St. Bernard's School

St. Bernard's School, founded in 1904 by Francis Tabor and John Jenkins, is a private all-male elementary school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. St. Bernard's offers motivated young boys of diverse backgrounds an exceptionally thorough, rigorous, and enjoyable introduction to learning and community life. The school "aims to inspire boys to appreciate hard work and fair play, to develop confidence in themselves, consideration for others and a sense of citizenship, and to have fun while doing these things." (Source: St. Bernard's official website; see link below). St. Bernard's educates boys from grades K-9, and is seen by its students, faculty and friends as a bastion of old-fashioned values (in terms of education and teaching methods), which are often very British in tone. St. Bernard's alumni, known as Old Boys, tend to go on to attend some of the nation's finest secondary schools (with some going away to, prestigious boarding schools, and other attending top ranked high schools in New York City. There has also been a number of students who go on to English boarding schools, which can be attributed to both the high number of students with English parents and the overall Anglophilia of the school. St. Bernard's was ranked to number one private school in New York in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Most grades, such as B's and high C's would be A's at most highschools or other schools around New York.

The school shield depicts an eagle (representing the United States of America), a lion (representing Great Britain), a book (symbol of education), and a cross (representing a tradition of Episcopalianism; the school is secular, however.)

Although the school's name is spelled (though not pronounced) the same as that of the breed of dog, which is also its mascot, it was in fact named for the rue St-Bernard in Brussels, Belgium, where a relative of one of St. Bernard's founders had also founded a school.

The school's yearbook is named the Keg, and is edited each year by Grade 9.

The schools has three divisions: the Lower School consists of grades K through 3, the Middle School grades 4 through 6, and the Upper School grades 7 through 9. Mondays through Thursdays, boys in the Lower School must wear St. Bernard's polo shirts (polo shirts with the school shield emblazoned upon the chest) in either red, white, or blue, khakis, and a blazer. Boys in the Middle and Upper Schools must wear an oxford shirt a, accompanied by khakis and blazers as well. On Fridays, all boys wear jackets and ties (with the exception of the Kindergarteners).

Many team sports are played at the school, including soccer, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, and track. Fencing has recently been re-introduced after a long hiatus. Furthermore, sports such as bombardment (a form of dodgeball) and capture the flag are played in gym class.

The school has an unusually high endowment for an institution of its nature, and its Development Office continues to be the envy of most other New York City private schools; Old Boys tend to possess an enormous sense of gratitude towards the school and hence are ready to support it financially. The tuition is currently $33,270.

The current headmaster of the school is Stuart H. Johnson III (b. August 14, 1954). A graduate of Yale University, he previously taught at St. Bernard's, and at Groton School, before becoming headmaster in 1985.