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Back to School Around Our Diocese By the Rev. Canon Jenny Vervynck


ith the end of summer comes the beginning of a new school year. In our


diocese, the beginning of the school year welcomes nearly 1,500 students to three parish day schools, and one high school. Hundreds more will attend six parish- sponsored preschools. From Palm Desert to Chula Vista, students come to our schools for the strong academic programs and the spiritual formation they cannot receive elsewhere.


Fully accredited and affiliated with the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), these schools represent the dedication to quality education that has been a integral part of the Episcopal Church from the early 1800’s in the United States.


“St. John’s School is enriched by its diverse population of students, many of whom come across the border between Mexico and the United States each day.”


The Bishop’s School in La Jolla begins its 102nd year since its founding in 1909. Led by Aimeclaire Roche as Head of School, the faculty, staff, and administration welcome 780 students who live throughout San Diego County. The school is described as an academic community pursuing intellectual, artistic, and athletic excellence in the context of the Episcopal tradition. They are dedicated to offering the highest quality education to a diverse student body and to fostering integrity, imagination, moral responsibility, and commitment to serving the larger community.


St. Margaret’s School in Palm Desert began in 1994 and this year will welcome 157 students. With a new head of school, Dr. Rick Cansdale, beginning this year, St. Margaret’s continues to be an inclusive school serving a


Students Excelling: A student at The Bishop’s School plays in the 2010 Instrumental Music Concert. Four Episcopal schools -- St. John’s in Chula Vista; St. Margaret’s in Palm Desert; Christ Church in Coronado; and The Bishop’s School in La Jolla show that the strong academic tradition of our faith remains vibrant in our diocese.


socio-economic and culturally diverse student population in pre-school through eighth grade. With a maximum of 20 students per class, they offer high curriculum standards promoting accelerated academics, highly educated faculty with extensive experience, tuition benefits including sibling discounts, scholarship assistance, and Rainbow Scholarships for minority students as well as faith-based character education and ethics through weekly classes and chapel services.


Christ Church Day School, is an educational mission of Christ Episcopal Church, based on the Anglican tradition that human reason offers a tool to interpret scriptures and to probe the most difficult issues of humanity. In 1957, the school opened its doors to 41 pupils. For the 2010-2011 school year, Headmistress Nancy Roberts and her staff will welcome 125 students from junior Kindergarten through sixth grade.


Dining for Dorcas House J


eff Bates and Roger Haenke were new in town. They loved to cook and host parties,


but after moving from Seattle to San Diego, their guest list got shorter. So they invented Dining for Dorcas.


“We’d thought about fundraising dinners in Seattle,” says Roger, “so this seemed like a great way to get to know San Diego.”


But why Dorcas House? Busy with work and caring for Jeff’s aging dad, they’d never visited the foster home in Tijuana.


“But we heard all these great things about it,” says Jeff, “and the Cathedral is our church home. We wanted to support it.”


They put an announcement in the newsletter, posted a menu and sign-up sheet at coffee hour and hoped. The response was so great, they built an extension for their dining room table and still couldn’t fit everyone in. So they scheduled a second dinner for summer when they could serve outside.


St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, established in 1950, is the largest preschool through eight grade parish day school in the diocese with 410 students. St. John’s School is enriched by its diverse population of students, many of whom come across the border between Mexico and the United States each day. The school believes in educating the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service through an excellent academic education, small class sizes, quality teachers, and an environment of caring and values. With three chapel services every week, worship is an important part of a St. John’s education. Students engaged in several service projects throughout the past year including participation in the Multiple Sclerosis Walk and providing food and blankets for victims of the earthquake in Mexicali. The Rev. John Goddard currently serves as the interim head of school. X


By then the neighbors had heard. Two of them volunteered to serve as waiters now that the guest list was up to twenty-five. Another furnished linens, and another ferried tables and chairs and helped with set-up. Together, they raised over $4,000, enough to run Dorcas House for more than a week.


That’s not the best part, according to Dorcas House President Terri Mathes. “The volunteer talent these events uncover is phenomenal.” In one evening she met a new physician for the medical team, someone to help with legal issues in Mexico, and a man who’d grown up in foster care himself.


Jeff and Roger no longer feel new in town. At church, people ask when they’ll throw another Dorcas House dinner. Their neighbors come over to help out. “You know, the Bible says that if you cast your bread on the water it will come back to you a hundredfold,” says Roger as he whips herbs into butter. “But I never thought of it as actual bread.” X


Cheers: Jeff Bates and Roger Haenke, two new parishioners at St. Paul’s Cathedral, created a delectable feast for supporters of Dorcas House, a foster home in Tijuana.


To host your own Dining for Dorcas, from gourmet dinner to backyard BBQ, contact Richard Lee: rslee103@gmail.com.


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