EPISCOPAL IDENTITY
Holland Hall deeply values its role as an Episcopal School. We believe that values lie at the heart of education. But solid values are not simple values. We teach freedom and responsibility, belief and open-mindedness, social conscience and individual integrity. Our Episcopal affiliation reflects our belief that individual character unfolds in two important ways: by respecting tradition and thinking for oneself.
Each student at Holland Hall will feel that their own religious beliefs are valued by those around them, while learning to appreciate the religious tenets and customs of others, and grappling with the ethical and moral questions that must be faced by the leaders of tomorrow’s world. These are our goals, and the Episcopal Church supports us in our partnership, as we seek to fully educate and nurture the young hearts and minds entrusted to us.
Excerpted from an article by the Rev. Bert Bibens.
All Saints Chapel
Holland Hall’s All Saints Chapel is open for private prayer or reflection to our entire community during school hours. Every Thursday morning at 7:15 a.m. there is an open Eucharist service. Here, students from all branches, parents, faculty, and administrators are invited to participate in this Episcopal service that utilizes the Book of Common Prayer. Our Upper School Chaplain Art Scrutchins is officed in the Chapel building to provide counsel as needed.
Religious Studies
Religious Studies provides students with opportunities for both the educational investigation and personal exploration of religious and moral values, beliefs, and traditions. The classes offered encourage students to examine ideas freely, and provide an age-appropriate atmosphere that enables individuals to maintain and develop their own religious views and personal values.
Religious Studies varies from branch to branch. The religious studies at the Primary School are aimed at emphasizing religious values and principles from a variety of traditions and cultures. Children are encouraged to engage in reflection that helps them think, feel, and wonder about what is important in their own lives. In 4th grade, a weekly class is taught by the Middle School Chaplain with an emphasis on values and decision-making. Students also take a required, nine weeks course on the Gospels, during 7th Grade. In the Upper School, each student is required to take either Comparative Religion or Introduction to Ethics, before graduation.
Chapel Services
Chapel services at All Saints Chapel are designed to invite all students, no matter what their background, to reflect on spiritual matters. The aim of these experiences is to expose our students to the beliefs, practices, and rich heritage of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Weekly, age appropriate chapel services are offered for all students in the following groups:
- Prekindergarten
- Kindergarten — 3rd grade
- 4th and 5th Graders
- 6th Graders
- 7th and 8th Graders
Upper School students attend chapel once a cycle. Often, our Chaplains invite community leaders or representatives of other faiths to address our students.
Episcopal Ties
In 1959, nearly 40 years after the founding of Holland Hall, the Board of Trustees and the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma agreed to a partnership. The Diocese was excited to have an Episcopal School represent the Tulsa area, complementing Casady School in Oklahoma City. Parents, many of whom were Episcopalian, wanted the faith-based instruction.An agreement was reached, and Holland Hall has proudly called itself an Episcopal School ever since.
Episcopal schools allow for a tremendous amount of diversity from school to school, while always placing consistent emphases on academics, personal discipline, and spiritual growth.
Holland Hall expresses its own identity and philosophy as an Episcopal school through creating a learning environment in which students not only receive instruction about the spiritual aspects of their development, but have a multitude of opportunities to become actively and personally engaged in that development. Our school emphasizes this process through such avenues as community service, regular worship at weekly chapel services for all ages, weekly optional celebrations of the Eucharist, Baccalaureate at St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the annual Advent Lessons and Carols service at Trinity Episcopal Church. A thorough curriculum in the Religious Studies Department includes a graduation requirement and the day-to-day presence of a chaplain in each division.
The Episcopal Diocese of OK