Spotlight on Education: Saint Stephen

BRADENTON - The 69 students who graduated Friday night as Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School’s Class of 2014 have a lot to be proud of, including a 100 percent college acceptance rate. Of the 69, 16 are “Forever Falcons,” having attended Saint Stephen’s since prekindergarten and/or kindergarten.

“We are extremely proud of our bright, young, outstanding graduates," said Dr. Janet Pullen, Head of School at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School. "Each of these students have left a mark on our school, and we wish them the best as they move forward in their academic careers. The graduation ceremony is a rite of passage, and at Saint Stephen’s, because our students set such high goals and so often attain them, we put great emphasis on this important closing ritual to recognize and reinforce the magnitude of their accomplishments."

The school's graduation ceremony took place Friday night at the Neel Performing Arts Center at the State College of Florida.

A few of the other notable highlights for the Class of 2014 include:

*100 percent of the Class of ’14 has been accepted into a college or university.

*62 percent of graduating seniors have been offered college scholarships based on merit.

*61 percent of seniors will be attending colleges out of state, including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

*A total of 491 college applications were submitted, and students were collectively accepted at 140 different institutions, including Princeton University, University of Oxford, Boston College, Ringling School of Art and Design and the University of Florida.

*Saint Stephen’s has also produced one National Merit scholar finalist and one National Merit commended scholar.

*This year, more than 330 students participated in at least one sport.