At a Glance
Enrollment
- 275 students
- Grades: K-8
- 2 Classes per grade in K-5
- 3 Sections per grade in 6-8
Class Size
- Average of 14 students per class
- Allows for individual attention and differentiation.
- Classes capped at 19
Enrichment Classes
- Art
- Band (Grades 5-8)
- Choir (Grades 5-8)
- French
- Music
- Physical Education
- Religion (Grades 4-8)
- Spanish
- Technology
Athletics
- Intramural Program for Grades 4-5
- Competitive Sports For Grades 6-8
- Flag Football (Co-Ed)
- Girls Volleyball
- Soccer (Co-Ed)
- Girls & Boys Basketball
- Girls Softball
- Track & Field (Co-Ed)
- Tucson Independent Athletic League Member
After-School Activities
- Chess
- Dance
- Eagle’s Quill Literary
- Magazine
- Girls on the Run
- Karate
- Lego Engineering
- Musical Theater
- Yearbook
Our Mission
To foster excellence in the intellectual, physical, artistic, ethical, and spiritual development of each student in our care. We aspire to do this guided by the ethos of Episcopal education—building a strong and supportive child-centered community, balancing tradition and innovation, and welcoming students and faculty from all social, economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.
Our Vision
St. Michael’s strives to instill a foundational love for learning that will persist throughout our students’ lives, preparing them to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world as caring, competent, and confident young adults.
Welcome to St. Michael’s School!
Today we educate 300 students from diverse faiths and backgrounds, in kindergarten through eighth grade, on a beautiful three-acre campus in central Tucson, inspired by the visionary architect Josias Joesler.
As head of school and the proud parent of three children who have attended St. Michael’s, I encourage you to come and see for yourselves the creativity, civility, and joy that distinguish St. Michael’s as the regional leader in private-independent, Episcopal education.
Brendan Sullivan
Head of School
bsullivan@stmichael.net
Governance
Operating within the framework of the Episcopal Church, St. Michael’s School is a ministry of the Parish of St. Michael and All Angels. The Rector, Wardens, and Vestry of the church have delegated the management of the affairs and policies of the school, in turn, to the Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees includes the Rector, Vestry members, parishioners, the Head of St. Michael’s School, parents, and other members of the community. The Rector, Head of School, and Business Manager, are non-voting members. At all times, at least 51% of the voting membership of the Board must consist of members in good standing of the Church of St. Michael and All Angels. New members are nominated by a Committee of Trustees and then approved by the Vestry.
The Board of Trustees does not intervene in the school’s daily affairs, such as curriculum development and hiring, evaluating faculty, or on issues related to daily routines. Instead, the primary responsibilities of the Board, which meets on a monthly basis during the school year, include three functions critical to the success of the school: it selects, evaluates, and supports the Head of School, to whom it delegates authority to manage the school; it develops broad institutional policies that guide the Head in running the school; and it is accountable for the financial sustainability and strategic goals of the school.
Board of Trustees
Chair: Randy Downer
Vice Chair: Chad Driedger
Treasurer: Tori Meyer
Secretary: Mimi Pollow
Vestry Representative: Anita Rowlands
Members:
Vanessa Buch
Peter Cheney
Ian Milliken
Alison Cook
John Hsieh
Paulette O’Malley
Barbara Peterson
Doyace Wilson
Ex-Officio Members:
Brendan Sullivan, Head of School
The Rev. David Hedges, Rector
Charmaine Lang, Director of Finance/Operations
Our Campus
St. Michael’s School is situated on a three-acre campus in east-central Tucson. A true marriage of old and new, the school encompasses 21 classrooms built around four traditional Spanish courtyards ornamented with fountains and native plantings.
Famed Swiss-born architect Josias T. Joesler designed the original church and rectory in a Pueblo Revival style, relying entirely on mud-adobe and timber construction. Over the years, a number of improvements and expansions—carefully adapted to Joesler’s original vision—have been made to accommodate the School’s growing enrollment. Facility improvements include dedicated spaces for fine arts, music and science.
For many, the heart and soul of the school is our beautiful chapel. Light filters through majestic stained-glass windows and grandiose tones echo from our Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, bestowing peace and wonderment on the congregation.
Other features of our remarkable campus include:
Classrooms are organized by grade-level and open up on their own courtyard, allowing for an abundance of natural light and fresh air. Picnic tables, hand-washing stations, native landscaping and decorative fountains create an atmosphere that enables classes to take advantage of nice weather during lunch and instructional time.
A multi-purpose student center/gymnasium is home to PE and athletics, as well as fine arts performances and special school events. The Student Center is anchored by four giant cisterns which harvest 54,400 gallons of water annually for the campus’s beautiful xeriscape landscaping.
Energy-generating solar panels cover much of the roofs and parking areas, contributing to more efficient use of resources, and financial savings.
A wetlands area in the 6th grade courtyard features a koi pond and raised garden beds for scientific observation, artistic inspiration and quiet reflection.
Our History
St. Michael’s Parish Day School was founded in 1958, five years after the formation of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, by the church’s first rector, the Reverend John Clinton Fowler. Father Fowler realized the need to create such a school after discovering that many of his Sunday school students, from various local neighborhoods, could not read. On opening day in September of 1958, thirty-four students enrolled in Kindergarten and first grade.
The school thrived from the start. Within five years, St. Michael’s was serving grades K-8, and the first eighth grade class graduated in 1965. To accommodate growth and add a third class for grades 6-8, the school completed construction of a middle school addition in 1997. An endowment campaign that surpassed the $1 million mark in 2005 has allowed the school to expand its programs while maintaining our high standard of educational excellence.
From the beginning, the school’s curriculum has been strongly academic. As Father Fowler proclaimed, “We teach children to read, to write, to cipher, to sing, and to pray.” While our educational program is grounded in tradition, we believe that students should be exposed to a broad liberal arts curriculum that includes athletics, the arts and religious study. Our program continues to incorporate skills for 21st Century learners, including creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. The integration of technology as a teaching and learning tool supports the curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade. Graduates from St. Michael’s leave well prepared for their high school experience, matriculating at top area schools where they are leaders, learners and friends.