National Cathedral School

National Cathedral School is an independent Episcopal private day school for girls located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Founded by philanthropist and suffragist Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Bishop Henry Yates Satterlee in 1900, NCS is the oldest of the institutions constituting the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation.The SchoolNCS has about 580 students in grades 4 through 12. Its mascot is the eagle. Its brother school, St. Albans, and the shared coeducational elementary school (K-3), Beauvoir, are also located on the 57acre Cathedral Close in Northwest Washington near the Washington National Cathedral. Kathleen O'Neill Jamieson is the Head of School. The school motto is "Noblesse Oblige" ("Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required," St. Luke XII, 48).TraditionsAs the National Cathedral School is chartered by the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, and is a selective Episcopal School, the school holds a mandatory chapel service for Upper School students on "G" days, and on "C" days it holds a morning service in the National Cathedral for all students. Graduation is held in the Washington National Cathedral. However, students of various religions attend the school, and the chapel services are generally ecumenical in nature. Flag Day, when academic awards are given to students, is held the day before commencement. The ceremony is held on the northwest lawn of the Cathedral grounds, next to Hearst Hall. Graduating seniors wear white dresses or pantsuits and carry a bouquet of roses as they process into the outdoor ceremony. The final award, given to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average, is an American flag.