Saint Andrew's Priory School for Girls

St. Andrew's Priory School is a private all-girls college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1867 by Queen Emma Kaleleonālani, wife of King Kamehameha IV, the school enrolls students in kindergarten through grade 12. The enrollment is 550, with a student-teacher ratio of 8 to 1. Today, the school is affiliated with the Episcopal Church (United States). It is administered by a Board of Trustees and is the oldest all-girls school in Hawai'i. [1]. More than half the faculty have advanced degrees and virtually 100% of graduates attend four-year colleges and universities across the country. [2]

St. Andrew's Priory
Location
224 Queen Emma Square Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96813 United States
Information
Type	girls' private college preparatory school
Motto	Kulia I Ka Nuʻu Strive for the Highest
Established	1867
Head of school	Sandra J. Theunick, B.A., M.Div.
Grades	K-12
Number of students	550 (approx.)
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Red and White
Athletics conference	Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH)
Affiliation	Independent
Nickname	"Pride"
Newspaper	Ke Kukui
Yearbook	Ka Alele
Website	http://www.priory.net/

History

Raised in the Anglican faith, Queen Emma recognized the educational needs of the young women of Hawaiʻi and founded St. Andrew's Priory so that Hawaiian girls would receive an education equivalent to what was traditionally offered only to boys. Her mission of establishing a girls' school in Honolulu took her to England to seek the counsel of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Under his authority, the Sisters of the Church of England returned to Hawaiʻi with Queen Emma to begin their work.

The school opened on Ascension Day, May 30, 1867, under the direction of Queen Emma and Mother Priscilla Lydia Sellon of the Society of the Most Holy Trinity of Davenport, England. In 1902, the Episcopal Church of the United States assumed administrative control of the school. Until 1969, the Priory was run by the Sisters of the American Order of the Transfiguration. Since 1970 the school has been led by a headmaster. As of 2009 the headmaster is Sandra J. Theunick. The Priory remains as an all-girls' school.

In 1976, the school assumed non-profit corporation status with a Board of Trustees. The school's charter of incorporation provides a link with the Episcopal Church. It is located at 224 Queen Emma Square, 21°18′35″N 157°51′23″W. It is named for the adjacent Saint Andrew's Cathedral.

Academics

St. Andrew's Priory is divided into four sections:
1) preschool (boys and girls ages 2-5),
2) lower school (girls, grades K-5),
3) middle school (girls, grades 6-8),
and 4) high school (girls, grades 9-12). [3]

Students may earn college credit through the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) program and through the Collegiate Advancement Program. AP courses are offered in Biology, Calculus, English, Foreign languages, Physics, U.S. Government, and U.S. History. Through its Collegiate Advancement Program with Hawaii Pacific University, the Priory also offers the opportunity for qualified juniors and seniors to enroll without additional cost in college freshmen-level courses. [4]

Accreditation and Ranking

The Priory is accredited (K-12) by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). In 2009, the Priory earned the highest ranking of accreditation: a six year with a mid-term report.

Athletics

The school is a member of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association and the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, an athletic conference composed of Honolulu-area private schools. The Priory fields varsity teams in basketball, cross-country, paddling and tennis and is a member of Pac-5 in other sports. [5].

In 2004, the varsity basketball team won the Hawai'i High School Girls State Division II Basketball Championship. [6][7]

Other Activities

Rocketry Team

The school has the only Rocketry Team in the state. In 2004, the Priory team was the first team from Hawaii to qualify for and win at the Team America Rocket Challenge (TARC), and they were one of only two all-girl teams in the national rocket science competition. [8] Competing against 99 other teams nation-wide, the Priory team took home top honors for "Best Presentation" and "Most Spirited Team". [9]

State Science/Engineering Fair

In 2010, Kang-Ying (Connie) Liu ('11) won first place at the 53rd Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair for her college graduate-level work in developing nine new equations to describe triangle inequalities. [10] [11] Liu competed in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest international pre-college science competition. [12]

At the 54th Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair (2011), Priory students took home three of the top four prizes in a field of 77 schools. [13] For the second year in a row, Kang-Ying (Connie) Liu ('11) took home first place in the state. [14] The students wil compete against students from 55 countries in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California. [15]

Alma Mater

With ringing voice we sing to thee
St. Andrew's Priory.
Our mother dear in work or play
We will be true to thee alway'.
From East to West though we may roam
Our love will bring us home.
We love thy name we give our hearts to thee,
St. Andrew's Priory.
Oh Priory, Oh Priory,
Our own St. Andrew's Priory

Alumnae

• "Aunty" Irmgard Farden Aluli (1929) - musician, composer, Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame member [16]
• Laurie Carlson (1969) — Honolulu Weekly publisher.
• Winona Chang — educator [17]
• Colleen Hanabusa (1969) — attorney, Hawaii State Senator, 21st District (1988-2010), Member, U.S. House of Representatives (HI, Dist. #1) (2011-present)[18]
• Emi Hart—singer/songwriter [19]
• Mary Louise "Aunty Mary Lou" Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peck Kekuewa (1944) - master Hawaiian feather lei instructor and owner of Aunty Mary Lou's Na Lima Mili Hulu No'eau [20]
• Akimi Kifune (2005) — UH-Hilo tennis player [21]
• Dew-Anne Nishida Langcaon - Executive Vice President of Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii's largest non-profit health system. [22]
• Iolani Luahine (1935) - kumu hula, dancer, chanter, and teacher, high priestess of the ancient hula[23]
• Danene Lunn - designer and co-owner, Manuheali'i, lifestyle and clothing products. [24]
• Nona Tamanaha — Hotel administrator [25]
• Libby Ellett Tomar (1969) — attorney
• Kathleen Tyau — author of Makai [26]

External Links

• "St. Andrew's Priory School". official web site. http://www.priory.net. Retrieved 2010-01-29. 
• "St. Andrew's Priory School". Private School Review web site. http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/8177. Retrieved 2010-01-29.