HISTORY OF ST. ALBAN'S DAY SCHOOL

The closing of the air base greatly affected Harlingen and St. Alban’s Day School. During these difficult years the school went from serving Pre-K children through 3rd grade to once again being a preschool/kindergarten. The school again realized a steady increase in enrollment beginning in the last sixties and into the seventies. The A.O.C. Dent building was added to the facility in August of 1974. The Dent building consisted of 8 classrooms and four restrooms. These rooms were used for the school during the week and Sunday school on Sundays. In 1978, under the direction of Mrs. Bray, the decision was made to once again offer first grade.

Mrs. Bray resigned from St. Alban’s in the spring of 1979 and Mrs. Carol Tate was named the new headmistress. Under her direction the school continued to grow and the decision was made to add grades 2-6 over the next five years. Naturally, this led to the need for additional classrooms. The school continued to grow and need more space and in August of 1983, the Marion Cocke Building was dedicated. This building contained eight classrooms, two restrooms and an office for administration. The school used portable buildings for enrichment subjects such as Art, Spanish, Computers and the school library. 

A Teen Center was built in 1985 by Leon Daniel and once again the school made use of this building, making it a classroom for music. Mr. Daniel also contributed a raised concrete slab to the school for the children to use.
In 1988 it was determined that St. Alban’s Episcopal Day School should be accredited and so the process began. This goal was achieved in the spring of 1989 when the school was accredited by Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools (S.A.E.S.)

Mrs. Tate resigned from St. Alban’s at the end of the 1988-89 school year and Mrs. Betty Hunt was appointed the interim headmistress until a new one could be found. Mrs. Hunt served in this capacity for one year. Mrs. Robbie Certain was chosen to fill the position and began her tenure at St. Alban’s in the fall of 1990, just after her husband, Rev. Robert Certain was called to be the rector at the church in December, 1989.

HISTORY OF ST. ALBAN'S DAY SCHOOL

Under the leadership of Mrs. Certain, additional classrooms at various grade levels again made the school need more room. Therefore, in 1991, a capital campaign, “Wings of Eagles” was launched to raise the money needed for the new addition. This time, six classrooms and two restrooms were added to the existing “Cocke” Building. Mrs. Certain served the school from 1990 to 1995.
Rev. David Reed was called to the be the rector of St. Alban’s Church in November of 1994 and Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson was chosen to be the Headmistress of the school beginning in the fall of 1995. She served in this capacity for 5 years (1995-2000) during which time, the concrete slab was covered in order to serve as an area for all weather play.
Following Mrs. Johnson resignation, Maria Elisa Lopez was appointed as the Principal of the St. Alban’s. She served in this capacity for two years. With her resignation in the spring of 2002, the search process began. Mrs. Mary Katherine Duffy was appointed Head of School in April of 2002 and she continues to serve in this capacity today.
In March of 2006, Rev. David Reed was elected Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas and he moved to San Antonio in June of that year. 

A search process began and the Rev. Scott Brown was called to St. Alban’s in June of 2007 where he served as priest for 10 years, before he was called to be the Headmaster at TMI - The Episcopal School of Texas in March, 2017.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Certain, additional classrooms at various grade levels again made the school need more room. Therefore, in 1991, a capital campaign, “Wings of Eagles” was launched to raise the money needed for the new addition. This time, six classrooms and two restrooms were added to the existing “Cocke” Building. Mrs. Certain served the school from 1990 to 1995.
Rev. David Reed was called to the be the rector of St. Alban’s Church in November of 1994 and Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson was chosen to be the Headmistress of the school beginning in the fall of 1995. She served in this capacity for 5 years (1995-2000) during which time, the concrete slab was covered in order to serve as an area for all weather play.

HISTORY OF ST. ALBAN'S DAY SCHOOL

Following Mrs. Johnson resignation, Maria Elisa Lopez was appointed as the Principal of the St. Alban’s. She served in this capacity for two years. With her resignation in the spring of 2002, the search process began. Mrs. Mary Katherine Duffy was appointed Head of School in April of 2002  and served in that position until  2019, when Mrs. Tracy Lamon was appointed  Head of School until May of 2024. Mrs. Brooke Newman was appointed our Head of School and is currently serving in this position.
In March of 2006, Rev. David Reed was elected Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas and he moved to San Antonio in June of that year. A search process began and the Rev. Scott Brown was called to St. Alban’s in June of 2007 where he served as priest for 10 years, before he was called to be the Headmaster at TMI - The Episcopal School of Texas in March, 2017.
During that accreditation visit, one of the primary areas that was mentioned was the need to address some outdated facilities, including the need to provide an indoor multi-use space. In the fall of 2010, the Vestry and School Board created a joint facilities committee. 

This committee was charged with creating a site plan for the entire five acre campus. Over the next two years, the committee worked to create an economically feasible plan that met the needs of the entire community. In March, 2012, a new site plan was approved by both the School Board and the Vestry including:

1. A total renovation of the “Dent Early Childhood Building” with a new parking lot
2. New construction of a multipurpose facility known as the “Reed Outreach Center (ROC)” and a parking lot.
3. Partial renovation of the church offices, sacristy and vesting rooms.

HISTORY OF ST. ALBAN'S DAY SCHOOL

Total projected funds needed was approximately $3,600,000 for all three projects. In August of 2012, a team from the Diocese of West Texas conducted a feasibility study and determined the church and school community had the ability to raise just over $2,000,000. The School Board and Vestry voted to move forward with development of a joint church and school leadership team and a vision to raise the funds for all three projects. In January, 2013, the “Imagine More” Capital Campaign kicked off and the silent phase of fundraising began. The public portion of the campaign was introduced in April at our annual church and school fundraiser and the leadership team announced to the community that almost $2,000,000 had already been raised. Construction on the Dent Early Childhood Building began in June of that year.  

By its grand opening in November, 2013, the church and school had raised just over $2,300,000. Construction on the Reed Outreach Center (ROC) began in April, 2014. By its grand opening/ribbon cutting on Grandparents’ Day (November 21, 2014), almost $2,850,000 had been raised. Construction on the third and final phase of the project - the church office renovations - began in May of 2015 and ended in August of that year. After the school received a $100,000 grant from a private foundation, total funds raised were almost $3,000,000. The church and school agreed to split the long term debt payment on the remaining balance and that agreement is outlined in the shared use agreement which was ratified by both the board and the vestry.