St. John's Military School

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.[1]

For the historic school in Manlius (village), New York, see Manlius Pebble Hill School § The Manlius School.
St. John's Military School
Address
110 W Otis Avenue

Salina
,
Kansas
67401

United States
Information
TypePrivate, College-prep,Boarding
Military school
MottoScientia, Virtus, Disciplina (Knowledge, Valor/Courage/Character, Self-Control and Determination)
Religious affiliation(s)Episcopal
Established1887
Closed2019
PresidentD. Dale Browning
ChaplainRandy McIntosh
Grades6–12
GenderBoys
Enrollment113 Cadets (2016-2017)
Color(s)Orange and Black
Team nameMule Skinners
AccreditationNCA
Websitesjms.org

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.[2]

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;[3][4] it was preceded by Phillips Military School, which had been started by Colonel William Phillips, a founder of Salina.[5] 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,[5][6] and also founded Scouting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[7] The school's original building, Vail Hall, was completed in 1888 and enlarged in 1904; it was destroyed by a fire in November 1978.[4][8] Since 1979, the annual graduation ceremony includes a traditional passing around of the building's front door handle, retrieved from the fire wreckage.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11][12] The lawsuit was settled with undisclosed terms in March 2014, just before the trial was to start.[13][14] According to court records, as of June 2012 St. John's had settled fourteen previous abuse-related lawsuits filed since 2006.[15]

A March 2013 report found been 339 complaints of beatings, hazing, harassment, and abuse over five years, including of students being branded.[16][17][1][18]|

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.[19]

Accreditation and memberships

St. John's was accredited by AdvancED and the Kansas State Department of Education.[20] 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.

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.[2]

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

References
  1. "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". ABC News. March 28, 2013.
  2. "St. John's Military School Earns Highest Score in the United States". Prweb (press release). April 18, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  3. A Handbook of American Private Schools. Vol. 3. Boston: Porter E. Sargent. 1917. p. 172. OCLC 5689527.
  4. The Salina History Book Committee (2008). Salina, 1858–2008. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. p. 34. ISBN 9781439636916.
  5. Mark Bell (March 5, 2017). "Troop 2 observes 100 years". The Salina Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  6. "Boy Scout Section". The Salina Daily Union. March 21, 1920. p. 11.
  7. R. Scott Rappold (July 3, 2010). "100 years of Scouting in the Springs: A look back". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  8. "St. John's rallies after ruinous fire". The Salina Journal. November 7, 1978.
  9. "The Handle of Memories". St. John's Military School. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  10. Up the Academy at IMDb
  11. "St. John's Military School Student Abuses - New Allegations Added To Lawsuit". Huffington Post. March 24, 2012.
  12. Ryan Sullivan (May 18, 2012). "Video depicts alleged abuse at military school". WGHP. Associated Press.
  13. Roxana Hegeman (March 4, 2014). "Military school lawsuit settled on eve of trial". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  14. "Most Claims Against St. John's Military School Allowed". ksal.com. January 14, 2014.
  15. Roxana Hegeman (June 19, 2012). "Neglect found at Kan. military school". Topeka Capital-Journal.
  16. "St. John's Military School in Kansas hit with 339 abuse, hazing and branding complaints from students". New York Daily News. Associated Press. March 27, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  17. Roxana Hegeman (January 14, 2014). "Judge allows abuse claims against military school". Stars and Stripes. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014.
  18. "St. John's Military School announces closure after 131 years". KSN News. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  19. Roxana Hegeman (January 14, 2019). "Filing: Kansas military school failed to supervise cadets". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  20. "St. John's Military School Accreditation". St. John's Military Academy. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  21. "Wall of Fame". St. John's Military School. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

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