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Beyond Academics
Living at St. Andrew's
There is no doubt about it. At
St. Andrew's academic pursuits
occupy by far the largest portion
of our time. To successfully meet
the academic challenge, students
must accept this reality and be
willing to devote the time and
effort required to meet it.
But the educational process at
St. Andrew's is not limited to
our core curriculum, and our
daily lives include moments of
relaxation and fun. The following
sections of our catalogue will
give you a glimpse of life at
St. Andrew's beyond academics.
The Mid-Atlantic
Coastal Plain
The physical location of any
school matters. Perhaps this
is especially true of a boarding
school.
St. Andrew's is located in lower
New Castle County, Delaware, 25
miles south of Wilmington and approximately
three miles southeast
of Middletown.
The countryside is typical of the
rural Atlantic Coastal Plain, rich in
farmland and historic associations
with Colonial Delaware and Revolutionary
times. One is never far
from water. Tidal streams meander
west to the Chesapeake Bay and
east to the Delaware Bay. Lakes, of
which there are many, were originally
mill ponds. Silver Lake and
Appoquinimink Creek border our
campus to the north and east, while
two-mile-long Noxontown Pond borders
our southern flank. Between
and around these bodies of water
the School owns approximately 2,000
acres, partially wooded, but mostly
under cultivation.
Wildlife is everywhere evident.
Deer, fox, hawks, owls, quail and
innumerable songbirds inhabit the
central campus. Noxontown Pond
and Appoquinimink Creek are homes
for ducks, herons, egrets, osprey and
an occasional eagle, not to mention
bass which can exceed eight pounds.
From September through February
thousands of Canada geese, snow
geese and swans descend upon the
area, feeding in the corn fields and
rafting at night on the safety of the
water. Our Life Science Department
takes full advantage of these natural
resources, and students and faculty
who enjoy hunting and fishing have
opportunities to pursue their interests,
though hunting is not permitted
on School property, which is a
wildlife sanctuary.
The weather is also typical of the
region. Fall lingers and spring comes
early. Most consider these seasons
to be the most beautiful times of the
year. Certainly they are the most active.
Swimming, sailing, canoeing
and fishing on Noxontown Pond
highlight most weekends. Although
winters are usually short, they can
be cold. We normally count on at
least a week or two of ice skating
and occasional blizzards to add
excitement and outdoor activity to
our normal routine.
Though St. Andrew's is located
in a rural setting of great beauty, it
also lies within easy driving distance
of some of our nation's most interesting
cultural and historic urban
areas. Trips to museums, theaters,
historical sites and areas of cultural
interest in Washington, D.C., Baltimore,
Wilmington, Philadelphia and
New York, as well as to lectures and
performances at area universities
occur throughout the year.
Home Away from
Home
It is difficult to exaggerate the
importance of residential life at
a boarding school. Many of the
most valuable "lessons" our
students learn are taught through
the interaction they have with their
peers and faculty during unscheduled
moments on the corridors.
The social structure of corridor life
is pyramidal. At the top is the corridor
master. This faculty member
has overall responsibility for the
students who live under his or her
care. If married, the spouse of the
corridor master usually plays an
important role. These men and
women have chosen careers in a
boarding school precisely because
they want the kind of close contact
with teenagers that such a job offers.
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