St. John's Military School
{{for|the historic school in Manlius (village), New York|Manlius Pebble Hill School#The Manlius School}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox school
| name = St. John's Military School
| image = St. John's Military School Logo.png
| alt =
| caption =
| motto = Scientia, Virtus, Disciplina (Knowledge, Valor/Courage/Character, Self-Control and Determination)
| streetaddress = 110 W Otis Avenue
| city = Salina
| state = Kansas
| country = U.S.
| zipcode = 67401
| coordinates =
| established = 1887
| opened =
| closed = 2019
| type = Private, College-prep,Boarding
Military school
| gender = Boys
| religion = Episcopal
| district =
| accreditation = NCA
| superintendent =
| principal_label = President
| principal = D. Dale Browning
| chaplain = Randy McIntosh
| enrollment = 113 Cadets
| enrollment_as_of = 2016-2017
| faculty =
| campus_type =
| campus_size =
| team_name = Mule Skinners
| conference =
| newspaper =
| colors = Orange and Black
| communities =
| feeders =
| website = {{URL|http://sjms.org/}}
| footnotes =
}}
St. John's Military School, located in Salina, Kansas, was a private boarding military school for male students from grades 6 to 12. It aimed to develop students' academic and leadership skills in a "military environment" overseen by a President, Academic Dean and Commandant of Cadets. It closed after the 2018–2019 academic year amid a decline in enrollment and multiple claims of abuse by previous students.{{cite news|title=After numerous lawsuits and investigations regarding its culture of physical and sexual abuse going back decades, the school announced it will close on May 11, 2019|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/kansas-military-school-dangerous-disturbing-culture-abuse-lawsuit/story?id=18822835|publisher=ABC News|date=March 28, 2013}}
St John's was normally one of the highest ranked JROTC programs in the United States. Because of its high ranking in the Annual Formal Inspection, the school was allotted up to fifteen recommendations to the U.S. Military Academies.{{cite web|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9409159.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322000636/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9409159.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 22, 2013 |title=St. John's Military School Earns Highest Score in the United States |website=Prweb|type=press release |date=April 18, 2012 |accessdate=July 23, 2015 }}
The school year ran from late August to early May. Honors classes are offered in English, Biology, and Social Studies. Advanced Placement classes for college credit were offered in English, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, U.S. History, Government, and Computer Science. The school also had a comprehensive set of elective courses for students entering the work force upon graduation.
History
St. John's was founded in 1887 by the Bishop of Kansas, Elisha Thomas, as an Episcopal boarding school for boys aged 8–18;{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51g_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA172 |page=172 |title=A Handbook of American Private Schools |volume=3 |location=Boston |publisher=Porter E. Sargent |year=1917 |oclc=5689527 }}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DtTGV0kyBhIC&pg=PA34 |author=The Salina History Book Committee |title=Salina, 1858–2008 |series=Images of America |location=Charleston, South Carolina |publisher=Arcadia |year=2008 |page=34 |isbn=9781439636916 }} it was preceded by Phillips Military School, which had been started by Colonel William Phillips, a founder of Salina.{{cite news |author=Mark Bell |url=http://www.salina.com/4b6239e1-74b5-51fa-bced-51198dab1610.html |title=Troop 2 observes 100 years |newspaper=The Salina Journal |date=March 5, 2017 |accessdate=January 15, 2019 }} Salina Troop 1, one of the oldest Boy Scout troops in America, was organized on January 21, 1910, by F. John Romanes, an instructor at St. John's who reportedly knew Lord Baden-Powell, the British founder of Scouting,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/117938724/ |title=Boy Scout Section |newspaper=The Salina Daily Union |date=March 21, 1920 |page=11 }} and also founded Scouting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.{{cite news |author=R. Scott Rappold |url=https://gazette.com/news/years-of-scouting-in-the-springs-a-look-back/article_6740618b-6094-5a68-a900-457dbf4f0034.html |title=100 years of Scouting in the Springs: A look back |newspaper=Colorado Springs Gazette |date=July 3, 2010 |accessdate=January 15, 2019 }} The school's original building, Vail Hall, was completed in 1888 and enlarged in 1904; it was destroyed by a fire in November 1978.{{cite news |title=St. John's rallies after ruinous fire |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/11584206/ |newspaper=The Salina Journal |date=November 7, 1978 }} Since 1979, the annual graduation ceremony includes a traditional passing around of the building's front door handle, retrieved from the fire wreckage.{{cite web |url=http://sjms.org/handle-memories/ |title=The Handle of Memories |publisher=St. John's Military School |accessdate=January 15, 2019 }}
The school was used in the filming of Up the Academy, a Mad magazine spoof about military boarding schools. The 1980 movie was filmed entirely in Salina, mostly on the school's campus.{{IMDb title|qid=Q3284117|id=tt0081695|title=Up the Academy}}
=Abuse claims=
A wide range of abuse claims were filed against St. John's in a federal lawsuit in March 2012. An amended complaint was filed by six sets of parents on behalf of cadets from California, Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, Texas and Illinois.{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/24/amended-suit-alleges-new-_0_n_1377705.html |title=St. John's Military School Student Abuses - New Allegations Added To Lawsuit |newspaper=Huffington Post |date=March 24, 2012 }}{{cite news |author=Ryan Sullivan |url=https://myfox8.com/2012/05/18/video-depicts-alleged-abuse-at-military-school/ |agency=Associated Press |title=Video depicts alleged abuse at military school |publisher=WGHP |date=May 18, 2012 }} The lawsuit was settled with undisclosed terms in March 2014, just before the trial was to start.{{cite news|author=Roxana Hegeman |title=Military school lawsuit settled on eve of trial|url=http://cjonline.com/news/2014-03-03/military-school-lawsuit-settled-eve-trial|accessdate=4 March 2014|newspaper=Topeka Capital-Journal|date=March 4, 2014}}{{cite news|title=Most Claims Against St. John’s Military School Allowed|url=https://www.ksal.com/most-claims-against-st-johns-military-school-allowed/|publisher=ksal.com|date=January 14, 2014}} According to court records, {{As of|2012|06|lc=y}} St. John's had settled fourteen previous abuse-related lawsuits filed since 2006.{{cite news |author=Roxana Hegeman |url=http://cjonline.com/news/2012-06-19/neglect-found-kan-military-school |title=Neglect found at Kan. military school |newspaper=Topeka Capital-Journal |date=June 19, 2012 }}
A March 2013 report found 339 complaints of beatings, hazing, harassment, and abuse over five years, including of students being branded.{{cite news|title=St. John's Military School in Kansas hit with 339 abuse, hazing and branding complaints from students |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/kansas-military-school-received-339-abuse-complaints-article-1.1300108|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=New York Daily News |date=March 27, 2013 |accessdate=May 1, 2013}}{{cite news |author=Roxana Hegeman |url=http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_MILITARY_SCHOOL_LAWSUIT?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-14-16-06-15 |title=Judge allows abuse claims against military school |agency=Associated Press |work=Stars and Stripes |date=January 14, 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116100724/http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_MILITARY_SCHOOL_LAWSUIT?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-14-16-06-15 |archivedate=January 16, 2014 }}{{cite web |title=St. John's Military School announces closure after 131 years |url=https://www.ksn.com/news/kansas/st-john-s-military-school-announces-closure-after-131-years/1759863506 |website=KSN News |accessdate=6 February 2019}}|
In December 2018, St. John's was ordered by an arbitrator to pay $369,175 to the family of a student who was 11 years old in 2014 when he was bullied and sodomized by another student; the arbitrator found that in addition to inadequate and inappropriate management of students, the school had relaxed admission standards in response to declining enrollment.{{cite news |author=Roxana Hegeman |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/education/article/Filing-Kansas-military-school-failed-to-13533340.php |title=Filing: Kansas military school failed to supervise cadets |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 14, 2019 |accessdate=January 15, 2019 }}
Accreditation and memberships
St. John's was accredited by AdvancED and the Kansas State Department of Education.{{cite web|title=St. John's Military School Accreditation|url=http://sjms.org/academics/accreditation/|publisher=St. John's Military Academy|accessdate=21 March 2016}} It is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools and the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States.
Junior ROTC
The school had an Army JROTC. The JROTC Department also sponsored the rifle and drill teams.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}
The 125th Corps of Cadets received a perfect score of 1,000 points on their annual formal inspection. It was the first perfect score in the school's history, and very few military schools have ever received a perfect score. Previously, their highest score was a 999. The status as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction permits St. John's to make up to three recommendations to each of the five service academies: United States Merchant Marine Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy, and United States Air Force Academy.
Athletics and activities
St. John's competed on the junior varsity and varsity levels with other independent and public schools.
The interscholastic sports are:
Notable alumni
- Mark Cerney, founder of the Next of Kin Registry (NOKR) model
- Dean Hargrove, television producer, writer, and director{{cite web|url=http://www.sjms.org/gallery/alumni/wall_of_fame/index.htm |title=Wall of Fame |publisher=St. John's Military School |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215082951/http://www.sjms.org/gallery/alumni/wall_of_fame/index.htm |archivedate=February 15, 2008 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.sjms.org/}}
{{Portal bar|Kansas|Schools}}
{{Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States}}
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Category:Education in Salina, Kansas
Category:Military high schools in the United States
Category:Boarding schools in Kansas
Category:Educational institutions established in 1887
Category:Private high schools in Kansas
Category:Private middle schools in Kansas