St. Andrew's Day: A Community Celebrated
November 30 marked St. Andrew’s Day, the feast day of our patron saint. St. Andrew’s Day is a treasured K-12 event, a day where we honor members of our community, enjoy beautiful music from our school choir, bands, and orchestra, and break bread together.
On Wednesday morning, the entire K-12 student body, faculty, parents, and friends joined together for an all-school chapel service to honor those who have shaped St. Andrew’s for the better. This year, we were lucky enough to be joined by the Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Texas who preached and presided over our Eucharist.
During the awards portion of the ceremony, we proudly recognized members of our community who have gone above and beyond this year.
The Jeannine and John C. Miller Volunteer Award is given to a member of our community who has volunteered countless hours to make our school the special place that it is. This year, the award was given to Greg Weaver, parent of Jack ‘20 and Luke ‘22, who has been an invaluable volunteer for our school, often operating behind the scenes to ensure our long-term viability and sustainability as a school.
The Lucy Collins Nazro Faculty Service Award recognizes members of the St. Andrew’s faculty and staff whose work far exceeds the ordinary demands of the job. This year, Athletic Director Jeff McCrary ‘94 was honored as the winner of this award. Assistant Head of School Alice Nezzer remarked on Jeff's incredible impact on the growth of our K-12 Athletics program, his passion for developing our students' physical wellbeing and appreciation of healthy competition, and his inspiring mentorship from which so many St. Andrew's alumni have benefitted.
The Teaching Awards are given to two outstanding teachers, one on each of our campuses. Cate Gasco was the awardee for the Southwest Parkway campus, recognized for her passion for teaching, her creativity, and her boundless musical gifts that inspire her students and colleagues every day. Barton Ballard ‘81 was the awardee for the 31st Street campus, recognized for his ability to make lifelong learners out of his students, his servant leadership, and his selfless contributions to our school.
Lori Hahn, Cindy Albach, Hope Ruiz, and Alice Nezzer '81 were honored for their fifteen years of service to the school.
Lori Hahn, Cindy Albach, Hope Ruiz, and Alice Nezzer '81 were honored for their fifteen years of service to the school.
After our community gathered together for Eucharist, students, faculty, and parents enjoyed a community lunch on the Nazro Green. The Upper School student Rock Bands provided a fabulous soundtrack for the meal on a beautiful fall afternoon. Following lunch, students engaged in community service activities on both campuses: seniors and first graders created Manna bags together; lower schoolers took part in a variety of service projects, from making wildflower seed bombs for Shoal Creek Conservancy, sorting books for BookSpring, and putting together care packages for ICU nurses; and middle schoolers organized donations for Austin Diaper Bank and also created Manna bags for our unhoused neighbors.
As always, St. Andrew’s Day was a wonderful day for our school community, and we are so proud of our spectacular award winners and the special servant hearts of our students! For more photos of the day's festivities, visit our Smugmug album.
