Upper School

From the Principal

Welcome to the Upper School at St. Paul Academy and Summit School! Our program, like those in the Lower School and the Middle School, is anchored by a faculty of outstanding teachers who serve as mentors and guides to their students inside the classroom and beyond. The Upper School focuses on preparing students for their next steps: preparing them for success in college and preparing them to be valuable contributing members of society throughout their lives. Our rigorous college preparatory curriculum is designed to move students through the basic skill-building and concept mastery of 9th and 10th grades, to a program in 11th and 12th grades that challenges students to test their limits and think “outside the box” as creative problem-solvers. Our school culture values and rewards integrity, respect, and compassion. We nurture students and provide them with the confidence to take intellectual risks as they mature into responsible citizens. Students in the Upper School are encouraged to pursue opportunities for leadership and service, and close student-teacher relationships help each student find his or her own distinct voice and passions in the classroom and throughout a wide range of artistic, athletic, cultural, and social activities.

If you are new to the SPA community, I encourage you to visit the Upper School on the Randolph Campus to see our exciting program and our dynamic people in action. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Chris Hughes
Upper School Principal
651-696-1415

In the Upper School Classroom

SPA teaches all students an independent, rigorous college preparatory curriculum with a broad liberal arts emphasis. Class sizes averaging 14 students support interactive discussions and close student-faculty connections. Teaching at SPA is student-centered and discussion-oriented. Through small classes and interaction with faculty and peers, students learn to think for themselves and develop skills in communication, problem-solving, and analytical thinking. Teachers expect high levels of concentration, engaging classroom discussion, and creativity in homework assignments. As students move from grade to grade, the program offers greater independence and academic choice and fosters collaboration with faculty and classmates. Faculty incorporate Harkness pedagogy with a focus on thoughtful student preparation prior to class, active student listening and leadership within classes, and increased student responsibility for individual and collective learning.

Students Earn State and National Recognition

  • 18 Presidential Scholar Candidates and Semi-Finalists (3 winners, 2001-2012)
  • 4 winners of the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing 2008-11
  • The Rubicon newspaper: National Scholastic Press Association All-American Award (highest honor given) 2012; National First-Class Honor rating 2011, 2010; Columbia Scholastic Press Association National Gold Medal 2010
  • Debate team: 1st in State 2012 (first time for an independent school); 2 teams qualified for nationals; top 10% nationwide ranking by National Forensics League for speech and debate; perennial highest percentage of NFL debate honors per school in Minnesota
  • Math Team State Champion (Tier II) 2010, 2008; 2 individual All-State 2011; perennial first place in Tri-Metro division
  • 2 members All-State Math Team 2012
  • At Harvard-MIT international math tournament 2012, SPA student scored 76 out of 900+ international competitors
  • American Society for Human Genetics honored 3 SPA students from among 6,000 entries world wide for entries in the DNA Day Essay contest, 2011, 2012
  • Two-time state champion Academic World Quest team (world knowledge competition) 2011, 2012
  • National winner, Live Poets Society of NJ annual high school poetry contest, published in national anthology
  • Art & Literature magazine: 2011 All-State Gold award from Journalism Educators of Minnesota
  • Yearbook Ibid: All State-Silver and Bronze awards from Journalism Educators of Minnesota 2009-2012
  • National Young Arts Merit Award winner, one of 33 nationwide for photography, 2012
  • Minnesota Scholastic Art awards: 15 students recognized in 2012 including 3 Gold Key awards for work entered in national competition
       - 47 Silver and Gold awards, 2005-11
  • State Festival participant, MSHSL One-Act Play competition, for The Sandbox, 2011
  • 4 winners of MHSPA Guthrie Theater Review contest, 2008-2012
  • Science Bowl Team: 4th in state, 2012
  • State tournament athletic honors:
       -Boys Soccer Team finished 2nd in State Tournament 2012
       -Boys’ Tennis Team Champion 2005, 07, 08; individual champion
         2010; doubles 3rd in 2012
       -Girls Tennis: State Champions in singles and doubles, 2012
       -Girls Fencing: individual champion, team 3rd in state 2012
       -Cross Country and Track: team and individual participants 2011, 2012
  • 6 NCAA Division I athletes. 6 in 2010, 2 in 2012
  • 2012 Girls Nordic Team Silver Academic Award, MN Nordic Ski Coaches Assn.

US Vision Statement

The Upper School is a rigorous college preparatory school. Our essential activity is the collaboration between students and faculty mentors who strive to foster integrity, responsibility, and respect in an atmosphere of trust. We value intellectual curiosity, academic excellence, creativity, breadth of experience, and the development and understanding of multiple perspectives. We nurture mental, physical, and emotional well-being while encouraging leadership, service, and engagement in community life.

The Upper School focuses on preparing students for their next steps: preparing them for success in college and preparing them to be valuable contributing members of society throughout their lives.