Member Spotlight: All Saints’ Episcopal Day School

ALL SAINTS’ EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL

Founded in 1963, All Saints’ Episcopal Day School has established a legacy of excellence, educating students from pre-k through eighth grade in Central Phoenix. Their admissions-based independent school offers small class sizes, allowing teachers to provide attention to each student as an individual and cultivate meaningful relationships. As illustrated by their three tenets—academic excellence, character cultivation, and community—an All Saints’ education reaches beyond academics—inspiring lifelong learning, developing confidence, and fostering spiritual and moral formation. 

Q: What would you like our TSG community to know about All Saints’?

All Saints’ Episcopal Day School is a pre-k through eighth grade independent school focused on academic excellence, community, and character cultivation. An All Saints’ foundation enables its graduates to go anywhere with confidence knowing they have the tools to succeed. At All Saints’, we develop thoughtful, confident, lifelong learners. Our students are inspired and well-equipped to contribute to a dynamic and ever-changing world. Rooted in the inclusivity of our Episcopal ethos, we welcome families of all faith backgrounds.

Q: We’ve heard about some exciting projects underway with a big long-term impact for All Saints’. Can you share a bit about those plans and the Capital Campaign supporting those efforts?

All Saints’ is beginning one of the most exciting and transformational times in recent history. We have been hard at work on the initial stages of a campaign to expand and redevelop parts of our campus. These updates to campus include a range of flexible and outdoor learning spaces, and our new Christopher Ray Milisci Academic Building, a 50,000 square foot facility housing a research center, innovation hub, makerspace labs, additional classrooms, and more. 

Our unique combination of learning spaces will exemplify the ideal educational environment for students. We are partnering with a renowned landscape architecture firm to develop a premiere outdoor learning space tailored to the specific needs of our faculty and students. 

To date, we have successfully raised $10 million, allowing us to break ground on the Milisci Building. We are in the midst of a campaign to raise an additional $3 million to develop the outdoor spaces, outfit our new classrooms, and complete necessary renovations to existing facilities on campus. 

Q: Can you share a bit about the school's history?

All Saints’ Episcopal Mission became a parish in 1952 under its first rector, the Rev. Paul DeWitt Urbano, and the Church was completed six years later. All Saints’ Episcopal Day School first opened in the fall of 1963. The Church and School share a former date farm parcel in the heart of a beautiful residential district in Central Phoenix. 

Q: Please highlight All Saints’ mission as an educational provider and how the educational offerings and activities you provide students support this philosophy?

We focus every space and every aspect of our program on the individual child: the close relationships with members of our gifted and caring faculty, the cultivation of passion and purpose in studies, and the faculty’s deep understanding of the child’s social-emotional development.  

Q: You welcomed a new head of school, Dr. Emma Whitman for the 2019-2020 school year.  Please share a bit about her background and what she brings to the All Saints’ community.

Photo credit: Life Created

Photo credit: Life Created

We were delighted to welcome Dr. Emma Whitman as our Head of School in 2019. Dr. Whitman brings an exceptional educational and professional background. Having begun her career teaching in public and private schools in New York City, she successfully transitioned into administration and earned a Ph.D. in Child Development with a focus on Education. Before joining All Saints’, she served as Head of School at Rye Presbyterian Nursery School in Rye, New York; Director of Lower School and Middle School at St. George’s Episcopal School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and most recently as St. George’s Assistant Head of School. Emma’s qualities reach far beyond her experience and make her a true fit for All Saints'. Her Episcopal values echo our School’s fundamental beliefs and practices. She shares an understanding and passion for educating children from “head to soul.” 

Q: Which high schools did the Members of the Class of 2021 choose to attend?

Members of the Class of 2021 Attend the following high schools:
​Baylor School
​Brophy College Preparatory
​North High School IB Program
​Notre Dame Preparatory High School
​Phoenix Country Day School
​Sunnyslope High School
​Valley Lutheran High School
​Xavier College Preparatory

Photo credit: Life Created

Photo credit: Life Created

Q: We understand learning to serve others is an important part of the children's experience. Can you share some of the causes and organizations All Saints’ supports?

All Saints' Episcopal Day School students, parents, and faculty have given time and resources to many causes and organizations, including Andre House, St. Mary's Food Bank, the Arizona Humane Society, Thomas Pappas School, Maryland Gardens Nursing Home, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the Toys for Tots program, Ronald McDonald House, Teach for America, and United Methodist Outreach Ministry. Our students are involved in service projects for a sister school in Haiti, St. Paul's School in Gascogne.

Photo credit: Life Created

Photo credit: Life Created

Q: What are some of the ways you foster the community that All Saints’ is known for?

The community feel at All Saints’ is unmatched within other independent schools around the Valley. While other schools may offer top academics, the connections made at All Saints’ last a lifetime. Anyone who sets foot on campus can sense the enthusiasm of students and faculty and the extraordinary support surrounding our exceptional school. The rich history and tradition of the School and its long-standing legacy have made All Saints’ a community treasure. Some of our most cherished traditions include Special Persons Day, Harvest Fair, and our Tiger Dads’ Pancake Breakfasts.

Q: What are the steps in the admissions process and how should families reach out to learn more about All Saints’?

Our Admissions Office is always available to answer questions and help families find the best school fit. To learn more about the school or schedule a tour, please contact Sylvia Hutchinson, Associate Director of Admissions at 602.274.4866.

Applications can be submitted through our website. Once you have submitted an online application, you will be prompted to submit supporting documentation and schedule a student visit and admissions testing.

Photo credit: Life Created

Photo credit: Life Created

ALL SAINTS’ EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL | @ASEDS_PHOENIX

6300 North Central Avenue | Phoenix, AZ 85012

Contact: Sylvia Hutchinson, Associate Director of Admissions at 602.274.4866.