Religious affiliation(s) Episcopal Faculty ~70 Founded 1 October 1900 Patron saint Hilda of Whitby | Established 1900 Phone +1 202-537-6300 Color Purple and Gold | |
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Type Private, Day, College prep Motto Noblesse Oblige (French)
("Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." St. Luke XII, 48) Head of School Kathleen O'Neill Jamieson Address 3612 Woodley Rd NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA Accreditations Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools Athletics conferences Independent School League, District of Columbia State Athletic Association Similar Sidwell Friends School, Saint Albans School, Maret School, Georgeto Day School LMS Cam, Washingt National Cathedral Profiles | ||
National Cathedral School (NCS) is an independent Episcopal private day school for girls located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Founded by philanthropist and suffragist Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Bishop Henry Yates Satterlee in 1900, NCS is the oldest of the institutions constituting the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation.
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The School
NCS has about 580 students in grades 4 through 12. Its mascot is the eagle. Its brother school, St. Albans, and the shared coeducational elementary school (K-3), Beauvoir, are also located on the 57-acre (230,000 m2) Cathedral Close in Northwest Washington near the Washington National Cathedral. Kathleen O'Neill Jamieson is the Head of School. The school motto is "Noblesse Oblige" ("Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required," St. Luke XII, 48).
Traditions
As the National Cathedral School is chartered by the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, and is a selective Episcopal School, the school holds a mandatory chapel service for Upper School students on "G" days, and on "C" days it holds a morning service in the National Cathedral for all students. Graduation is held in the Washington National Cathedral. However, students of various religions attend the school, and the chapel services are generally ecumenical in nature. Flag Day, when academic awards are given to students, is held the day before commencement. The ceremony is held on the northwest lawn of the Cathedral grounds, next to Hearst Hall. Graduating seniors wear white dresses or pantsuits and carry a bouquet of roses as they process into the outdoor ceremony. The final award, given to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average, is an American flag.
The school's patron saint is Hilda of Whitby.
The school has charity functions and music and choral performances.
Final Cathedral services for the year include the induction of seniors into the Alumnae Association at the Alumnae Service and a "Senior Service" in which the graduating seniors plan and run the service.
NCS also has two school hymns, one dating back to the beginning of the school, and one for the school's centennial celebration composed by Richard Wayne Dirksen, former director of the National Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys.
Extracurriculars and Clubs
Extracurriculars include student government (grades 7-12), two student newspapers, literary publications (Half in Earnest), Mitre (a yearbook), and more than 30 different clubs, including the BSU (Black Student Union), GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance), Model U.N., Vestry, Chorale, Madrigal Singers, Choristers, and Service Board.
Students from classes 7-12 can serve as acolytes for the school's Cathedral services.
NCS students also have the unique opportunity of participating in the Whitechapel Guild to learn traditional change ringing on the Cathedral bells.