the school's overall life, Episcopal schools ensure that their missions are built on the sure foundation of a Christian love that guides and challenges all who attend our schools to build lives of genuine meaning, purpose and service in the world they will inherit.
From http://www.episcopalschools.org/about/index.cfm?fa=distinguish
Certainly St. Richard's School carries on this strong tradition of learning. Our commitment to quality education provides our students with the best educational environment and highest academic standards that can be found in Indianapolis.
St. Richard's School was the first private school in Indianapolis to open its doors to all races, creeds, and nationalities, and we still maintain that same commitment to diversity. Currently 34% of SRS students are of racial and cultural minorities with over 18 nations represented, 18% of our students are Episcopalian, with 80% representing other major denominations and religions, and even without a significant endowment, SRS devotes about 10% of all tuition revenue to financial assistance annually for families who demonstrate need.
A defining aspect of St. Richard's School is Chapel three times per week in the Lower School with the Middle School students joining every Thursday for Chapel in addition to their regularly scheduled Divinity classes.
High quality and excellence are our benchmarks at St. Richard's School, and they always have been. These have been ingrained aspects of our heritage and tradition for almost 50 years and will continue to be for the next 50 years and more. The tremendous success of our graduates at their successor schools assures us that our standards are as high as ever! |
