St. Stephen’s Welcomes More than 700 Spartans to The Hill

Students representing 20 Texas cities, 9 states and 25 countries make up the St. Stephen's student body for the 2024-25 academic year. 

 

Middle School Head of School Magnus Maccow described the first week as a “soft start,” which includes no homework, grace for getting to class on time and campus tours to familiarize middle schoolers with the entire campus.

 

“My top tip for new students is, don’t sweat the small stuff, especially at the beginning,” said Maccow, who is in his 15th year at St. Stephen’s. “There are going to be ups and downs in the road. We will get you there.”

 

Another aspect of a smooth start for Middle Schoolers is bonding on their class retreat. This annual tradition gives the entire class a chance to build relationships and strengthen friendships while bonding with nature and the outdoors. 

From the Middle School to the Upper School, seniors celebrate another tradition, posing for the annual  “senior balloons” photos in front of an oversized red and purple balloon display in the shape of 2025. Baby photos of the senior class lined the main walkway on The Hill, illustrating their growth over the years.

While seniors are celebrating milestones, some new 9th graders are too, including Sarah Gaskins ’28 who is enjoying making new friends. She says the St. Stephen’s campus feels much different than the Austin public middle school she previously attended. Gaskins is busy learning her class schedule, and likes that it includes built-in study time and off periods. Addison Tallas ’27, who is starting her second year on The Hill, has been helping Gaskins feel more comfortable learning the school and its academic program. Tallas says two things she is looking forward to the most is soccer and her English course.

“I really like writing, so I’m excited about writing about all of the new books I’m reading–from poetry to war–and the different cultures we get to learn about,” said Tallas.

This year, the campus is representing a diverse mix of students from various states and cities throughout the world. Spartans who live in the United States are coming from 20 Texas cities, plus Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming. Internationally, St. Stephen’s continues to educate students from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Venezuela and Vietnam. New countries students are coming to us from this year include Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Oman, Panama, Peru and Romania.

To help acclimate our international community to campus life and to lay the foundation for the student experience, the St. Stephen’s International Office hosts an annual 4-day program called Venture. The orientation program was packed with information and learning sessions for students and parents, ice-breaker games, meals together in the Dining Hall and at faculty residences. Leon Lacatusu ‘28, who is a new Romanian boarding student, said he has felt welcome since day one. 

“The Venture program helped me make friends and be prepared for this new chapter of my life. Although this is my first time on campus, this did not change the fact that this is a community and we all should be part of it,” said Lacatusu. “Every single day I am here, the Spartan family empowers me and gives me comfort. This boost of confidence and power makes me be the best version of myself everyday. That showed me that no matter what, anyone can feel safe and nice here. Also, I would like to add that the boarding student program is a diverse one, and it embodies both academics and athletics in a great way. You do not get bored and the activities are entertaining. I’m really enjoying my experience at St. Stephen's so far and by now I can tell that this will change my life in a special way.”

This 2024-25 school year is a new beginning sure to be packed full of many more positive experiences and growth opportunities for the entire St. Stephen’s community. Let’s Go Spartans!

 

The U.S. states where our current Spartans are from: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming*

*underlined states are new for the 2024-25 school year

The countries where our international Spartans are from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Peru, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam*

*underlined countries are new for the 2024-25 school year