On May 27th, St. Benedict’s Episcopal School in Smyrna celebrated a first. Bishop Robert C. Wright, The Rev. Brian Sullivan and The Rev. Wendy Porter-Cade lead the evensong graduation ceremony celebrating the school’s first graduating class of 8th-grade students

This fall, graduates will go on to attend high schools across the area, including Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Campbell High School IB program, North Atlanta High School Art’s IB Program and Osborne High School. Fun fact: Two members of this graduating class have been with the school since it’s founding. They began their journey at St. Benedict’s on the school’s inaugural day in the fall of 2009.

Now a K-8 school that serves 475 students, St. Benedict’s Episcopal School was founded with a goal of preserving the hallmarks of Episcopal education. It provides a Christian environment with the highest standard of learning excellence, inclusive religious and diverse enrollment, small classroom sizes and affordable tuition. It is one of the few independent schools in the Atlanta area that offers Spanish as a core class. This emphasis on Spanish language is reflective of the school’s emphasis on openness and inclusion, and takes into account the St. Benedict’s community as a whole. It is a diverse, bilingual parish that’s blossomed to 1,300 members since the church was established in 2008.

This graduation milestone also highlights how St. Benedict’s church and school build upon each other’s success in outreach and education, as they strive to our diocesan charge to love like Jesus. The parish is proud that an alumni of the church’s self-sustaining mission, Path to Shine, is a member of this year’s graduating class. The student found his way to the school after his Path to Shine mentor noticed his academic potential and took steps to make his attendance possible. He took on the hard work from there. Congratulations!

As a mission, Path to Shine offers after-school programing, tutoring, outings and educational scholarships. It currently serves 110 students in 14 locations across the Diocese of Atlanta. To learn more or get involved in bringing a program to your community, click here.