Helen Rattray Crockett has fond memories of Sept. 22, 1965; the day she and 30 other youngsters became the first students at the newly founded Saint Edward’s School. Wearing spanking new uniforms, ordered specially from Alma Lee’s Children’s Clothing Store, Helen and her brother Charles (Buddy) Rattray, in 6th and 5th grades respectively, stepped into Vero history.
The school was considerably smaller in those days – only 5th through 8th grades – and the school’s first building – the old Riomar Country Club – is now gone, but the dedication of the faculty and the philosophy of all-around excellence has remained constant throughout those 50 years.
“What’s important to note is that though the school has grown in sophistication and complexity, it’s never lost touch with its roots or its core values,” says Bruce Wachter, associate head of school and head of the Upper School. “Those have always remained important – academic excellence, character development, citizenship, teaching the whole child. Those things remain; they’re at the root of what causes us to be successful. We’ve never conceded or lowered the bar and we maintain high standards in all of those areas, which cause parents to want their children to have this educational opportunity and experience.”
“It was a wonderful experience. I loved it; I really loved it,” says Crockett. “All of the teachers seemed to be so committed to having well-rounded people come out of that school; not just smart kids. The first year we had a headmaster by the name of Mr. Mullin. A wonderful man; very strict but wonderful. He was just determined that we were going to have a very good education; but not just books.”
Even lunch became a learning experience, with those first 10 teachers sitting at the head of each table, eliciting good conversation and table manners. “I learned so much about life and social skills that I’ve never forgotten. Every time I get a bowl of soup, I can hear Mr. Mullin saying ‘Bring the soup to you, don’t go to the soup.’ The boys learned to be comfortable in a jacket. I can remember the teachers telling them ‘One day you’re going to appreciate this.’”
Other memories include starting each day with a full chapel, morning breaks with Vera Whittington’s delicious homemade cinnamon rolls, and the indomitable Clara Lou Lockwood, assistant to the headmaster and fundamentally a jack of all trades. Crockett also enjoyed art class with Dottie Curzon, noting that Paula Knight Hindert, who entered school the second year, became the lower school art teacher when Curzon retired.
“We had a full library packed to the gills with books, and a full science lab loaded with equipment,” Crockett remembers. “When I think about that now, who threw all that together? It was there when we started. It’s amazing what was put together for that school.”
One of those involved was Mary Lou Hammond. Seeking an academic alternative for her children, Tom and Susan, and others in the community, she connected with Father Wyatt Brown, who had successfully launched St. Andrews Episcopal School in Boca Raton, and discussions got under way with other interested parties.
As more grades were added over the years, they began to outgrow the initial facility, and Fred and Joanna Tuerk gifted a generous 80-acre plot of land in Indian River Shores. A beneficial land swap to the current property provided seed money to begin construction of the upper school, which opened its doors in 1972 with grades 8 through 11.
The first senior class of 12 students arrived in the fall of 1973, and so did Wachter. He and everyone else everyone connected with the school praise Peter Benedict, the school’s fourth head of school, as the guiding force behind its development. Hired in 1969, Benedict served as Head of School from 1971 to 1995.
“Under his leadership the facilities and the school programs began to grow exponentially. It seemed to me that every two years another building was being built. The school was growing,” remembers Wachter.
There have been some growing pains over the years, but St. Edward’s is currently healthy in terms of debt and enrollment, which is almost at capacity at roughly 560 students. One of the more emotional decisions, selling the lower school campus, has actually strengthened the school by enabling the various grades to better interact.
“A lot of the angst was powered by emotions and nostalgia, but when you looked at it from a practical perspective there was no choice,” says Wachter.
“When we decided to move to one campus, they brought me kicking and screaming,” admits Barbara Mohler, head of the lower school, who first began 34 years ago as a kindergarten teacher. “But once I got here and saw what a wonderful opportunity it is for everybody to be together, I wished that it had happened years before. My job has been a blessing from the minute I started here. It doesn’t ever feel like work. I work with the most incredible teachers; they’re all so professional.”
One of those is first first-grade teacher Michele Scales, who has also taught 3rd and 6th grades at various times. “This is my 30th year; I came in 1986. Thank you to Peter Benedict. I cannot thank that man enough; he changed my world. Now I’m starting to have children of the children I had 25 or 30 years ago, which is something I’m really enjoying.”
When she and her husband first arrived to the area, she says they were embraced by the St. Edward’s community as family. “I have seen that in the past 30 years, with any new families that come to school, any new teachers. St. Edward’s has always loved and cherished those who work and go to school here and they love our community. I will always put St. Edward’s up front; it is just a wonderful place to work and a wonderful place to receive an outstanding education.”
“There are things about St. Edward’s that stand out for me; characteristics of the school that I think are unmatched,” says Mike Mersky, head of school since July, 2009. “When we have assemblies, the focus and attention is unparalleled. There’s not a worry about behavior or decorum. It starts in the lower school, by the training that they go through, and it goes right through middle and upper; it’s integral. Our kids can speak and write and analyze and critique as well as any I’ve seen in my 40 years. Our kids come with some basic skills that are going to be essential no matter where they go.”
“There are so many intangibles that go along with the educational opportunities,” agrees Wachter. “When asked to typify a St. Edward’s graduate, we could say they received a great academic education. That’s a given. But they’ve received so much more to help them. We are very, very well steeped in relationship building; not just delivering content. They’ve received the skills and had the training that helps pave the way for very successful careers.”
Students from Indian River Martin, St. Lucie, and Brevard Counties attend, with about 25 percent receiving some level of financial aid.
“I think that it’s more expansive than people think. We have 10 buses that go out into those communities. We devote virtually $2 million a year to support children who come from families who believe in the power of this quality of education,” says Mersky, who sees St. Edward’s as one of the crown jewels of this community. “We have lots of families who chose the community because of the school. To have the quality that we have is really special for this small community.”